Greyhound Racing to End in Rhode Island

As you may have heard (here and here are two of Stephanie's posts on the matter), Rhode Island legislators were going to hold a special session to prevent Twin River from shutting down live racing. But thanks to the many people who care about the dogs and don't believe they should be exploited, dog racing at Twin River--in Rhode Island--will end on August 8.

As is usually the case, the next step is legislation that actually bans dog racing in the state. Sponsors of the bill are Representative Patricia Serpa and Senator Lou Raptakis (thank them!). And check out Sins of Omission Radio on Monday, August 3, at 9pm EST for "Unseen Costs of Greyhound Racing." Grey2kUSA encourages you to call in with questions and comments to: 347-677-0792.

Thanks to all of you who care about this single-issue, low-hanging fruit. Each dog who is saved from a life of servitude and abuse is grateful. I promise.

Needlenoses Charles Hobson Booger, III and Violet Rays

Comments

[Stephanie E.]

Woo-hoo! Thanks for the update--and for the adorable photo. :)

[kelly g.]

Ridiculously cute!

[Louche]

"greyhound racing to end"
"dog racing at Twin River--in Rhode Island--will end"
"next step is legislation that actually bans dog racing in the state"

Wow, that was confusing. I had to do some extra research to understand what was going on. So, Rhode Island being a tiny state, they only had one dog track.

[mary]

Sorry about that, Louche. What most often happens is that greyhound racing ends for whatever reason, but that doesn't mean it's banned legally. Legislation follows (except in the case of Massachusetts which actually voted to ban it while tracks were still operating).

[Manon]

YAYYYY!!!I am soooooo happy for those animals!! I have seen personaly how greyhounds suffer everyday when they have to wait in a hot truck waiting for their turn to chase a fake rabbit.....It's all about the almighty dollar.... My mother lives near a racetrack in Florida. I could hear the dogs back, cry and wine in the trucks for hours. It broke my heart, especially since there was nothing I could do to help them.

[Louche]

Oh, that's really interesting, Mary! More evidence that you can't change the legal system without changing things on the ground.

[DC]

"...I said "I'll take that pup." Well, to my surprise, it turned out to be a lot of fun! Nothing about the sport or the people I met was anything like what I had seen on TV or read in the press. I came from the world of celebrities and entertainment and I believed the Betty Whites and Doris Days of this world. I'm sorry to say my belief in them was shaken when I saw for myself racing Greyhounds being cared for better than most pets will ever be...."

-Ron Hevener

I have worked with greyhounds my whole life, for one thing the dogs are fed and treated better than most people treat and feed their pets. I don't know where you got the idea that the dogs "wait in a hot truck waiting for their turn to chase a fake rabbit". They wait in an air conditioned building, they live and sleep in an air conditioned building. Just like your pet knows when he/she is going for a walk or ride, they know when it's time to go racing and are more excited than any other pet I've seen wanting to go for a walk or a ride. Yes they are kept in crates but they go outside 5 times a day, if it is cool outside they will stay out for over an hour, when it is too hot out they get just under an hour. If you spent one hour in a racing kennel you would fall in love with every single dog and you WOULD get some of the best knowledge you could get about dogs. The people working with dogs do this job for the love of the animals, yes they make money off of them but they love each and every dog. I have not met trainer who works with the dogs that only does it for the money. In fact, I work with a man who just found out he has cancer and he is not supposed to be working, you know he comes in almost everyday and just spends time with the dogs. Tell me thats cruel? If you have ever owned a greyhound you know how big of a personality they have, now imagine spending the day with over 70 of them, one of the best feelings in the world.

[Mary]

DC,
You say, "If you spent one hour in a racing kennel you would fall in love with every single dog." I agree. But I would not have respect for the humans who put them there or kept them there, as greyhounds are not cars. They are not things that we can use to race and profit from. They are living beings who are capable of experiencing boredom and frustration and pain and pleasure, just like Golden Retrievers (how would you feel about racing them and locking them in crates all day?), and more like humans than you'd like to think.

The problem is that we have no right to use them for our profit and entertainment. "Spending a day with over 70 of them" in a kennel would horribly depress me. It would not be "one of the best feelings of the world." The only good that might come of it would be for the dogs, who would get some human company (assuming they care).