pawlaw
Fight To Protect Greyhounds Reaches
The National Stage Now that dog racing has been prohibited in Florida, it is time to shut down tracks nationwide.
by Christine A. Dorchak, President and General Counsel, GREY2K USA Worldwide
Following the release of its heartbreaking exposé on the practice of live lure training on Greyhound farms, GREY2K USA announced the first federal bill to prohib- it dog racing. The New Barker endorses this historic legisla- tion. Public records show that Greyhounds used for com- mercial racing suffer serious injuries including broken backs, broken necks, head trauma, paralysis, seizures and electrocution. While adoption efforts have improved, many dogs simply do not survive their racing career. And now, yet another cruel aspect of this terrible industry has been revealed. In spring 2020, investigators documented a multi-state
conspiracy of cruelty involving the torture and killing of innocent rabbits to “blood Greyhounds.” In live lure train- ing, small animals are used to excite and enhance a chase instinct in young dogs. Typically, screaming animals are dangled before starving Greyhounds, dragged in front of them on ropes, or simply let loose to be attacked. They suf- fer cruel and miserable deaths. In March, June and July, undercover investigators caught Greyhound breeders and notable Florida licensees torturing and sacrificing rabbits in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. On breeding farms across the country, female
Gina was rescued from Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, FL and is now living in Massachusetts.
Greyhounds are artificially inseminated and made to pump out litter after litter until they can produce no more. Their little puppies are taken away and kept in outdoor pens. There are no beds for them, no toys and no play. At the age of eighteen months, young dogs are sent out to race, where they face death at every turn. According to state records, thousands of dogs have died or been destroyed post-race at American tracks – all so that someone could place a $2 bet on them. In addition to live lure training, state records also show that Greyhounds are drugged with cocaine and other narcotics in a misguided attempt to fix races. The individuals involved in these cruel activities
Editor’s Note: The New Barker has long supported efforts to ban all dog racing and to that end, endorsed Amendment 13 to phase out dog racing in Florida. The measure was approved by a margin of 69% in 2018. We are pleased to see the fight for Greyhounds move to the national stage through the historic bill filed to stop dog racing in the United States.
represent a veritable “Who’s Who” of the racing world and nothing short of a nationwide ban will stop their gruesome activities. The Greyhound Protection Act of 2020 has been introduced by Representatives Tony Cardenas of California and Steve Cohen of Tennessee, and has co-sponsors from both major parties. H.R. 7826 makes it a federal crime to engage in live lure training and commercial Greyhound racing. Learn more and take action at
grey2kusa.org/stopusdogracing Did you know? The first recognized commercial Greyhound racetrack
in the world was built in Emeryville, California in 1919 by Owen Patrick Smith and the Blue Star Amusement Company. The track was oval in design and featured Smith’s new invention, the mechanical lure, thought to offer a more humane alternative to the live lures used in traditional Greyhound field coursing. By 1930, sixty-seven dog tracks had opened across the United States — none legal. Florida became the first state to legalize commercial pari-mutuel wagering in 1931, triggering a chain reaction across the globe.
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www.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 69
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