January 1, 2008

Geoffrey Gonsher
Director, Arizona Department of Racing
1110 W. Washington – Suite 260
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Dear Director Gonsher:

The AZ Department of Racing seems to care about its financial side and rightly so.  Then it seems to care about whether or not the gamblers are being cheated and rightly so. But there seems to be very little to no mention of greyhound welfare. The greyhounds which make greyhound racing possible are just a commodity and so what if 16 greyhounds disappear or what if more than 150 disappear? It’s business as usual as the AZ Department of Racing promotes and encourages the breeding of greyhounds (and horses) so there is always a steady supply of dogs.

On December 19, 2007, an article appeared in the Arizona Daily Star quoting you as saying that your department would be looking into it in the next 30 days.

It’s the new year and we greyhound advocates are wondering what – if anything — has been uncovered?

In an Arizona Daily Star article dated December 20, 2006 you are quoted as saying that the AZ Department of Racing was looking into a database that would make Tucson Greyhound Park more accountable about its missing dogs. Has that happened yet? 

Has the greyhound database been installed and is it in use? If yes, then where are the 16 missing dogs? And worse, how could they go missing? One or two of those dogs were supposed to go to a local greyhound adoption group. So once again, Tucson Greyhound Park failed to enforce the statute R-19-329 (B) which states: “Every effort must be made to adopt the greyhounds not used for racing or breeding purposes.” Yet, another violation that goes unnoticed and not punished.  Violations and missing dogs seem to run amuck at TGP and the AZ Department of Racing just looks the other way; business as usual.

If the greyhound database has not be installed, then why not? What seems to be the problem? Why would it take a year to implement a database at Tucson Greyhound Park? I believe that I read in the audit report/sunset review that the Department of AZ Racing was implementing better technology. Is that to serve the Department, the bettor, or greyhound welfare?

K. Z.
Greyhound adopter and advocate – Tucson

Tags: Greyhound Racing - TUCSON (TGP), Speak Out Against Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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Cockfighting, dog fighting, and greyhound racing are blood sports propagated to fulfill people’s sick sense of entertainment. All involve animals without rights that are used as money makers and when they are no longer profitable, gamecocks are tortured or put to death by inhumane methods.

Cockfighting is illegal in Washington, D.C., plus 49 states and in August 2008, cockfighting will be illegal in Louisiana. Unfortunately, illegal or not, cockfighting still exists and people are still getting busted for it even in Pima County. Drugged gamecocks fight to their death while pierced with razor blades and are tortured along the way by having their eyes plucked out. What kind of entertainment is this? Is it cultural? No! Cockfighting is a felony in 35 states including Arizona. Being a spectator at a cockfighting event is illegal in 41 states including Arizona.

Dog fighting is yet another blood sport which recently made headlines along with Michael Vick. Comedienne Whoopi Goldberg defended Vick by saying that dog fighting was a cultural thing with young black men in the ‘hood. Yet, according to a recent survey, public opinion polls show opposition to dog fighting across the board regardless of culture.

Dog fighting pits dog against dog until the bloody end. Dogs are electrocuted and tortured. What about this is entertainment? Dog fighting is outlawed in all 50 states and a felony in all but two — Idaho and Wyoming.

For greyhound racing, dogs do not fight each other yet they are virtually running for their lives. Greyhound racing is still legal in 14 states. Unfortunately, Arizona is one of them. Crimes against greyhounds have been perpetrated by man as racing greyhounds in Arizona have been buried in mass graves with their ears cut off to hide their tattoo numbers. Greyhounds routinely disappear and fall through the cracks without ever being accounted for. They are frequently covered in ticks and sit in their own urine and feces for days. Some swallow stones and their own collars resulting in seizures and death.

Greyhound deaths are only counted when a track veterinarian euthanizes them. When they are taken to local veterinarians to be euthanized, get on a truck and transported by the hundreds to unknown deaths, or dumped in the desert – they go unaccounted for.

Dogs run and they break their legs, hocks, and backs. They are euthanized even when they finish the race and there is an adoption rep on her way to pick them up! Or they sit in their cages for days or weeks unattended to, with broken limbs and broken hearts.

The state of Arizona doesn’t have enough money in their budget to properly drug test dogs; the industry standard is nine but AZ Department of Racing tests two or three. Greyhound race dogs have no rights as they are deemed as property by the people who own them. If the owners want their property destroyed – they’re destroyed. No questions asked. 

 Don’t tell us that greyhound racing is not a blood sport.   Yet the AZ Department of Racing has on their website – that they encourage and promote the breeding of horses and greyhounds.  Why?

Tags: Greyhounds ETC., Speak Out Against Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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According to the Arizona Department of Racing’s home page – the Department of Racing promotes and encourages the breeding of horses and greyhounds in the State.

Scroll down to “Department Description” and read that shocking paragraph.

There are at least 600 greyhounds that file through Tucson Dog Track every year – many never get to legitimate adoption groups. Many end up as coyote hunters which translates into death. Hundreds are hauled to god knows where and are presumed dead by the Arizona Department of Racing, the government organization that encourages their breeding. Some are euthanized for broken hocks and legs. And some are taken to local veterinarians to be euthanized; they are never accounted for.  Some are given away unaltered to friends of handlers or free to track attendees and their fate is unknown yet they breed with other dogs, further increasing the unwanted pet population of Pima County, and that’s why there are so many greyhound mixes who usually end up at Pima Animal Control.

Common sense dictates that with the ongoing abuse and cruelty affecting greyhounds – the state of Arizona’s Racing Department would not “promote and encourage the breeding of greyhounds.” 

Looking at the “Department Description”, a few other fallacies come to mind:

–The Department oversees and supervises…greyhound… - We beg to differ. There is next to none supervision at Tucson Dog Track; if there was then perhaps bad things wouldn’t happen to greyhounds at the Tucson track and/or leaving the track suspiciously to parts unknown.

–The Department…enforces laws and rules related to racing and wagering to protect industry participants and the public. The Department’s veterinarians and track stewards did nothing to protect a dog (on the night of August 31, 2007) who broke her hock but finished the race. Tucson Dog Track failed to follow the statute regulation that “every effort must be made to adopt out a dog.” An adoption rep was on her way to pick up the dog.

No, the Arizona Department of Racing failed to protect the industry’s participants – its dogs.

And whether or not the Arizona Department of Racing is going to penalize the perpetrators who failed to adopt out the dog rather than kill her – is yet to be seen.

Nevertheless — let the greyhound breeding continue…

Tags: Greyhound Racing - TUCSON (TGP), Speak Out Against Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
1 Comment »

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Tags: Speak Out Against Greyhound Racing by NoMoreRacing
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