By Cynthia Branch
Sheiky and I are both bored with his snow angel endeavors... have a suggestion for the blog, if you will indulge me for a minute. (Or skip... your choice.)
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| Sheiky aka Flying Sheik |
Unfortunately, we live in a society where hyperbole reigns. We don't have a snowfall; we have "snowpocalypse". The death of Whitney Houston is not sad; it's tragic. Regarding greyhounds, we can't just adopt; we must 'rescue'. The kennel is not utilitarian, but is compared to "Auschwitz." Dogs are not euthanized but "take a bullet in the head". It seems the only way to get anyone's attention. So...
If the decoupling bill in Florida, for example, is passed and all the tracks close, that will be what??? 7,000 displaced dogs? 8,000 displaced dogs; dogs suddenly retired with few places to go. There are about 45 non-track adoption groups in Florida. Anyway, if you divide 7,000 dogs by 45 adoption groups, you will get an idea as to the impact on the Florida adoption groups. Even if each Florida group took an equal number of the suddenly displaced dogs, even adding in groups from neighboring states, the number is staggering.
I suggest those wanting 7-8,000 dogs flooding the adoption market contact a couple of the adoption groups and find out how a sudden influx of receiving 10 dogs, 100 dogs, 500 dogs would impact them, the people in the trenches, in the real world. Fine out how these dogs will affect their finances and, if applicable, their foster families. Heck! Contact those groups friendly to Grey2K and ask them what kind of real world support they will receive from Grey2K!
There are way too many people who want to ban racing. They just shrug off what will happen to the dogs and those people who care for the dogs. Grey2K is found of saying, "the adoption groups will deal with it." Well, I'm willing to bet that what the adoption groups would face is WAY beyond what anyone imagines. If you do the survey, take names and then write to the Florida legislators or those legislators where ever this is an issue.
Now... back to snow angels.
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| LR Saint Nick in the Snow |
I've seen no evidence that all or even most of the tracks in Florida would cease live racing if the de-coupling legislation passes. (I know of one track that might cease live racing as a result of the de-coupling, and it if did that would be a boon to the Greyhounds there). I would appeal to those of us on the side of racing done right not to engage in the type of unsupported exaggeration and sky-is-falling predictions that is GREY2K's stock in trade. The legislation should pass or fail based on its own merits, not on the basis of anyone's fear-mongering or the making of dramatic but unsupported predictions.
ReplyDeleteJohn Parker
Apparently, John, you missed the paragraph about hyperbole, and its ability to get attention when other means fail.
ReplyDeleteNo, I saw it and thought, are we on the pro-racing side really going to engage in the same intellectually dishonest tactics that GREY2K does ? At the end of the day "hyperbole" is really just a polite word for lying by exaggeration.
ReplyDeleteJohn