Leading the GREY2K Charge

An Investigative Report by Leslie A. Wootten 

Officially, Christine Dorchak is co-founder, President, and General Counsel of GREY2K USA, a non-profit, 501 (c) 4 organization that has recently added "world wide" to its title. From the beginning, the group has been unapologetically anti-greyhound racing, with Ms. Dorchak leading the charge to denigrate and basically destroy the lives of honest, hard-working, individuals that don't deserve the disrespect cast upon them. 

As an example of its success, the organization’s website states, “GREY2K USA was the first organization to successfully outlaw dog racing using the ballot initiative process. In November 2008, the citizens of Massachusetts chose compassion over cruelty and voted 56%-44% to close down Raynham and Wonderland Greyhound Parks.” 

This statement is not correct. Dog racing in Massachusetts is still legal, and it is legal in 49 out of 50 states despite GREY2K USA’s widespread efforts to do away with it. According to comments Ms. Dorchak made in a “Pack People” interview, she had a hand in drafting Massachusetts Question 3, a law proposed by initiative petition that was placed on the November 4, 2008 ballot. The question received enough “yes” votes to go into effect, which meant wagering on greyhound races would no longer be allowed in Massachusetts. Greyhound racing itself was not then, or ever, “outlawed” in Massachusetts as the website claims.

Also on its website, the organization describes itself as “an independent, non-profit effort entirely supported by its members. People from all walks of life … have joined with us to help end dog racing.”

Between the “people” statement and a click-here button to “support our work,” an exclusionary declaration states, “GREY2K USA does not accept donations from individuals or corporations with a financial interest in commercial dog racing or the gambling industry.”

Except for those specifically excluded, donations are accepted from a wide swath of the general public. The website makes clear that donations are crucial to fulfill the group’s mission, and donation buttons are prevalent throughout.

Being an organization that is entirely dependent on public funds makes honesty and transparency essential requirements at every level. We have seen that the GREY2K USA website has holes when it comes to these two elements. Consequently, a valid question arises, “Are there shortfalls elsewhere?”

As the group’s president, Ms. Dorchak is expected to set examples and provide leadership for fellow officers, colleagues, and volunteers. She is certainly answerable to supporters who make donations in good faith. As its top officer, Ms. Dorchak is also the person most often featured in media profiles. More than anyone else, she represents the heart and soul of the operation, and in that role, she should be accountable for her actions and statements.      
     

Enter her name on any search engine, and article after article pops up. A common component in these articles is a personal story involving Ms. Dorchak’s light rail vehicle/ pedestrian accident that occurred on September 10, 1992, when she was 26-years-old. The story is one Ms. Dorchak willingly, often tearfully, shares. Told in the classic “triumph over adversity” style, the story understandably connects with a vast majority of the population. And, let me be clear, I would not wish such a difficult experience on anybody. For Ms. Dorchak, it was the personal challenge of a life-time, and a tremendous price to pay for what she has referred to as a “second chance” (Dorchak, Deleuse).   
         

One of the most emotional versions of the story is told in Ms. Dorchak’s own words in an “Animal Inventory” interview currently available on Youtube. The questions posed by the interviewer seem gratuitous as the camera focuses on Ms. Dorchak who needs no prompting. She owns the story, and this is apparent from the first frame that dwells on her.      
      

Twenty seconds into the seven-minute video, Ms. Dorchak says, “One morning before work I was walking [my dog] Kelsey and life just totally changed.” The statement is gripping. The audience is captivated, eager to hear the rest of the story, which Ms. Dorchak offers at 1:30, “We were struck by two speeding MBTA trains. A woman who lived a couple of floors up in a building near the accident heard the crash. She rushed down and found me impaled against the rail and Kelsey sitting by me.”           

Dorchak & Kelsey

At this point, Ms. Dorchak is tearful. Her voice wobbles with emotion and her head nods unsteadily as she continues. “[Kelsey] had a broken hip. She could barely move, but she was trying to keep close to me.”          

  

After composing herself, Ms. Dorchak continues in a verbal sprint that condenses days, months, and years. Here, the narrative has the feel of an oft-told tale, but, is, nevertheless, immensely compelling: "I was in the ambulance, and, miraculously, I started breathing again. When I woke up from my first coma weeks later, the first thing I said—could manage to say—was, ‘How’s Kelsey?’ It was my first thought. All the impact injuries are along the side of my body, not the front. She pulled on the leash and pulled me from a direct frontal hit from the train. I know Kelsey saved my life. We spent 2 years together in recuperation."   
         

