Work to End Greyhound Racing

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Work to End Greyhound Racing in Massachusetts

The RECORD, Harvard Law School

By: Marissa Dirks

Posted: 11/15/07

 

Massachusetts is one of 16 states that still allows dog racing. There

are two greyhound racing tracks in Massachusetts, not far at all from

the law school: Wonderland Greyhound Park is in Revere, MA and Raynham

Park is in Taunton. Each one of these tacks requires at least 1,000

dogs to be operational, and the life of a racing greyhound isn't what

the owners of the " parks " would have you believe.

Greyhounds bred for racing are kept in cages so tiny they cannot stand

up or turn around. They are forced to live inside these wire cages for

more than 20 hours a day. Current Massachusetts law mandates that the

cages be 32 x 34 x 42 - this is more than 5 times smaller than the

cages in most shelters, including the MSPCA in Jamaica Plain. There is

not enough room for a 70 pound dog to even stretch.

Dog racing tracks are businesses - they do whatever they can to turn a

profit. It is well documented that racing greyhounds in Massachusetts

are fed the worst-grade raw meat available. It is known in animal

circles as grade 4-D for the 4 D's: dying, diseased, disabled and dead

livestock. Of course, many dogs consuming this " food " get bacteria and

suffer from health issues but the cost/benefit analysis still comes

out in favor of losing a few dogs in order to save money, so the

tracks continue to buy the worst meat they can find.

 

In 2002, over 700 dogs were seriously injured on the tracks in Taunton

and Revere. It's easy to overlook statistics, but remember that each

dog is an individual with his or her own story. Each dog that could be

someone's pet and live inside a warm house instead suffers extreme

weather conditions and is made to work so hard he or she can't

possibly sustain the lifestyle. Some of the injuries in 2002 included

broken necks, crushed skulls, and sudden heart attacks that caused the

dogs to drop dead on the racetrack. Of course, it is rare for an

animal with a broken bone or other malaise to be treated - it is much

more cost effective to simply kill him. This practice quickly turns

into a systematic disposal when you consider that a thousand dogs are

living together in cramped quarters without medical attention,

participating in such a dangerous activity. Diseases are spread from

dog to dog and delicate greyhound bones are routinely snapped in half.

Most of the dogs injured and subsequently euthanized in 2002 were only

1-2 years old.

 

Wonderland and Raynham Dog Parks force greyhounds to race in extreme

weather conditions - the hottest days of summer and the most freezing

days of winter. When the race is over for the day, most of the dogs

jump back into their tiny prisons, either confused about which is

worse (the cage now looks better than the track) or beaten into

following orders. A few years back, racetrack employees were caught

injecting the dogs with unknown, under-the-counter performance

enhancing drugs to force them to run even faster. In actuality, the

substance killed the dogs. More than one Massachusetts greyhound also

tested positive for cocaine. When asked about this, one of the workers

quipped that he didn't see the point in " keeping track " of all the

dogs that were euthanized at the park.

 

Harvard Law School's Student Animal Legal Defense Fund tabled in the

Hark last month to collect signatures for the Massachusetts Greyhound

Protection Act. The grassroots campaign to phase-out dog racing in

this state by 2010 needs 150,000 signatures just to get the issue on

the ballot. Signatures must be from Massachusetts residents and the

collection ends after Thanksgiving. If you are a Massachusetts

resident and have not added your voice to the chorus, please call

617-666-3526. A few years ago, Massachusetts residents succeeded in

getting this issue on the ballot, but it was very narrowly defeated.

The racing industry spent unlimited funds airing insincere ads which

depicted priests and small kids enjoying a " day at the dog park. " One

employee even claimed that watching the races helps children with

their math and reading skills! Taunton dog park owner George Carney

and Revere dog park owner Charles Sarkin have been making campaign

contributions for over 40 years to the state legislature to protect

their business interests in the dog tracks. Please join SALDF and help

defeat this special interest.

 

Retired racers, as they are commonly called, have never seen carpet.

They don't understand windows or stairs. They have no idea what to do

with a dog biscuit or squeaky ball. The condition in which they arrive

to their new adopted homes is not good. There are thousands of people

who have opened their hearts to a retired racing greyhound in this

state. But the need for that would become obsolete if we succeed in

banning dog racing altogether. Please visit www.protectdogs.org or

www.grey2kusa.org for more information on how you can get involved.

 

Also, join SALDF we celebrate the holidays with a vegan Thanksgiving

meal this Sunday afternoon!

 

Marissa Dirks, 2L, is president of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund.