Dear Greyhound Advocates /Greyhound Racing Arizona

Urge your legislators to vote YES on these two bills:

Arizona HB 2637 (dog racing/anabolic steroids) would prohibit the use of anabolic steroids in racing dogs and require that dogs be tested for steroids.

The AZ Racing Commission, Arizona Department of Racing, and Tucson Greyhound Park don’t like this idea which is why an appeal to legislators is an absolute must! Instead of shooting up the dogs with anabolic steroids, we recommend separating the males and females when the females go into heat. This is what reputable breeders do.

Anabolic steroids also build muscle (just like in human athletes) which means the integrity of betting on dogs is compromised. Continued use of anabolic steroids in females leads to UTI infections, urine scald, bladder infections, and possibly bone cancer and heart attacks. If South Tucson would enforce the Tucson Dog Protection act like the will of the people voted on for proposition 401, there would be no need for HB 2637. Stop doping the dogs!

SB1294 (dog racing/decoupling) would allow Tucson Greyhound Park to decouple live greyhound racing from simulcasting. TGP still could exist but no dogs would be on the premises*.

TGP would be simulcasting other tracks’ greyhound races. There have been numerous negative articles about TGP’s lack of care and missing greyhounds in the past years (google it).

TGP already makes most of its money from simulcasting instead of live racing. In 2009, they made $9+ million from simulcasting compared to $4+million in live racing. It’s a no-brainer and no dogs are victims of greyhound racing in South Tucson.

If there was no live greyhound racing in Arizona, there would be no need to encourage breeding. In 2009, 6% of greyhound breeders or breeders of 612 dogs earned $223,112 in monetary breeders’ awards*. In a state that is stripping education from K-12 and beyond, this is a travesty to encourage the breeding of greyhounds and then reward them with thousands of dollars. (*http://www.azracing.gov/Archives/FY09_Annual_Report.pdf – page 22)

Also if there’s no life racing less money is taken from the Arizona General Fund to regulate the industry. In Mass. greyhound racing was banned a/o 2010 and now simulcast only is thriving.**

Urge your legislators to vote NO on the following bill:

SB1192 (gambling cities & towns) would allow for racinos. We don’t want no stinkin’ racinos.

Racinos are a pox on society. Indiscriminate gambling on the backs of greyhounds should never be a way to raise revenue.

The Arizona race tracks have had 15+ years of tax-free pari-mutuel earnings (from live racing and simulcast). Racinos prey on the most financially vulnerable. Racinos would compromise the Indian gaming pact with the Native Americans putting their existing financial contributions to Arizona in jeopardy.

Racinos would allow slot machines in greyhound race tracks. If slot machines get into the tracks, Phoenix Greyhound Park will reopen to live greyhound racing as will Apache Junction and Yuma. Arizona does not need any more live greyhound racing and greyhound race tracks!

Please make phone calls or write letters (or do both) to your state legislators for these bills.

(You can also email but it doesn’t carry the same weight of importance but I recommend doing it also.) Write or call your two state representatives and one state senator and ask for their support when these bills come before them…which is NOW.

If you don’t know who your legislators are, checkout

http://www.azleg.state.az.us/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp

Ending live greyhound racing cannot be accomplished by a few people. There is much opposition but the tide is turning to anti racing all across the country. Let’s make Arizona part of that tide. Don’t wait for the next guy or woman or person to do it, every voice counts.

Your voice can make a difference.

Thank you

Source: **Live dog racing is banned in Mass. and race track now thrives.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead