Statement from GREY2K USA:

“This morning, Wonderland Greyhound Park announced its permanent closure.

In November 2008, Massachusetts citizens overwhelmingly voted to end greyhound racing.  The Greyhound Protection Act passed in nearly 290 cities and towns from one end of the state to the other.  Voters made this humane choice because greyhound racing was cruel and inhumane.

For decades, greyhounds at Wonderland were kept in small cages for long hours each day.  This is documented by statements made by greyhound trainers working at Wonderland, and by photographs that were taken by the track itself.

Additionally, between 2002 and 2008, 317 greyhound injuries were reported at Wonderland.  This includes dogs like Renkar, a greyhound who died at the track in August 2006 after suffering massive head trauma.  Most reported injuries at Wonderland were serious, and a majority involved broken legs.

These are not the only humane issues that were documented at Wonderland.  In the Spring of 2005, 19 dogs at Wonderland Greyhound Park died from a mystery illness that was later proven to be a form of horse flu that had never before jumped species.  In late 2003 and early 2004, a dog tested positive for cocaine twice at Wonderland Greyhound Park.

The end of greyhound racing in the Commonwealth is a victory for everyone who cares about dogs.  For generations, Massachusetts has been a leader on humane issues, and the end of greyhound racing continues this proud tradition.

Finally, we encourage everyone to continue supporting efforts to assist those who have been displaced by the closure of Wonderland.  We made sure that Question 3 included a 14-month phase out to help these individuals, and all efforts should be made to provide them with the transitional assistance they deserve.”

GREY2K USA is a national, non-profit greyhound protection organization with more than 30,000 supporters nationwide.  If you want greyhound racing to end, please consider supporting their efforts by making a donation and/or educating the public about greyhound racing cruelty. Thank you

Tags: Good News, Greyhounds ETC., Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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This act of kindness makes my heart sing!
A message from GREY2K USA:
Governor John Lynch has signed into law House Bill 630, a humane proposal to outlaw greyhound racing in New Hampshire.  New Hampshire now joins a majority of states where greyhound racing is illegal.
This is a victory for everyone in the state who cares about animals.  It sends a clear message that the cruelty of greyhound racing will not be tolerated, regardless of whether the perpetrator is an individual or a profit-driven industry.
Greyhound racing is cruel and inhumane.

At New Hampshire racetracks thousands of dogs endured lives of terrible confinement and many suffered serious injuries.  According to state records, nearly 1,200 greyhounds were injured in New Hampshire since 2005, including dogs that suffered broken legs, paralysis, and head trauma.
New Hampshire has a rich tradition when it comes to the humane treatment of animals and this tradition was strengthened today by the signing of House Bill 630.  Dogs play an important role in our lives and deserve to be protected from individuals and industries that would do them harm.
GREY2K USA and advocates everywhere are extremely grateful to Governor Lynch for his signing of this humane bill and to everyone who fought for its passage.  In particular, we would like to thank Senator Sheila Roberge and Representatives Mary Cooney, Steve Vaillancourt, John Reagan, and Mary Beth Walz.  Without their extraordinary leadership this victory would not have been possible.

Tags: Good News, Greyhounds ETC., Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Good news ToTo: Greyhound racing’s not in Kansas anymore.

Excerpts from the article

“The Woodlands’ racing license has been revoked by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission.

The horse and dog track in Kansas City, Kansas, closed since August 2008, will no longer be able to run races at the track unless some future action is taken to apply for the license again.

Licenses also were revoked for Wichita Greyhound Park, and Camptown Park in Frontenac, Kan., a dog track.

Tracks were given until June 28 to get a new plan to the state to reopen.

Earlier, Woodlands officials said they had been weighing options, including selling the racetrack.”

This really is good news because without greyhound racing in Kansas, less dogs are bred for racing. Less dogs are confined in small cages for hours on end. Less are fed raw 4D meat. Less dogs are dosed with steroids and other drugs like cocaine in Florida and Alabama. Less dogs are injured and euthanized. Less dogs disappear like in Tucson. Less tracks are getting tax breaks at the state’s expense. Less money is made through live handle racing and off track betting.

Yes, ToTo, greyhound racing’s not in Kansas anymore and that’s really good news for greyhound advocates — but best of all for the dogs.

And believe it or not, there is some humor in this too. Yes, I know, greyhound racing AND humor rarely go together in the same breath or sentence but here’s an exception.

Tags: Good News, Greyhounds ETC., Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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A greyhound at the Birmingham Alabama Race Course tested positive for cocaine last fall, and the dog’s handler was fined and suspended for 60 days. (BFD)

According to the article, it’s not the first time that racing greyhounds in Alabama have been associated with improper drug use.

In 2007, 13 regular patrons at Mobile Greyhound Park were arrested for what authorities described as a scheme to fix races using so-called male enhancement products. Prosecutors said at the time that a pill commonly available at health food stores — and marketed as a sex aid — was given to dogs that were favored to win. Those behind the plan hoped the drugs would raise the dogs’ heart rate to the point that they became exhausted before the race and would lose, prosecutors said at the time. The conspirators bet on non-drugged dogs that offered longer odds and a better payout, authorities said.

