Read this: http://tinyurl.com/4lrvxg9
And while most of you who are animal friendly will quickly rise to your feet and say, “YAY! GREYHOUND RACING WILL END IN FLORIDA!” I ask you to take a moment and consider this. With anywhere from 10K to 60K greyhounds in the racing system right now…and no noticeable reduction in racing greyhound breeding…who will take these dogs when the vote comes through and the state of Florida becomes (not completely) greyhound free?
How many of you will be able to take two or three foster dogs into your house? Will you agree to sponsor a dog that needs food, medical care, a place to stay and transport to a forever home? What will happen to the dogs if no one steps up physically or financially?
I’m not supporting greyhound racing. I have become, over the past 10 years, ambivalent. I don’t really care if it exists or doesn’t. But these thoughts come across my mind and heart all the time.
Would I have ever met Flyer, Free Free, Fusey, Coombsy or Chelsea if greyhound racing never existed? What about Santa, Pinky, Stella, Annie, Eva, Bart, Mikey…all the dogs I (and we) love? Would we have met them?
Where will the dogs go? Really, do you think that racing greyhound owners will just stop breeding? Right now? Really? What wonder-world do you live in? Where will the dogs go? Caliente? Australia? Spain? They’re all business people. They will find a place. How can we “control” the adoption of the dogs if racing stops? At least with the AGTOA, we know SOMETHING. Without a governing organization we know NOTHING.
If you’re not involved now (and by YOU I don’t necessarily mean you…but the generic you), will you get involved? Even if you stop and say YES! I WILL GET INVOLVED because I’ve fired up your sensibility towards sweet animals in crisis…the reality is that only probably 1-3% of you will take action. Since I think I only have about 10 readers….that’s like…1/10th of a person. Not a lot.
So while I applaud the “end” of greyhound racing…do I really? In this country, we have a tendency to react without proper planning. (Just look around….) Is there any way we can PREPARE for the upcoming situation *before* it happens?
Ponder. Discuss.
Mary's Blog 
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I’ll have to admit that I am ignorant when it comes to dog racing. With that said maybe my opinion is a view from an outsider. From the little I have seen on TV or wherever. The image in my head is *Very happy and healthy dogs chasing a fake rabbit around a track*. I would think that the healthier the dog the faster it could run. I’m not your classic animal lover. Sure, I don’t want any animal to suffer, but it’s not high on my concern’s list. This will sound bad and I’m not really that COLD, but… It’s just an animal.
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I understand where you are coming from, I truly do. I think I even said it in my blog that SOME of my friends are animal friend…Consider applying a heavenly approach…we have been put on this earth to take care of all God’s creatures. Consider this. While I’m not SAYING it outright…the fate of the dogs is the same as the fate of a losing pit bull (fighting dog). Not pretty. I’m not sure if you’re a parent of a human child, Dan. I’m not. My greyhounds have been gifts from God to me, in the way that many people consider their human children. If your child was going to be killed after it was no-longer useful…how would you feel?
And also know that you’ve got something that is a passion to you. This is a passion to me. We all have our own “things”…this is mine.
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Chris – I tried to reply to your post, Chris…sorry, it attached to my response to Dan instead….
You are correct. The greyhounds that I have encountered over the years (it’s been 10 yrs I’ve been involved with Greyhound Rescue in the low country) I agree, they are sweet, loving…relaxed. 🙂
My new MANTRA is, you don’t have to adopt a greyhound to support greyhound adoption in the low country. And this is for Martha too. I’m not asking for donations or adoptions that will break someone financially or put a dog in a situation where it becomes a hardship. The call to arms is as follows: Tell someone about what you’ve learned today. Not that *Mary has a passion for greyhounds* but what you learned about greyhound racing in Florida. Tell someone about the local greyhound group: Greyhound Pets of America Charleston We have been actively finding forever homes for greyhounds since 2003 (check out my other posts on greyhounds) and we are all passionate about these pups.
Of course, for anyone who is in “the market” for a pet, adopt…don’t buy from a breeder (it’s my thing…I’m sorry all you breeders). There are SO MANY dogs out there that have been give up by people who bought from a breeder…they’re pure bred! Adopt!!!
If you tell your friends, and I tell my friends….we’re helping. Believe me. We’re helping.
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Mary, I have been priveleged to know a few greyhound rescues. They are the sweetest, humblest creatures I have ever known. I wish I could take some myself, but, being animal lovers ourselves, we have 3 dogs already! I do think it would be tragic for these US dogs to wind up out of the country where we would have little to no way of tracking them. Thanks for making us aware.
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Mary,
I happen to have adopted the ideal that racing is what it is. A venue for those of us to meet and adopt our most favorite pets. I don’t have any true political viewpoint on the industry in and of itself, but I do have one issue I wish someone with a voice (perhaps someone in the NGA circle?)would lobby these state governments and propose that the racing industry be fully responsible for ensuring that the overflow of these pups are their FULL responsibility, meaning that while rescue groups will gladly take them, the costs incurred for spay/neuter services, vaccines, medications, surgeries, and most importantly the transportation costs and FOOD while they are in foster care should come directly from the industry. They also need to seriously consider that shutting down the tracks is fine with most, let’s do it in an orderly manner…only one or two a year, so that rescue groups have the chance to house and adopt out those dogs, rather than flooding an already saturated rescue system with thousands of pups at once. I think it is the industries responsibility to treat these animals humanely…they created the numbers for their own greedy purposes, now they can support them ALL until homes are found…euthanasia is NOT acceptable. That is an easy end to THEIR financial obligations and should be prohibited. The potential shutdowns need to be monitored closely by the groups and NGA to prevent folks like the Florida trainer that just let them starve. With that being said, it is the STATE’S responsibility as well to assist in the retirement of these pups. They made their own revenue from them, they can oversee the closures happen legally and with the interests of the dogs in mind.
Currently, Steve and I can’t take in more dogs for a few reasons…1) We are both now unemployed, and 2) we are limited by our current housing to the two Greys we have, but I assure you…we WILL have more. While we can’t physically help and financially we are limited FOR THE MOMENT, we can make phone calls to State legislatures, and any other organization that needs to be contacted.
Just me on my soap box…but this is why I hope racing DOESN’T shut down…the dogs lives depend on it right now…
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Agree. Like. All of the above…except the jobless thing…but aside from that, agree…like. 🙂
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Wow, Mary. A thought provoking post to be sure. I’ve always loved dogs (and cats and other animals) and for a while now have been in a position where having a pet is simply not possible financially or otherwise, but it doesn’t change my heart – only my circumstances have changed. What can we do is a good question. What can do is another. We all get happy and sappy and sing about “all creatures great and small” but do we hear what the words are saying?
Just now all I can do is reference this post in my blog here (if I have learned how – I’m new to this) and hope that by doing so those who can make a difference in some way will do so. Surely if we all do what we can, no matter how small that may be individually, it will eventually make a difference.
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Sharing my information is a great thing! Please share, cross post, Facebook, Tweet…I think that is a loving thing to do.
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Done! You are a special lady, Mary! Woof!
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Mary, you and I know how hard it is to find as many homes as there are hounds that need them and I agree that most who want to end racing are NOT thinking about the long term effects of a complete end to it.
I too adopted a greyhound after hearing horror stories about the industry. That is what brought me to a meet and greet but it is not what convinced me to adopt…it was the dogs themselves and their sweet disposition. Onyx has been an absolute blessing to me.
Over the almost 7 years we have had him, I have been able to realize that most of the stories I had heard about racing were either overblown or were only the work of a few bad apples in the industry. Yes it DOES happen that some dogs get killed after racing but so many amazing owners / breeders / trainers love these dogs so much that they go out of their way to make sure they get adopted out that we need to remember that any industry will have a few jerks. Sadly those few have a disastrous effect and I have cried many tears reading how many sweet hounds were lost recently because of these idiots. I believe though that for every one of these jerks there are 10 amazing people who work with adoption groups and go out of their way to place their hounds with great families.
I believe there is no easy solution to this issue but I agree with Nickie that if the end of racing comes then there should be some serious safeguards as to how it is done so that the dogs are protected and the adoption groups can handle the influx of adoptable dogs.
I hope that if that day comes, there are also ways to protect the breed as a whole. What will happen once there is no longer an incentive to keep it pure ? we know that the AKC hounds are a different type and we know that the breed has avoided many health issues because of the racing industry’s need to keep the breed pure. So what’s next if there is no more incentive to control in-breeding etc…
There is no simple solution to this gigantic problem. But maybe us talking about it just like you did in your blog will help…
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