paw law
Regardless of your view on dog racing, with 11 tracks closing, 3,000 employees losing jobs, and about 3,700 Greyhounds retiring, the industry will feel the impact of the passage of Amendment 13 over the next two years. The closure dates for each of Florida’s 11 tracks is not yet clear, so there is no current emergency for rehoming. But it is coming and the rehom- ing need could be greater than expected as Florida holds two thirds of the tracks in the country. The ban here could lead to an end of the Greyhound racing industry in the United States altogether.
WHY SO MUCH SUPPORT FOR THE DEMISE OF DOG RACING? Since the vote, I’ve encoun- tered two people who didn’t understand why dog racing was ending. One was an elderly man who used to work in the industry and commented on how well the dogs were looked after. The second was a young woman at the St. Petersburg Saturday Morning Market who seemed oblivious to the issue. I’ll summarize it from my perspective. In
Couch Potato. A 45mph –by Janelle Montgomery As is fitting for the retirement state, all racing
Greyhounds will retire by the end of December 2020 when commercial dog racing hits its ‘final stretch.’
Florida will become the 41st state to ban wagering on dog racing, which was made legal here in 1931 - along with horse racing - as a way of generating public finances following the Great Depression.
Photograph of Renee Montgomery and Patches by Janelle Montgomery. 32 THE NEW BARKER
the last decade, Greyhound racing has experi- enced dwindling audiences while also coming under fire for animal welfare concerns, which the industry contests. Claims of dogs testing positive for cocaine, caffeine, oxycodone, etc., are countered with claims of oversensitive test- ing. Arguments about deaths and injuries are countered with arguments about deaths and injuries amongst the general dog population. Personally, I have walked both sides of this debate — I’ve held anti-racing signs outside the tracks as well as volunteered with a track- based adoption group. I’ve seen passion and love for these sleek and mild dogs from every- one I’ve met who has ever encountered one. I’m sure Greyhound racing has its bad
apples, but my distaste for the industry follows years of animal-rights awareness. Animal-abuse stories have placed a spotlight on so many issues for me. No doubt you’ve seen stories about animals used for medical testing (e.g. Beagles used to test the harmful effects of smoking), the suffering of bulls in bullfighting and rodeos, elephants in circuses, puppy mills, palm oil and orangutans, or exotic animals stolen from jungles to be ‘rehomed’ for profit. The list goes on. I’m not yet a complete vegetarian, but see the senselessness of caging animals and making them run in circles for our entertainment — especially in tracks with waning spectators.
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www.TheNewBarker.com
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