Of the 13 men arrested, three were charged with tampering with racing. All of the tampering-with-racing charges eventually were dropped…and herein lies the problem. Charges were dropped. (And what were patrons doing behind the scenes with access to the dogs and drugging the dogs? So much for purported regulation)

Contact Alabama Governor Bob Riley and asked him to investigate dog cruelty associated with Alabama greyhound racing.

In Florida, in 2007, the death of three greyhounds in the Daytona Beach Kennel Club were found to have tested positive for traces of cocaine in their system.

(Always the pro-racing contingent can find an excuse to justify the drug incident and mistreatment. Always.)

This is not the first time that racing greyhounds have tested positive for cocaine in Florida. In 2004, the Tampa Tribune reported that over 100 dogs had tested positive for cocaine over the previous three years! It’s unclear exactly why trainers give cocaine to dogs.

And Greyhound Network News reported in 2004, “ the Tampa Tribune reported on May 3 that 119 racing dogs tested positive for traces of cocaine over a three-year period at the state’s racetracks, an average of 40 per year. The reporting period covered June 1, 2000 through May 30, 2003. Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering officials said the positive tests, which represented one-tenth of 1 percent of the 104,000 urine samples tested, are most likely the result of incidental contact, rather than an attempt to fix races.” (Always an excuse – is that like second hand smoke?)

Across the pond in 2007, Northern Ireland greyhounds were doped with cocaine, amphetamines, and herbal ecstasy. A greyhound enthusiast said the figures represented “a tiny minority” of those involved in greyhound racing.

Even if everyone involved with greyhound racing was a solid upstanding citizen saint which is a far cry from reality, greyhound racing unto itself is cruel and inhumane.

Tags: ABUSE-Greyhound History, Greyhounds ETC., Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Good news! Another nail in the greyhound racing industry’s coffin. Hooray!

All the tracks in New England are gone. So many hundreds of dogs that no longer will be bred. Mercifully.  Thankfully.

The best part is even the track owners didn’t want to race any more.

“The legislation had the backing of the current and prospective new owners of the Twin River slot parlor in Lincoln who wanted out of the dog-racing business which, for years, had cost more than it made.”

Here’s a video also.

Tags: Good News, Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Whoopee! Read the article.

By a close vote, Senators rejected a bill that was geared at making slot machines more profitable for owners of The Woodlands horse and dog tracks in Kansas City, Kan. as well as Camptown Greyhound Park in Frontenac.

Another measure that was hotly contested was the allowing for a revote in Sedgwick County to ask for slot machines to be placed at the Wichita Greyhound Park. That measure was voted down by a 20-18 vote.

Under current state law, the share of slot revenues to track owners is capped at 40 percent whereas the new bill would have increased that to 58 percent. Track owners have said that the current percentage makes opening not profitable. The new bill would have also dropped the minimum investment in a casino in southeast Kansas from $225 million to $100 million.

Tags: Good News, Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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The sound is sweet and melodic not like the sounds of dogs crashing into railings and breaking their legs.

Oh, how sweet it is…progress of dog tracks closing and not to reopen in THREE  northeast states — New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Read the update and rejoice!

Tags: Good News, Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Wow! Florida must be flush with money (unlike Arizona). Florida must be flush with so much money for offering a $19 million dollar tax break to the dog tracks.

Gotta keep those dogs running and the dog tracks afloat because the dog racing industry can’t seem to be doing it themselves. Has Florida heard that greyhound racing is a dying industry?

If you have a legitimate business in Florida where dogs are not injured, are not carted away in kill trucks, and where dogs don’t die and you’re not getting a big tax break — you better contact your legislators to find out what the criteria is in order to get a big tax break.

Boycott Florida!

Tags: Greyhounds ETC., Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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We have health care reform or so some people are cheering about. I think it’s somewhat of a cop out but I guess in its own way, it’s progress. The insurance companies are still bound to get richer without doing anything to earn it. People with preexisting conditions will be able to get insurance if they can afford it…the question is the “if.” Kudos to Obama for sticking with it.

One of single payer’s biggest objections from angry uneducated masses encouraged by Sarah Palin is that universal health care was considered socialized medicine because those that don’t have, would be entitled to have. Of course, we already have Medicare and Social Security so their arguments were loud but skewed.

Here’s a definition of socialism: Socialism is a system which ignores borders. For any wealth to be accumulated within a country, it has been done at the expense of the workers. These workers have the power to form revolutionary groups regardless of what current political controls are in place.

That got me thinking about greyhound racing.

According to this excellent article in the Las Vegas Sun, much of greyhound racing is subsidized. Wasn’t that the whole problem with health care reform? The naysayers don’t want anything that is subsidized especially health care for the have nots.