Next, Ms. Dorchak discusses the epiphany she experienced, which ultimately led her to seek to banish the regulated, legal activity of greyhound racing because she personally does not  approve of it.  She says, “I came to a realization during that time that I wasn’t here to do what I was doing before. I was here to help animals. Lo and behold, the obvious finally came to me. I should do what I intended to do which was become a lawyer. And, I should help dogs.”       
     

The rest of the video is spent discussing how she actualized her epiphany. Following the accident, though, greyhounds were not in her radar for years. In fact, she states in a “Pack People” interview that she “worked at shelters, attended rallies, distributed pamphlets on vivisection, hunting, rodeo, circuses, and more.” Until she found her niche with greyhound racing, she appeared to be just another disgruntled protester with no particular vision. In “Pack People,” she states, “The greyhounds became my focus when I realized that their fight was one that could be won legislatively.” In the “Animal Inventory” video at 3:12, she underscores this point by stating, “I was so enthused that we could actually change the lives of thousands of animals by putting a question on the ballot and passing it.” She credits David Vaughn with starting her on that path. In a Pet News and Views article, she says, “In 1999, we were approached by David Vaughn, who recently adopted a greyhound. He said, ‘If you want to really end greyhound racing, put down your signs and get on the ballot.’ He invited us to the office of a lawyer friend of his. Our goal was to end greyhound racing in 2000. I collected more than 15,000 signatures. We got enough signatures for a ballot question.”   
         

Along with Ms. Dorchak, Vaughn was one of Grey2K’s founders, as was Dr. Jill Hopfenbeck, and Carey Theil. The quartet worked together on the failed 2000 Massachusetts ballot against greyhound racing (Theil). Undaunted and determined to learn how to write ever better ballot questions and execute better campaigns, Ms. Dorchak started law school, graduating in 2005 from the New England School of Law in Boston.        
    

Meanwhile, in 2001, GREY2K USA was incorporated as a non-profit, setting the donation machinery into high-gear. The donations would support—as they still do—legislative and political activities, plus salary, benefits, and expenses for Ms. Dorchak and her partner, Carey Theil. None of the funds would be earmarked for greyhound pet adoption or welfare.      
      

An interesting aside is that her legislative leanings signaled an embrace of the “above-ground” method Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists recommended as an effective political action counterpart to its “under-ground” acts of destructive sabotage to liberate animals (Platt, Career). Indeed, Ms. Dorchak has identifiable links with ALF, which has been designated a domestic terrorist group by the F.B.I.  In 2003, she was featured on the ALF Website as a speaker at the Animal Rights National Convention, where ALF guru Rodney Coronado was also speaking. In 2006, she and John P. Goodwin were panelists together at the Animal Rights National Convention. By then, Goodwin had been on the payroll of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) for quite a few years, having left ALF and the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT) for greener pastures (Pratt, An Unmarked).      
      

Through the years, Coronado and Goodwin were convicted of various crimes, such as fur farm and laboratory arson, and they both completed stints in prison or home arrest. (Pratt, Careers). As proud as they were of their civil disobedience, they could see it wasn’t going to get them as far as they wanted.  Coronado dreamed of ALF getting an “above-ground voice, a political lobby.” Goodwin had the same dream. He remarked, “I’m convinced that politics is the way to go, and to that end, I am taking classes in political campaign management. Targeting bad lawmakers and helping good lawmakers is what I feel this [ALF] movement has failed to do, miserably” (Pratt, Careers). When these two talked, Ms. Dorchak listened, took notes, and mentally crafted her own “above-ground” plan.   
            

In the “Animal Inventory” video at 6:08, she circles back to the accident by stating, “When I got hit by the train, my life should have ended. I consider every day after September 10, 1992 extra. My focus on this particular mission is to end dog racing.”            

Throughout the video, Ms. Dorchak’s voice is melodiously soft, her eyes genuine in their sincerity. When she provides details about the accident and its aftermath, the camera dwells on her as she speaks, cutting away to various photographs of her hooked to tubes and machines in a hospital bed and outdoors in a wheelchair with Kelsey standing close.   
         

The video’s composition is effective. It is hard to watch her talk about the accident without feeling intense empathy for Ms. Dorchak. In fact, one feels compelled to reach out—to contribute—in some palpable way as a tribute to her endurance. The last thing a viewer wants is to test the veracity of what Ms. Dorchak shares.            

