Greyt Expectations...

Not too long ago, a post by Melissa McEwan on the blog titled "Shakesville" was called, "Greyt Expectations."  No...  it wasn't a commentary about the Dickens novel.  It was a poorly researched, overly emotional, misinformed (disinformed) diatribe on greyhound racing based upon questionable and old 'facts' put out by Grey2K, HSUS and the ASPCA.

McEwan's post was not rational and, when comments pointing out the disinformation were posted, they were promptly removed.  One such post was by  Pam H.  Pam has asked that her response to the article be shared as it was removed within minutes.  Pam has actively worked in greyhound adoption in Texas for at least 10 years.

"Might want to do a little fact checking before reaching for those hankies.  20,000 greyhounds are not put down each year. Take the numbers whelped in the last 4 years:

 2008 - 20,365

2009 - 15, 584

2010 - 12,801

2011 - <12,000

Sarasota Kennel Club

Hard to imagine 20,000 being put down when only 12,000 are born (and those numbers include stillbirths and dogs that are petted out before racing). Now, probably, just over 10,000 a year might even make the track, much less twice that number being put down.

Know how Dudley's earliest days were spent?  On a farm in a big run surrounded by his littermates for more than a year, playing and playing while his bones grew. If he retired before two, he spent about six months in the "hell hole" you describe.

You say you've seen pictures of bad kennels (and yes they exist - there are bad people in everything from greyhound owners to dentists) but have you been to a farm and seen the hands playing with and loving the pups?  The owners that plop their grandkids down to play with the little puppies?

Have you been to a track kennel and seen the trainers love on the dogs and give them marshmallows after a race? As far as the crates they can barely stand up in, I am 5'8" and can easily curl up in a kennel crate.

• They are not starved - a starving dog won't win you any money.
• They are not denied vaccinations - an unvaccinated dog cannot race
• As for stairs - they've never needed to learn but can learn quickly. However, the 100+ foster greyhounds and my own 5 never needed to learn that as I live in a ranch style house.
• Fetching - Greyhounds are sighthounds, not retrievers. All of mine will go after it then lay down when it stops. Maybe you can teach some to fetch, but they aren't wired that way.

Photo by Rachel Hogue

I seriously doubt Bluffs Run will close as it is one of the better tracks in the nation, but if it does, thousands of dogs won't be in danger. Every dog at Bluffs is at the top of his/her game and can either move to a similar tier track like Southland or to a lesser track. There was no carnage when Wonderland closed, except for the workers.

I'm all about getting greyhounds into homes, but not using heart string pulling stories and mistruths."

More untruths espoused in this blog include, but is not limited to....

• "In one infamous case, an owner told a trainer not to bother trying to rescue dogs from a kennel which had gone up in flames because, "they're insured." "

FACT: I worked in the kennel that caught fire. The owner of the kennel was there first, before the trainer was! So help me God, the truth and nothing but the truth!   James had dogs in the pens and Brandi, the trainer, and Randy Floyd from the kennel next door were pulling the dogs out of the turnout pens and putting them in another kennels pens, while James was coming out the back, coughing & choking on the smoke.  Others were also helping, including his wife, Michelle.  Greg Morse

Courtesy of LuLu 

• "Even with rescues doing as much as they can, as many as 20,000 dogs are still killed (and nearly half that number (10,000) of rabbits illegally used to train the dogs) each year in the US alone.

FACT: Her "20,000 dogs" and her "10,000 rabbits" numbers were taken from the HSUS (Humane Society of the United States), a Grey2K bedfellow.  If anyone involved in greyhound racing is found and convicted of using live animals for training purposes, their licenses are revoked and they are banned from racing.


HSUS is another political action & lobbying group (PAC) that has publicly stated it wants to ban pet ownership.  If you side with Grey2K and its purpose, you are siding with HSUS and PeTA!  Here are some quotes by various animal rights activists.  Abolishing greyhound racing is the 'toe in the door' for more breeds to follow.

Courtesy of Candy Beck

A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request revealed that more than 120 complaints have been filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) since December 2011 regarding HSUS. Many of the complaints come from Americans who have given money to HSUS, thinking they were an animal shelter based upon HSUS's deceptive advertising. It has been found that more than 85% of the animals in the HSUS ads were cats and dogs but ONLY 1% of the money donated to HSUS is sent to 'hands-on' shelters and 'hands-on' efforts.  So, for every $100,000 HSUS receives, only $1,000 goes directly to the animals.  That is disgraceful!  The report was based upon the HSUS tax returns.  Public polls have shown that 71% of Americans believe that HSUS is a pet shelter and 68% believe that HSUS spends most of its money on helping pet shelters.  To date, at least 6 Congressmen have requested an investigation into the activities of HSUS, specifically whether or not their lobbying activities violate the charter of their 501(c)3 - tax exempt charity - status.  For more on HSUS, please visit - Humane Watch.

• "Most greyhound pups are bred at breeding farms, where only a select few actually become racing dogs. This massive over-breeding is done in order to produce winning dogs. The unwanted pups, those who don't measure up to racing standards, are simply destroyed. 

Farm Scene, Courtesy of  TLC Greyhound Adoption

FACT: Greyhound puppies are not killed on the farms.  You cannot tell what kind of a racing dog a puppy is going to be, regardless of whether it is an 8 wks old puppy or a 12 month old puppy.  It is well beyond stupid to kill a puppy.  Good greyhound breeders are not stupid.  

• "The racing industry also sells some of the dogs considered unfit of racing to laboratories, which use them in experiments." 

FACT: Greyhounds are not sold to research facilities (labs). The American Greyhound Track Operators, a professional organization of track owners, opposes the sale or donation of these dogs for research.

McEwan's comments re: over-breeding is a direct copy & paste from the ASPCA website.  The ASPCA, while not as bad as HSUS & PeTA, has become another animal rights oriented organization. In recent decades, the ASPCA has drifted away from its roots, which were in animal WELFARE, not animal rights. The ASPCA talks of animal "guardians" rather than animal "owners".  

FACT:  Greyhound racing organizations fund veterinary studies into other aspects of greyhound health and that of all canines, including:

• the physiological effects of racing
• the incidence and prevention of orthopedic injuries
• the effect of specific medications or drugs on racing performance
• the effect of track surfaces on injuries and prevention
• the effect of nutrition on racing performance.
• committed nearly $300K to scientific research aimed at developing a more effective vaccine for kennel cough
• financial support to clinical research conducted by the Morris Animal Foundation re: osteosarcoma (canine bone cancer), which is one of the most common forms of cancer in all dogs, not just racing greyhounds. 

Seems to me that the racing greyhound folks care a whole lot more than anti-racing groups and animal rights groups give them credit for.

Thank you Pam for your comments.

Yours in greyhounds....