According to the article:
“Still, Harrah’s calls greyhound racing a giant waste of money and resources — including real estate that could be used for more profitable enterprises. “It’s like a horse and buggy manufacturer getting a subsidy from an auto manufacturer,” Harrah’s spokesman Gary Thompson says. “We’re subsidizing a dying business.” ”

Nobody wanted to subsidize health care, why subsidize greyhound racing especially in a bankrupt state like Arizona?

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer will probably put the kibosh on Arizona health care under the Obama plan but she and the Arizona Department of Racing will still subsidize greyhound racing at the expense of health care, state parks, and tourism.

Socialism is a system which ignores borders: If socialism has ignored borders, the same can be said of the greyhound racing industry. Like when was the last time they have been accountable for missing dogs or drugged dogs or dogs pumped full of steroids with no paperwork to back up the administration of dosing? In Arizona, some of the injury reports don’t even list the dogs’ names or why or how they died. How is that accountable? A Green Valley veterinarian admits to dosing racing greyhounds with steroids even though there is a South Tucson voter approved ordinance against the practice. This is operating recklessly without borders.

Socialism: For any wealth to be accumulated within a country, it has been done at the expense of the workers. In greyhound racing, the workers are the dogs. They do all the work. They have no say so in their working conditions or diet. The Las Vegas Sun article says they’re on a strict diet. All you adopters out there who feed your dogs 4D meat (RAW dead, diseased, downer, and disabled meat), please raise your hand? They may live like kings and queens (according to the article) at one track but as they start to lose they are hauled from the A track to the B track to the C track to end-of-the-line tracks where their vitality has been stripped only to be euthanized or disappear when they are no longer profitable.

Socialism: These workers have the power to form revolutionary groups regardless of what current political controls are in place. Unfortunately, the workers or greyhounds in this case don’t have the know-how to form revolutionary groups. They might refuse to come out of the starting box unless kicked or they might cause interference. The revolutionary groups are you and me and the thousands of people who are now speaking out on blogs, tweeting, educating the masses via Facebook, protesting at tracks, articles like the Las Vegas Sun,  and powerful advocacy groups making a difference state by state.

A sport that is propped up by racinos, slot machines, and casino-style gambling is a sport that no longer needs to exist. A dying antiquated sport supported by older folks dragging their walkers and oxygen.

A dying sport indeed.

Tags: Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Greyhound racing is a mistake.

You betcha.

This week, former Iowa State Senator Bill Dieleman joined the effort to end live greyhound racing there.  I wish Arizona had a legislator who thought greyhound racing was a mistake and had the courage enough to speak out.

In a video statement, Dieleman explains how in 1983 he and others were trying to defeat a pari-mutuel racing proposal. Convinced that adding dog racing to the bill would keep horse racing out of Iowa, Dieleman added a dog racing amendment.

On the video, he urges his former colleagues to correct the mistake of greyhound racing saying that Iowa can put the dollars currently used to prop up the faltering dog racing industry to better use. The report further notes that purse supplements benefit few with more than 50% of the moneys going to 20 recipients and about 42% going to out-of-state operations.

The same can be said for Arizona. Did you know that in 2009, six percent of the breeders of 612 winning greyhounds earned $223,112 in breeders awards? The Arizona Department of Racing promotes and encourages the breeding of greyhounds which is stupid.  That’s $365 per dog. Is that more than Arizona pays per student?

But back to Iowa…redirecting the funds away from dog racing to the state is equivalent to:

* Approximately 200 teachers in Iowa public schools, or
* An additional 100 state troopers, or
* Nearly 200 state social workers could be hired to assist needy Iowans; or
* More than 180 correctional workers to keep Iowa facilities safe.

That seems like a no brainer.

Did you know that the Arizona Department of Racing is primarily financed by the General Fund? In 2009, Tucson Greyhound Park earned $4.1+ million from live racing and $9+ million from simulcast betting. Yet, they didn’t pay any pari-mutuel taxes to the state on these earnings. This is not a new event. They have not paid pari-mutuel taxes for at least a dozen years…for much more profitable years.  What other business doesn’t have to pay taxes? They do pay for some licensing. One of the licensing is to prove that your race dog is Arizona bred. Breeders pay the state a whopping $3 per dog (adobe acrobat required/PDF).

And don’t even get me started about the hardship tax credit Tucson Greyhound Park receives or else I’ll vomit my breakfast across the room.

Arizona legislators should redirect funds away from propping up a faltering industry that is more about the wagering than greyhound welfare and redirect funds and salaries paid to state veterinarians (who already have flourishing private practices) and from a handful of others.

What about taking the General Fund money that props up the Arizona Department of Racing and instead:

* Open the rest areas on the weekends
* Keep our state parks open longer
* Boost tourism

I wish Arizona had a Bill Dieleman, someone with a clear voice, reputable conscience  and the courage to speak out. Go Bill!

Tags: Arizona - Show Me the Money, Nationwide Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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