However, it is imperative to test that veracity because Ms. Dorchak uses this story as a means to an end, which is to solicit public funds and sway citizens and legislators to support her anti-greyhound racing efforts. The story has, in fact, become larger than life, metaphorically parading into a room to announce her entrance. Or so, it would seem from reading many of the articles about her where journalists come across as being under her hypnotic spell. She wears the story like a Purple Heart awarded for bravery in battle, and it becomes her. Still, when public funds and public matters are at stake, the story should be comprehensive. Details that shed pertinent light should be provided as part of the package. In other words, honesty and transparency should be front and center.            

Something Ms. Dorchak leaves out of the “Animal Inventory” video and every other sharing that touches on the accident is the lawsuit she brought against the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA). Filed in Suffolk County Superior Civil Court, docket number 93-1023, the case was tried by jury in 1995. An interesting, and crucial, note is that the jury ruled in favor of defendant MBTA, et al, and against Ms. Dorchak as plaintiff. According to the “Judgment on Jury Verdict for Defendant” signed on December 1, 1995, “The complaint of plaintiff is dismissed and the defendants recover costs.”    
        

The thick file is public information, though it was “disposed in 1996” to use Suffolk County’s legal terminology. Newspaper articles were no help in locating the file because not a word could be found about the accident, let alone the lawsuit. References to other MBTA accidents and lawsuits popped up in Boston Globe and various online searches, but this one eluded discovery. Finding the lawsuit required a common-sense belief that there had to be one somewhere. Librarians and court personnel provided assistance as allowed by law, and, eventually, the docket number was identified. Getting the file in hand was difficult because it was buried with all the other disposed files in the archives of Suffolk County Court. But, finally, it surfaced from the depths, offering up a story of its own.            

Background for the case is included in various court pleadings such as the “Defendants’ Motion to Bifurcate Trial” (1). Here is verbatim background from that document:

"This action concerns an accident which occurred at approximately 6:05 a.m. on September 10, 1992. A green-line MBTA Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) operated by co-Defendant Frank Osgood was traveling in a westerly direction in the area of Commonwealth Avenue and South Street in Brookline. The LRF was headed for Boston College to begin the first run of the day. The vehicle was traveling between 10 m.p.h. and 15 m.p.h. and had just come around a slight-bearing curve. Osgood was in the process of approaching the platform and had started applying the brakes of the LRV at the time of the occurrence of this accident.

Osgood observed Ms. Dorchak walking in the street on Commonwealth Avenue on the date of the accident. She was walking towards the oncoming LRV and against the automobile traffic. When Osgood was approximately one foot or less away from Ms. Dorchak, she crossed immediately into the path of the oncoming LRF. Osgood had initiated braking but could not avoid striking Ms. Dorchak. Ms. Dorchak was found lying on the side of the train away from street, between the LRV and a wrought-iron fence which separates the eastbound and westbound rails. A dog believed to belong to Ms. Dorchak was sitting next to her immediately after the accident (1-2).

It is revealing to compare Ms. Dorchak’s “Animal Inventory” story with that conveyed in court documents. The lawsuit file contains varied information ranging from pleadings and exhibits to depositions and interrogatories where respondents are under oath to tell the truth. Side-by-side, the facts conveyed in the lawsuit simply do not match up with the details shared by Ms. Dorchak in the “Animal Inventory” video. Comparative examples are provided below.            

Twenty seconds into the video, Ms. Dorchak says, “One morning before work, I was walking [my dog] Kelsey and life just totally changed.”            

This statement contradicts those she made under oath. For example, in her written interrogatories, Ms. Dorchak states, “At the time of the accident I did own a black Hungarian sheep dog. I do not know if the dog was with me at the time of the accident” (4). This is corroborated by her deposition in June of 1994, in which she denies having any knowledge of how the accident happened (61) and no memory whatsoever of the accident itself (65).      
      

