Monday, March 31, 2014

Eric Jackson

By Elaine Summerhill


Something absolutely chilling...

Eric Jackson quoted former HSUS President, John Hoyt, on greyhounds. He objects to them being "warehoused". Here's a passage from CT's blog...
"Eric tells me that he volunteers so much of his time because he believes that greyhounds deserve better. He is particularly appalled by the way greyhounds are kept, and would like to see an end to what he calls the "commercial warehousing" of greyhounds."

Now then, when John Hoyt objected to the 'warehousing' of greyhounds, he also was advocating for the dogs to be destroyed rather than be "warehoused" in adoption groups.
 
Supposedly, Jackson is using his psych skills as the Communications Director for GCNM and VP of GREY2K USA , to help with "long-term strategic planning. His professional background also helps us understand the various rationalizations that greyhound breeders use to defend their cruel business."
I'm not an "adjunct lecturer" in a psychology department, but I'm guessing that his choice of words is really highlighting his unconscious desire to ensure that greyhounds never suffer an injury by advocating for the eradication of the breed.
 
What Psychology Today says about the unconscious...
"The unconscious mind is not some black hole of unacceptable impulses waiting to trip you up, but it can be the source of hidden beliefs, fears, and attitudes that interfere with everyday life."
Chilling...



To learn more about Eric Jackson, please visit some older blog posts:

Mar 4, 2012

Aug 16, 2012


Sunday, March 16, 2014

Greyhound Racing: Facts, Myths, and Grey2K Lies

We here at Grey2K Lies are happy to see people taking the time to start investigating Grey2K by their own initiative.  They are learning that Grey2K is not all it leads the unknowing & unsuspecting people to believe it is.  In our general research on all things Grey2K and animal rights related, we stumbled across the following documentary.

This documentary explores the claims that greyhound racing isn't safe, that it is an heartless enterprise for the greyhounds and that it is unprofitable. We cover everything from distortions to outright lies. Take 15 minutes and learn about how Greyhound racing stacks up against more 'respected' animal organizations. We think you will be surprised.  This video is courtesy of http://www.escapeturn.com.





The documentary puts into proper perspective the connections between casino owned greyhound race tracks and their lack of positive actions, such as greyhound racing promotion, in their greed for more & more money.

Yours in greyhounds...

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Follow the Money....

"Follow the money"....  It's a phrase we're hearing more & more in today's society as more & more people are being duped by scams, graft, and fraud. The first time I remember hearing it was in the 1976 movie, All the President's Men, and it was said in a conversation between "Deep Throat" and Bob Woodward with regards to the Watergate scandal. It seems that this particular phrase has ALWAYS been associated, since then, with corruption.  It serves as a good reminder that if money is involved, chances are if you "follow the money trail" it will lead you, like the trail of bread crumbs in Hansel & Gretel,  to the root source, the motivation behind an action, and a look at who stood to profit.

For those who are thinking about donating to Grey2K USA and for those who donated already to that lobbying group, there are links in this post that you really should examine. Grey2K touts itself as helping racing greyhounds when, in fact, it appears by these financial reports that they are only helping themselves. 

The first link it to a spread sheet that shows the donation dollars breakdown in a clear & easy format. 


G2K Financial Summary-Detail REV2014.pdf



This chart and the pie chart below show that over an 8 year time period, 2004 - 2012, Grey2K USA took in more than $3.4 MILLION dollars!  That's a lot of money that would have been much better sent to a greyhound adoption group of your choice or some real charity. Remember, Grey2K is not a charity, it is a LOBBYING group.

G2K Financial Pie Chart 2004-2012.pdf

So, how much of that $3.4 MIILLION dollars actually went to helping dogs?  Less than 2%.  Yes, I did not stutter...  ONLY $43,291 (1.3%) went to actually helping retired racing greyhounds.  That is pathetic!  

If you "follow the money", you will see that the greatest bulk of those hard earned dollars, nearly 28%, was spent on the salaries of Christine Dorchak & Carey Theil.  Dorchak & Theil averaged more than $100,000 in salary on a yearly basis, while donations to the dogs averaged $481 during the same time period.  So much for helping the dogs.  Looks to me like they are only helping themselves and that's not including the trips they took to some pretty far corners of the globe: Ireland, England, Macau...  Must be nice. 

The Grey2K scam is on a par with that of the Humane Society of the US (HSUS). High  executive salaries, little in actual help for the animals, and a lot of misleading propaganda.  

