Greyhounds Need Your Help

Greyhounds in Massachusetts need your help–no matter where you reside. As you may know the greyhound racing industry isn’t exactly thriving, and to prop it up, many local governments campaign to add slot machines and other forms of gambling. It’s a purely financial issue, and the real message is: the potential for extra money trumps the broken bones, cardiac arrest and seizures of the dogs.

In Massachusetts, a group called The Committee to Protect Dogs has begun collecting petition signatures to get a racing ban on the ballot in 2008. They need at least 66,593 but intend to collect 100,000. In addition, they have $50,000 in seed money, but need much more to beat the track owners, trainers and dog farmers. I gave $200 yesterday. Naturally, the Humane Society of the United States, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Animal Rescue League of Boston are part of the effort. So is the Massachusetts Council of Churches.

The associate director of the Council of Churches said: "We don’t take the moral question off the table when considering expanded gambling . . . . Gambling means taking money from the people who can least afford to lose it. And for the state to be making money off these people: How can that be compassionate? How can that be ethical?"

Um, what about compassion for the sentient beings who don’t intentionally go to the track? I digress.

There are only two tracks, Wonderland Greyhound Park and Raynham-Tauton Greyhound Park in Massachusetts, and if they get approval for slot machines, they’re sealing the fate of greyhounds for generations to come; there will be little hope to save them. According to state records, nearly six hundred greyhounds have been injured while racing in Massachusetts over the past four years. (Here’s a recent injury report. It’s a .pdf. Please download it and read it to learn about what can happen when dogs race. And remember that most injuries will end the dog’s career–and perhaps his life will be taken. Also remember that the injury report says nothing of death and injury during transportation, or the number of dogs killed during training because they aren’t good enough.)

If you reside in Massachusetts, sign the petition (by sending your email address to: info@protectdogs.org), and if you can, also contribute to the campaign by going to The Committee to Protect Dogs and clicking on "Donate Now". Please forward this to anyone you know who is a resident of Massachusetts (even if they’re currently summering elsewhere). And no matter where you live, you can contribute to the campaign–remember what they’re up against.

Thank you.