An interesting and puzzling point in her deposition is that she adamantly insists she has no memory of the accident except for one thing: she is sure she did not jump into the path of the train in a possible suicide attempt. When pressured by the deposing attorney as to how she could know this if she remembers nothing, she states, “I certainly – my statement is based on the knowledge of myself, and I know that I had no disposition to throw myself in front of a train” (63). The exchange continues in a kind of circular manner that frustrates the attorney, who says,  “So the wild, speculative guess that the MBTA had, and you heard that in court as you said, is based upon your fact with your predisposition to know that you did not throw yourself in front of the train?” Ms. Dorchak replies, “I’m in a unique position to know myself.” Losing patience, the attorney says, “Please, we’re going to get – know thyself, that’s right. That’s a good one. You say that you did not – you know yourself and you would not throw yourself in front of a train. That’s what you just said to me.” Ms. Dorchak replies, “That is correct” (63). The circular discussion continues. After a few more futile back and forths, the attorney says, “You say, it did not happen by me throwing myself in front of the train. Is there anything else that you can exclude that did not happen?” Ms. Dorchak replies, “No.” The attorney says, “And the reason for that is because you have no memory?” Ms. Dorchak says, “That’s correct” (65).         
   

At 1:30 in the video, Ms. Dorchak says, “We were struck by two speeding MBTA trains.”            

Facts in court documents simply do not support this statement. Various pleadings such as the “Defendants’ Motion to Bifurcate Trial” reflect the “vehicle was traveling between 10 and 15 m.p.h” (2). The lead operator’s deposition also affirms the speed was between 10 and 15 m.p.h. (16). In the video, Ms. Dorchak says, “two trains.” In other interviews, she says, “trolley.” In her deposition, she says, “train.” In reality, it was a light rail vehicle (LRV) comprised of two LRVs with a lead operator (in the first vehicle) and a trailer operator (in the second vehicle). Regardless of the terminology, to use the term “speeding” is incorrect.          
  

At 1:34 in the video, Ms. Dorchak says, “[A woman who heard the crash] rushed down and found me impaled against the rail and Kelsey sitting by me.” In some accounts, she says she was thrown under the wheels.            

No court testimony included in the file mentions any sort of impalement or that she was thrown under the wheels. It would seem impossible to have both at the same time. Nor is any mention made of a woman who heard the crash and rushed to the scene. Court documents, such as the “Defendants’ Motion to Bifurcate Trial” reflect that Ms. Dorchak “was found lying on the side of the train away from the street, between the LRV [light rail vehicle] and a wrought-iron fence which separates the eastbound and westbound rails” (2).     
       

At 1:54 in the video, Ms. Dorchak states, “[Kelsey] had a broken hip. She could barely move, but she was trying to keep close to me.”            

Kelsey standing on hind legs to greet Dorchak
less than 2 wks post accident

Nothing in court testimony indicates anything about a dog being injured, treated, or transported for medical care. The only mention of a dog being present is a brief note that appears in court pleadings: “A dog believed to belong to Ms. Dorchak was sitting next to her immediately after the accident.”  In court documents, Ms. Dorchak denies knowledge of having a dog with her, at all. The only clue to Kelsey’s medical condition is offered in a photo in the “Animal Inventory” video at 2:34, where Kelsey stands on her hind legs in front of Ms. Dorchak’s wheelchair. This photo actually contradicts Ms. Dorchak’s point that Kelsey suffered a broken hip (requiring hip replacement surgery per a GREY2K USA web page) because it is doubtful a dog with such a serious injury could stand on its hind legs so soon after the accident, if ever again.           

At 2:14 in the video, Ms. Dorchak states, “When I woke up from my first coma weeks later, the first thing I said—could manage to say—was, ‘How’s Kelsey? It was my first thought.”            

Various documents, such as medical evaluations by physicians at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, reflect that Ms. Dorchak was not in a several week coma. In fact, a Spaulding physician’s report dated July 17, 1995, indicates she experienced a “coma approximately 12 hours in duration (27a). Ms. Dorchak’s own written interrogatories indicate that in the emergency room, she “registered 8 on the Glasgow coma scale, which ranges from a low of 3 (completely nonresponsive) to 15 (normal orientation)” (6). Her interrogatories note that “by September 28, 1992, I was able to ambulate with a narrow based support” (8). This was just 18 days after the accident. Not quite a month after the accident, Ms. Dorchak was released to inpatient therapy at the Greenery Rehabilitation Facility for 2-1/2 weeks. Two months after the accident, she was released to home and referred for outpatient OT and PT at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Outpatient notes indicate that on November 20, 1992, Ms. Dorchak “came to PT in good spirits wearing a dress, pantyhose and dress shoes (1/2” heel). Motivation was high and patient did well with balance/coordination activities” (41). A Spaulding physician’s evaluation on January 7, 1993, reflects that Ms. Dorchak was functioning well in an independent manner. The report states, “She does the grocery shopping without a list … she is able to negotiate her way around town dealing with crowds, traffic, and uneven surfaces” (22). In this report, the physician recommends that Ms. Dorchak “start jogging on a jogging track” and that she “attempt one or two days back at work to look at both her endurance and her capacity to function cognitively” (23).            