Marx and Goebbels would be proud.


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Greyhound Racing -- The Truth. A journey from anti-racing to pro-racing.

By Amy Cochran


Okay whoa. Hang on a second.  You're anti-racing. I get it, but you're so full of smoke I can't see the ground in front of me.  Being used by people? Suffering? Forced to race? Do you even know what you're talking about? Have you spent time with trainers, owner, operators etc? Have you watched how they interact with the dogs in their care? I have. I have never SEEN a greyhound suffer at the hands of their trainers. And I certainly have never SEEN a greyhound "forced" to race. You don't force a greyhound to do anything. You may encourage their natural instincts to chase by giving them the opportunity to chase, but you certainly don't force a greyhound to do anything he doesn't want to do.

Now don't go jumping down my throat without knowing a thing about me. But I will tell you this. I'm from Ohio (non-racing state) then we were stationed in Illinois (Another non-racing state.) And yes, I was involved in animal "rescue" and greyhound adoption. And yes, at that time, I was ANTI-Racing. I heard the stories, saw the pictures, and then we were stationed in Alabama and EVERYTHING CHANGED.

The first time I stepped onto the Victoryland compound eight years ago, I was scared to death someone would find out my anti-racing stance. What I discovered, what I SAW, changed my mind forever. And not only did it change my mind, my attitude, about greyhound racing, these trainers and kennel hands have become some of my most trusted friends. They are kind, gentle souls who care very deeply for these dogs.

The track crates, and yes they are crates, are nicely constructed and roomy. I can curl up in one of these crates and have room to spare. I’m no small woman either. I'm five foot nine and twice the weight of the average male greyhound. So trust me, if I'm comfortable in one of these crates, the greyhounds are too.  Truth, these track crates are taller, deeper and wider than the ones you can buy at Petsmart. I know.  I went away from pet store crates to track crates because track crates are bigger. Crate your dog?  Rest well in the knowledge that the pet store crate you're using, the racing industry has deemed too small for professional racers.

The truth is when you "train" a greyhound to chase, all you are doing is encouraging a natural instinct. You walk or give the greyhound a ride to the track, hold on to the dog’s collar, and when the fast moving, white, fuzzy toy goes flying by, you let them go. The greyhound will either chase it, or he won't. The dogs that do chase it go on to race. The dog that doesn't is placed for adoption. It really is that simple. There's no abuse there.

Another farce, their diets. These dogs are athletes.  Their diets are designed to give them the nutrients their bodies demand.  There's nothing wrong with red meat, chicken, pasta, veggies, omega three, and vitamin supplements. Hell, that's what dog food is made of. It just doesn't come in kibble form. Why? Do a bit of research. When you cook food it loses its nutritional value, and these greyhounds, these athletes, need every ounce of nutrition to meet their body’s demands.  In truth, they eat better than most of us do.  I'm sure everyone's heard that processed foods are bad for you. Well, you know what?  Kibble is the same damned thing -- a processed food.   If it's bad for humans, it's safe to say, it's also bad for dogs.  So why does everyone condemn trainers for feeding real -- unprocessed -- food to their dogs when the dogs deserve, and get, so much better?

Track greyhounds also have nice beds, either luxury carpets cut to fit the crates or a mountain of fluffy newspaper strips, to sleep on. Their beds are cleaned, changed, washed and fluffed daily.  Do you do that for your dogs?  I don't. I do it once a week.  The track's kennel buildings are climate controlled, heated and air conditioned just like a house.

If you crate and work, how many times does your dog go out to relieve himself? How much exercise does he or she get? Track dogs are turned out 4 to 5 times a day to relieve themselves. They are exercised every day either in the sprint pen or on the track.  I guarantee you, these dogs are in better shape, physically, mentally, and emotionally, than your pet greyhound.  A greyhound that is deprived of its ability to run is not happy.  I know. I've seen hundreds of track greyhounds and pet greyhounds. Track greyhounds, bark, dance, play bow, wag their tails and act like goofs. Those are happy dogs.  And sadly, I've seen pet greyhounds that just lay on the couch, head down, and eyes closed. Sorry folks, that dog, that pet, is depressed and he's moping.

