Greyhounds and GREY2K USA

with Beamer and Dash

This weekend, we held a fundraiser at our home for GREY2K USA, a national, non-profit organization that is dedicated to ending the abuses that are part-and-parcel of the greyhound racing industry.  Commercial racetracks are closing one at a time.   However, even one active greyhound track is one track too many.  Here in Arizona, the Phoenix track closed at the end of 2009.  That leaves Tucson’s track as the only one left in Arizona, and I’m hoping that I will see its doors close sometime very soon.

Why is greyhound racing so terrible?  At the track facilities, the dogs are kept in cages that are barely large enough for them to stand up and turn around in, and they’re confined there around the clock; thousands of dogs are injured while racing and never receive proper veterinary care; female dogs are injected with steroids to control their cycles; other abuses abound.  News stories are horrifying.

The good news is that GREY2K is making a difference.  Thanks to its founder, Christine Dorchak, an amazing network of humane-minded citizens has been created; countless individuals are coming together to lend their voices to these beautiful dogs.  In November 2008, GREY2K USA became the first group to successfully close down dog tracks through the citizens initiatives process.  The result: greyhound racing was banned in Massachusetts.  Since then, other states have followed — most recently, Rhode Island and New Hampshire in 2010.  In thirty-eight states, greyhound racing is now illegal.

In just seven of the states that have yet to pass a prohibitory statute, dog racing is not only legal, but also active: Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Iowa, Alabama, West Virginia, and Florida.

Commercial dog racing, as an industry, is not profitable.  In fact, many dog track promoters seek subsidies, tax breaks, and expanded gambling rights from the government, which translates into using our taxpayer dollars.  On Sunday, State Representative Nancy Young Wright mingled in our home with our other guests, including Christine Dorchak.  Rep. Wright is just one of the many politicians who realizes that the greyhounds need our help, and they need the kind of help that comes from citizens and legislators working together.

If you’re in one of the states where dog racing is still happening, I urge you to become more familiar with the local situation, check out the GREY2K USA web site, and find out how you can help make a difference.  You also can make a difference, wherever you’re living, if you’re thinking about adding a new nonhuman member to your family: adopt a rescued greyhound.  As tracks close, these dogs — who have been through so much – need loving homes.  The two greyhounds I met this weekend, Beamer and Dash, reminded me of a line from a Louise Gluck poem that I read recently: “How beautiful the blossoms are — emblems of the resilience of life.”

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   Glenda Taylor says:

   October 26, 2010 at 2:50 pm

   Thank you Sharon for spreading the word – beautifully written. Now if only Beamer could nibble on pate I would have an excuse to buy some – YUM!

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