At 2:25 in the video, Ms. Dorchak states, “[Kelsey] pulled on the leash and pulled me from a direct frontal hit from the train. I know Kelsey saved my life.”            

Ms. Dorchak would have no way of knowing this because she confirms in written interrogatories that she does not recall having a dog with her on the day of the accident (4). In her deposition, she affirms she has no memory whatsoever of the accident (65). Kelsey may have pulled her from a direct hit and saved her life, but based on her own court testimony, Ms. Dorchak has no idea whether this is true or not.            

At 2:35 in the video, Ms. Dorchak states, “We spent two years together in recuperation.”            

As previously indicated, the dog’s recovery cannot be corroborated except for a photograph that shows her standing on two hind legs in front of Ms. Dorchak’s wheelchair. Such an action is not indicative of a dog with a recently broken hip that required hip replacement surgery.            

With regard to Ms. Dorchak’s recuperation, she may have had residual issues for up to two years, but her recuperation was well underway much earlier. For example, a Spaulding physician’s report on March 16, 1993, documents that she was “finishing up” outpatient occupational and physical therapy (26). Therefore, according to medical records in the file, her inpatient and outpatient therapy lasted for approximately six months after the accident. In that report, the doctor notes that “vocational therapy is recommended” and a “return to work will need to be mediated by a trained vocational counselor” (26). Ms. Dorchak’s written interrogatories indicate she had not returned to full-time work as of July 17, 1993 (20). A Spaulding physician’s report dated July 17, 1995 describes limitations in life and work duties that were not yet resolved, but included the statement, “she is working full time and has resumed jogging or fast walking for about 30 minutes/day” (27B).      
      

The point of this comparative analysis is not to diminish Ms. Dorchak’s injuries suffered as a consequence of a light rail vehicle/pedestrian accident. She deserves applause for her perseverance and triumph over adversity to experience a second chance in life. Nevertheless, many of the details in the “Animal Inventory” video (and a wide variety of other media platforms) with regard to the accident and its aftermath are either exaggerations or fabrications.    The biggest red-flag on this is Ms. Dorchak’s own sworn testimony in depositions and interrogatories where she consistently claims to have no memory of the accident.  Additionally, other court testimony contradicts information she now offers as fact. She can’t have it both ways. Either she lied under oath or she is lying in the video and other media venues. Before the lawsuit was discovered, she could make up details to fit the fundraising occasion and no one would know the difference. Having the lawsuit available to fact-check means this fast-and-loose tactic is not an option.            

The jury involved in the lawsuit was comprised of average citizens just like the average citizens who donate hundreds-of-thousands of dollars annually to Ms. Dorchak’s non-profit organization, GREY2K USA. Back in 1995, the jury ruled against Ms. Dorchak and in favor of those she sued. Actually, the jury found her guilty of trespassing on the defendants’ property and determined the defendants’ actions involved no willful, wanton or reckless conduct.  Nowadays, there is no reason to believe the story Ms. Dorchak so conveniently weaves, especially since it has been decorated with all kinds of emotional embellishments to tug at our heart and purse strings.             

I am the first to believe we are all allowed our fantasies. If we want to make up stories about our lives, we are free to do so, but not when we earn our living, as Ms. Dorchak does, by soliciting donations from an unsuspecting public, particularly when the story told is riddled with false statements.     
          

It is clear that Ms. Dorchak has taken unfair advantage of many innocent individuals in her quest to feather her own nest while building a worldwide empire. At the very least, she owes an apology to those who donated time and money to GREY2K USA based on lies she has spread. An apology is certainly due to folks in greyhound racing—and greyhounds, themselves—for her self-serving manipulations and misleading campaigns. Now is the time to make amends, if amends can be made after wreaking so much havoc. Meanwhile, let the public judge Ms. Dorchak and GREY2K USA based on facts rather than fabrications.

