paw law
In 1919, the Blue Star Amusement Company built an oval track in Emeryville, California so that a mechanical lure, invented by Owen Patrick Smith, could be used for racing Greyhounds. Ironically, Smith devised the rab- bit-like lure, attached to the outside rail of a track, because he thought it would be a more humane alternative to the live hares used in Greyhound field coursing. In the decade following Smith’s invention,
illegal betting on Greyhound racing flourished, drawing in organized crime. In 1931, Florida became the first state to legalize dog racing, making the state the epicenter for the sport. In the movie “A Hole in the Head,” Frank Sinatra played an unlucky Miami Greyhound racing bettor. The song High Hopes was introduced in the 1959 film. The Florida Department of Business and
Professional Regulation has reported that more than 460 dogs have died at the tracks since the state first started gathering such information in 2013. According to the National Greyhound Adoption Program, it is estimated that the sport of Greyhound racing has claimed the lives of more than 1,3520,000 in its almost 100-year history. With the legalization of casino gambling
The Finish Line. –by Anna Cooke
Amendment 13, the Ban on Wagering on Dog Races Amendment, was voted in by 5,407,543 Florida voters
on November 6, 2018. That’s 69.06 percent of the vote or a margin of three to one. Florida now becomes the 41st state to prohibit Greyhound racing. Eleven of the 17 dog tracks remaining in the United States will close by 2020 as a result.
Photograph of Adelle and Patches by Janelle Montgomery. 30 THE NEW BARKER
in many states, and because the sport was seen as inhumane, Greyhound racing has largely become an afterthought. In its final years, Flagler Dog Track at Magic City Casino near Miami International Airport, was all but empty on race nights. The track’s final race was June 2018. Greyhound racing in Florida survived mostly because the state mandated that the tracks be kept open. Not all breeders and trainers in this highly
competitive sport mistreated the dogs in their care. However, self-regulation led to abusive situations. The reality is that Greyhound racing has inherent problems. It is not a sport about fast dogs, but a form of gaming where profit often dictates the level of care and expendabil- ity at each stage of the dog’s development. When Greyhounds do not run profitably, they are of little use to the business. A winning dog’s racing career is usually over at three to four years of age. Greyhound racing will be phased out
gradually to give track owners time to explore other options to keep their businesses running. Christine Dorchak, president and general counsel of GREY2K USA said that the phase-out period will be enough time for the estimated 3,700 racing dogs to be adopted. They won’t all be “retired” at once.
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