The happiest pet greyhounds I've seen behave like track greyhounds. They bark, prance, play bow, and wag their tails.  In short, they are goofs.  These pets are also the ones that belong to owners who understand that a happy greyhound is one who runs often.  As such, these responsible owners tend to keep their greyhounds active and in "track" condition.  Why?  Because they understand what they have.  They have a greyhound -- a hunting dog.  One that's been bred to hunt by sight and gifted with the speed and athletic ability to do what the job requires.  And that instinct, that gift from god that's been honed by man, will not stop just because the dog retires.  Can you say you truly understand the dog’s needs, what it requires, and not what you think it requires?  Because, I'm here to tell you many people don't.  Your dog, greyhound or otherwise, doesn't operate on human rules or have human needs.  He is a dog, a greyhound, and his needs, wants and desires are very different from your own.  Stop anthropomorphizing them.  Your dog is not human, and you know what, he doesn't want to be.

Also do you have a vet on call? One that will drop everything and run to you when you need him for a medical emergency? No? The track does. The trainers do, and they have more than one. They have many. Heck Victoryland worked closely with a vet school. The top guys who taught the next generation to be vets were on call for them. Can you say that?  Hell, can you even afford that type of expertise for your hound?  My guess, is probably not.  And yet, track dogs get the best medical care money can provide, as well as, routine medical procedures like vaccinations.

"But what about euthanasia?"  Well, I hate to break it to you, dogs, cats, cattle etc. are not human. And despite your moral objections on the subject, euthanasia is --and always will be -- an appropriate medical treatment to end the pain and/or suffering of an animal. And in some respects, they are luckier than we are. It's the reason for the whole "right to die" movement.  And as my vet says, "Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." My point?  Is it right to euthanize a healthy animal without any sort of medical condition?  Many of you will scream, "No."  Yet, it happens every day in shelters across this nation, and no one says a word or passes legislation to stop it.  But you cry foul, when a greyhound-- through his own judgment -- has an accident, and the owner opts --on rare occasion -- to end the dog’s pain and suffering through a medically approved and humane measure such as euthanasia.   What is wrong with you people?   It's the owner's right.  You wouldn't want someone telling you when it's time to euthanize your dog. Why do you do it to them?  Why do you make a hard decision harder by judging them?  I've seen trainers cry over the loss of one of one of their hounds, and what you're doing isn't right.

And when a track closes, where are you anti-racing folks? Where's Grey2K? The answer, nowhere.  You abandon your cause when it comes time to put up or shut up.  I know.  I've handled two track closures at Victoryland.  And you know who stepped up to help me place the hounds that needed to go somewhere?   It wasn't the anti-racing folks at Grey2K, or the anti-racing adoption groups.  It was me, and a small handful of people who were pro-racing.

If you’re going to end racing.  Fine.  Stand up and put your money where your mouth is.  HELP THE DOGS --the ones that you and your cause are putting in the line of fire -- instead of having someone else clean up the mess you've made.  You want to talk about and stop unnecessary euthanasia, then stop putting hundreds and thousands of dogs at risk.

Adoption people do all we can do.  We take the dogs as they trickle off the tracks and find them homes.  But when you close a track, you flood us and over flow the dam.  Hundreds of dogs are in danger of euthanasia then, and you know what, you're the ones responsible.  Not the Tracks, not the owners, YOU -- anti-racing folks are responsible. Your actions have a cascade effect that G2K uses in their marketing schemes.  They put hundreds of dogs at risk every time they introduce legislation and close tracks.  And you give them the money to do it.  It's time you stop blaming trainers, kennel owners, and the racing industry.  You have greyhound blood on your hands, and you can't wash it off.  It's time for you to stand up and take responsibility for what you have done.

The greyhound industry punishes those who do atrocious things. They are banned and criminal charges are filed. But what about you?  What happens to you when you commit atrocities against the hounds? Huh?  In the world we live in now, not much.  You claim you're heroes.  You're NOT.

So in short, you’re no different than the people you claim are the devil.  Your house is a heated kennel. You crate them when you're gone, you feed them the best food you can afford, you make sure they get all the appropriate vet care, see to their exercise needs just like a trainer.  You make the hard decisions when required just like an owner.  They are you-- people doing what they need to do to take care of their hounds.  So stop drinking the Kool-Aid already.

You have been lied to and deceived.  I know.  I was too, but I woke up. It’s time you do too.  “But I've seen the pictures.  I've read the stories.”  Yeah, well I did too, and for a while, I believed them.  And then, I saw the truth – the entire truth.  Photoshop makes it so easy to crop a picture. So yeah, your eyes can deceive you – especially online where you have no context of what is actually going on other than the description.   And the best lies are the ones that include a morsel of truth.  Those, my friends, are the facts.  It’s time you see Grey2K for what it is.  A propaganda and money machine.

