These are the best of times & the worst of times...

One thing about natural disasters, such as hurricanes, they bring out both the best and the worst in people. With Hurricane Irma, a strong Cat 4, bearing down on The Sunshine State, Florida - home to the largest number of greyhound tracks in the nation, the people who work in greyhound racing are putting themselves at risk and are staying in the kennels with the dogs. They will not let the dogs ride out the storm alone. They are battening down the hatches and riding it out with their families and beloved charges in the kennels. These people who are constantly berated and called cruel because they work with dogs in dog racing, are putting their own lives on the line.

According to Jan Vasquez,

The greyhound community in the US is collectively holding its breath and awaiting the oncoming devastation Hurricane Irma may bring. At every track in Florida, kennel personnel are preparing to ride out the storm, sacrificing their own safety, to care for the thousands of greyhounds in their charge. We pray they remain safe throughout the upcoming week and come out unscathed.

As of Friday morning, 9/8/17, at 9:30 am Eastern time, the self-proclaimed protection group out of Arlington, MA has not posted ONE WORD of concern for the greyhounds they purport to protect, nor have they offered one penny of financial assistance. Their primary focus today seems to be the promotion of a calendar to raise more donations for their own coffers.

And Derby Lane really raised the bar... From the Florida Greyhound Association...

KUDOS TO DEEBY LANE!!!
In preparation for Irma, not only did they cancel racing to give the kennel operators time to prepare... the racetrack has given each kennel $5,000 to have what they need to be ready for her wrath.
Stay safe!!! Protect your hounds & protect yourselves.

And then there are the offers of a place to stay for hounds & humans rolling in from across the nation. People offering up their homes to strangers & their dogs.

So that begs me to ask the question, what is that group of so called greyhound lovers & advocates doing for the dogs in Florida? Have they donated any time and/or money, like Derby Lane, to ensure the dogs safety? Have they offered their homes to dogs & kennel workers? Have any of them offered to come down and stay in the kennels during the storm to ensure the dogs are safe?

What have they done? Nothing other than attempt to line their pockets with more $$$.

Some of their minions have also wished death upon the kennel workers.

Think about that and chew on your bone.

Yours in greyhounds...