Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Saving the Dogs and Our Souls

According to The Committee to Protect Dogs, with over 45,000 signatures collected, it looks like Massachusetts voters will have the opportunity to save greyhounds from cruelty. The good thing about a measure such as this is it appeals to all people - that's why it was one of the closest ballot initiatives ever, last time it was on the ballot. Democrats and Republicans own dogs: no one who owns a dog wants to see them trapped in a cage so small that they can barely move, for more than 20 hours a day. What kind of life is that? It's no wonder that so many get hurt, killed and euthanized due to injuries that occur because of the cruelty with which they're treated.

The Globe attached a picture to their article about the ballot initiative, which I linked to above. It's of the dogs racing at a track, free from being trapped all day. It would be better to show pictures of all the dogs that are killed. I saw a documentary, years ago, of dog after dog being thrown into a giant trash receptacle, no doubt to be picked up before they started decaying. Or the Paper of Record could have shown a picture of the dogs with missing ears, limbs or scars so hideous that even people without a pet could grasp what's truly going on - and want to do something about it. We just don't want to see those pictures, because they make us sick. But that doesn't mean the Globe shouldn't show them.


Greyhounds in their kennel. They're kept in there almost all day long. I'll spare everyone from the far more gruesome pictures you can find using Google Image, searching for "greyhound cruelty."


Race Tracks aren't fun for dogs; they shouldn't be fun for people. People bet and dogs die. How entertaining. Imagine if the people who bet on dogs were the ones who had to take care of them. Suddenly, these people would realize it's less an industry as it is a legalized version of the movie Hostel, just this time for canines. Would people still get their kicks and thrills? I doubt it.

The good news is we can have our cake and eat it too. These Race Tracks are large lots of land. We need lose no jobs, because something more lucrative could be built with just a little ingenuity. Race tracks are already a dying enterprise, we're just making it happen a few years sooner, saving who knows how many dogs in the process. The good news is that whatever replaces the dog tracks will probably be better, both for profits and dogs. It's tough to think of a more horrendous way to make money than dog tracks, so lets decide as citizens of the Commonwealth to demand better.

6 comments:

Christine A. Dorchak, Esq. said...

Thanks for blogging about our campaign to phase out greyhound racing in the Commonwealth.

To see a report of the 700 plus greyhounds injured while racing in Massachusetts from 2002 to June 2007, go to our web site at www.protectdogs.org. Reported injuries include broken necks, cardiac arrest, paralysis and seizures.

We also offer a slide show of images from the Lynn Kennel Compound, serving Wonderland Greyhound Park. Dogs spend an average of 20 hours per day in stacked cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around.

This is no way to treat a dog.

Please "Vote for the Dogs" on November 4!

Christine Dorchak
Committee to Protect Dogs

Anonymous said...

We supported this the last time it was on the ballot and didn't understand why it failed to pass.

I don't get betting on dogs. I went once and couldn't see it.

But then I don't get casino gambling either.

What a waste!

Thanks for commenting, Ryan.

Ryan said...

Hey Tara, thanks for your comments, too. The last vote was incredibly close, so we can definitely win this time. Like last time, though, we face the tough facts that we'll be overwhelmingly outspent by the pro-dog killing forces (no offense to them), because that's how they can convince the majority of Massachusetts voters that it's just a fun day at the tracks.

People need to know this is about being decent human beings; it's not even about jobs. New businesses will emerge where the old ones have closed; one's that don't need to be propped up by the Government to stay open (as do dog tracks, which care barely stay afloat). This is a way to have a new, better economy, one that is both more profitable and more humane.

Just tell all your friends and get as involved as you can, because it's a tough - and important - fight.

Anonymous said...

I can't understand how they can run so fast if they're in cages for 20 hours a day? No muscle atrophy.

Anonymous said...

Horse racing next? After all they break their legs once in a while. Then slaughterhouses....

Ryan said...

Horse racing and greyhound racing is very different in terms of how each animal is treated and cared for. I've never seen any significant movement to ban horse racing, whereas Greyhounds have millions upon millions of supporters in this country alone.

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