If you want to rescue something, help the local shelters, donate money to the people on the ground. The ones who actually place these dogs.  Until you do, all you're doing is harming the breed you claim to love.

The Blame Game - Not Greyhound Specific, but Applicable

Lately I have witnessed a growing trend in “rescue” that disturbs me. That is rescuers playing the blame game. Pointing the bony finger of shame at the humans. The use of the word “rescue” is part of it. "Rescue" is not a noun, it’s a verb, and unless you ran into a burning building to “save” the dog it isn't about rescue. It is a re-homing. Why do we need the drama?

The blame game is a losing game for everyone involved.  Why?  When you point that finger at the owner, several things happen. You look less in the eyes of others once they get past their initial reaction of righteous indignation. You attract the wrong kind of person for the dogs – the type who are wanting the dog for the wrong reasons. Obtaining a dog should be a time for rational decision making--not an excuse for moral preening. If 'adopting' a shelter dog makes you feel 'better about yourself', you don't need a dog. You need a therapist. You back people into a corner, shame them and they “lie” to avoid the blame. And you lessen the humanity of all involved. Screaming about the “horrible conditions” the dogs were found in is more likely to make people who would be great homes stop and wonder if they really want a dog from that kind of place. It is self-defeating. A way needs to be found to place the dogs without blaming those associated with them.

Unless you were present for everything that led up to the dog being in a bad place, you don’t KNOW what happened in that dog's life, retired racing greyhounds right off the track being the exception.  You don’t know how some dogs got to the “mess” you found them in. You don’t know that the woman who brings you a dog because “it doesn’t match her furniture” didn’t have other issues. Maybe she is in an abusive relationship and the abuser is threatening the animal. Maybe “dumping” the dog is the safest route for her and the dog. You don’t know that the older woman who has too many dogs in bad conditions couldn’t get anyone – family or friends to help her and just didn’t know where to turn. That family that is moving and “dumped” the dog, you don’t know that the father has lost his job and the family is moving to the only housing they can afford and it won’t allow a dog. YOU DON’T KNOW.

We need to extend a hand and stop pointing fingers, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Blaming those who give up a dog accomplishes exactly NOTHING except to diminish our humanity. There are PEOPLE involved. Instead of blaming, maybe we could let it go and just help the dog. What does it accomplish to run around badmouthing the owner? Does it make the dog more valuable? Does it make the “rescuer” feel superior to this “obviously lousy person”? What is the point? To create drama that raises money?

To me, the blame game just makes everyone look bad – those pointing fingers as well as those who are accused. And another interesting side effect – making a screaming fuss about how horribly these poor doggies were treated plays right into the hands of the animal rights extremists and gives them more ammunition to use against those of us who are trying to do it right. The animal rights cult followers already think that all breeders are “puppymills”. The more people scream about how horribly people treated the dogs, the more the ARs say – see, we told you so.

How someone got a dog does not define him. The dog is not a "Rescue," he's a mix or a purebred, but more than that, he's *a dog.* If you stop defining him as a poor unwanted & abused creature that someone owned and then discarded, if someone decides he's their dog, they will train and care for and love him, then the possibilities open up. Their mental attitude toward the dog will change and they will both be better for it. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Reality of Florida Greyhound Racing

Mark Twain commented in Chapters from My Autobiography that "Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force:  'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'" (1)

Grey2K USA, an animal rights lobby associated with ALF, HSUS, and PeTA, attempts to skew statistics to support their arguments that a) greyhounds are being euthanized by the thousands when their racing careers are over and b) that wagering on Greyhound racing has drastically declined.

Well, the actual numbers don't support their claims.

A well intentioned reader on the Grey2K USA's FaceBook page recently commented that he understood from a friend that nearly all retired racing greyhounds are now placed in adoptibe homes. Christine Dorchak replied, "We believe adoption is increasing, but the National Greyhound Association admits that thousands of ex-racers are still killed each year,"

Her statement isn't true.  It's a damned lie.

According to National Greyhound Association (NGA) Executive Director Gary Guccione, with the decline in the number of greyhound pups registered each year (11,000 in 2013), more than 95% of today's registered racers are placed in adoptibe homes or returned to the farm as either pets or breeding stock when they retire.

Christine's math doesn't add up and it hasn't added up for a long, long time... years even.

The American Greyhound Council stated last month,
"We're not sure whether Twain would laugh or just shake his head in disbelief at Dorchak's response." (2)

Numbers Don't Lie...

The reality of Florida greyhound racing, and the attendance/wagering on greyhound racing has been very consistent!

Greyhound Totals Are Blue
Grey2K would have you believe differently but per the Annual Report from Florida's Division Of Pari-mutuel Wagering, for years 2010 - 2013, the pari-mutuel wagering activity on greyhounds is almost unchanged.  Yep....  UNCHANGED.

The wagering numbers back from 2004 to 2009 were from more races and more tracks, so they do not represent today's greyhound racing circuit.  But the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 are representative and they show consistent greyhound wagering numbers. The numbers they show could hardly present a sport described as 'in decline', as some animal rights lobby groups would have you believe.  Keep in mind that these totals DO NOT INCLUDE all of the millions of dollars wagered online through Oregon call centers and online betting portals.

To put it into perspective, here are the quarterly totals on monies wagered in Oregon for 2013 on pari-mutuel sports (incl horse racing, greyhound, trotters, etc).  These dollars, the Quarter Totals, do not show up in Florida greyhound pari-mutuel reports.

Q1 2013 wagered: $555,867,090.08
Q2 2013 wagered: $685,399,584.70
Q3 2013 wagered: $667,369,996.70

This means is that various special interest groups, animal rights zealots, have been misrepresenting the numbers in an effort to make it appear that wagering and interest in Greyhound racing is on the decline.

If you buy into their lies, I have a bridge in Death Valley to sell you.



1.  Mark Twain (1906-09-07). "Chapters from My Autobiography". North American Review. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
2.  American Greyhound Council, Press Release, 2014-02-03

Sunday, March 2, 2014

A Cautionary Tale

By Candy Beck

This is a cautionary tale that is basically aimed at adopters. Right now there is an attack on greyhound racing in both Florida, Iowa and to some extent West Virginia. The usual suspects are naturally responsible, aided by their buddies, some of whom are track owners and casinos. There are now polls, news articles ( AR biased) and petitions. It can all be a bit overwhelming. As adopters you might think, well this isn't my fight because I don't own racing dogs. No you don't own racing dogs, you adopted retired racing dogs and if not for racing you would not have your wonderful adopted greyhound.

Now this is where the caution comes in. Back in 2009 Phoenix Greyhound Park closed. It wasn't closed by G2k but by the owner of the track Delaware North, the excuse was falling revenue. I'm not sure what they expected considering that there was NO promotion of PGP. Up until 2009 our little group, New Mexico Greyhound Connection, was happily working with the local farms and kennels and a Phoenix adoption group. Our group could get an greyhound for an adopter in about 2 weeks. All that changed at the end of 2009. There was a flurry of adoptions done at the end of 2009 and then it stopped and Arizona was left with one track and all of a sudden there was an shortage of greyhounds. Our group went from getting a greyhound for an adopter in 2 weeks to the present of now having 3 outstanding applications and no greyhounds to fill them. We in New Mexico are now high and dry for greyhounds, no pet hauls come through New Mexico and very few regular hauls of racing dogs where an adoption dog might catch a ride. Our group is just about done for and will only stay open because of our responsibility to the greyhounds we have placed.

Now you might say, what's that got to do with us? This is just a small example of what happened when a track closed, lots of people lost their jobs and lots of good greyhound people either got out of the business or went looking for a training job in another state. Now think what will happen if the tracks in Florida close, there will be a flurry of adoptions, plenty of pets going up the east coast and out to the western states of Colorado, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Then it will stop. The breeders will cut back even more on breeding and the racing greyhound we love will be less and less available for adoption. I've seen it happen.



How do we stop it you ask? You get involved. Vote in the polls, sign the petitions and comment on outrageous stories that are fed to the media. You also contact the politicians in the states involved. Lots of jobs depend on racing both at the tracks and the businesses that get a good deal of their business from the racing farms and kennels. We also cannot fail to mention the generations of people who have loved, bred, raised and trained the racing greyhound, it is their passion, love and way of life.

Never think of yourselves as "just an adopter", a lot of us came to racing after being "just an adopter". Adopters can be a mighty force in spreading the word and helping to save greyhound racing and the wonderful racing greyhounds that we all love.