Bibliography

Anderson, Cynthia. “One Woman’s Crusade to Ban Greyhound Racing.” Christian Science Monitor. 10 Oct. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1010/p20s01-ussc.html

“Animal Inventory TV, Episode 2: Christine and Kelsey and Zoe.” Uploaded by Animal Inventory. 28 Oct 2008. Youtube. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xF1tk7TYzM

Animal Rights Conference. n.d., n.p. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://web.archive.org/web/20030623105807/http://www.animalrights2003.org/speakerassignments.html

Buccini, Cynthia. “A Dogged Fight.” Boston University Alumni. Bostonia. Summer 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/summer09/greyhounds/

Christine Dorchak Bio. Speaker Bios. Animal Liberation Front. n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk301/digdog9/ALF_dorchak.jpg “Christine Dorchak of GREY2K USA Champions Greyhounds.” 

Pet News and Views. 30 Apr. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://petnewsandviews.com/2010/04/christine-dorchak-champions-greyhounds/

Dorchak v. MBTA. 93-1023. Suffolk County Superior Court. 1995. Print.

Dorchak, Christine. “Christine Dorchak, Dog Lawyer Works to End Greyhound Racing in the 2K … With Help of Deleuse.com jewelry!” Deleuse Design Collective. n.d. n.p. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://deleuse.com/blogs/news/8602641-christine-dorchak-dog-lawyer-works-to-end-greyhound-racing-in-the-2k-with-help-of-deleuse-com-jewelry

Dorchak, Christine. “Hope Rises for English Greyhounds.” GREY2K USA. n.d. n.p. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://www.grey2kusa.org/eNEWS/G2K-91212.html

Dorchak, Christine. “The Fight to End Dog Racing Nationwide.” American Dog Magazine. Winter 2008: 142. Print.

GREY2K USA Worldwide. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.grey2kusa.org/index.php“Official Massachusetts Information for Voters: the 2008 Ballot Questions.” 

The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. n.d.: 12-13. Web/PDF File. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/IFV_2008.pdf

Platt, Teresa. “An Unmarked Anniversary: A Dozen years on HSUS’s Payroll.” Fur Commission USA Commentary. Fur Commission. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Nov 2013.

Platt, Teresa. “Careers in the Conflict Industry: HSUS and the Making of a Conflict Industrialist.” Fur Commission USA Commentary. Fur Commission. 12 Aug 2001. Web. 17 Nov 2013.  http://www.furcommission.com/careers-in-the-conflict-industry/

“Return of Votes for Massachusetts State Election 4 Nov 2008.” The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Elections Division. n.d.: 51. Web/PDF File. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2008%20Return%20of%20Votes%20Complete.pdf

Theil, Carey. “Grey2K.” Greyhounds 4 Life. Yahoo Group. 6 Dec 2000. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/greyhounds4life/conversations/topics/1905

U.S. v. Coronado. 1:93-CR-116. United States of America. U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.  http://web.archive.org/web/20110608061905/http://www.eskimo.com/~rarnold/Coronado%20Sentencing.pdf

"Who We Are." GREY2K USA Worldwide.  Web. 17 Nov, 2013.   http://www.grey2kusa.org/index.php

Yurda. “Protect Greyhounds – End Dog Racing! Interview with Christine Dorchak from GREY2K USA.” Pack People. 31 May 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.packpeople.com/protect-greyhounds-end-dog-racing-interview-with-christine-from-grey2k/###

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Leslie A. Wootten is an investigative researcher and author specializing in greyhounds and greyhound racing in the USA. 

© Leslie A. Wootten, 2013. For PDF reprint requests, contact the author at lawootten@msn.com.

Explaining Propaganda

By John Murray

A few of weekends ago, someone shot my dogs. One of them was tangled in a string, struggling to get free. This was after they were forced to run 3.5 miles. A few of weeks before that, they were forced to wear muzzles and stuffed in a cramped metal box from which they struggled to get free. When they were finally let out, they had sand forced into their eyes. They were forced to run a little over a mile with sand constantly being forced into their eyes. Will you donate so these dogs don’t have to suffer any more?

Sounds awful, doesn’t it? See how easy it is to twist things and elicit a guilty, emotional response? Here’s what really happened:

We went lure coursing a few weekends ago with my whippets and some people took some fabulous pictures (shot) of my dogs.

The course they ran on that Saturday was 990 yards (2x runs per dog), and Tesla ran the 1100 yard course on Sunday 4 times as she competed in 2 runoffs in addition to her 2 regular runs (total of 6200 yards = ~3.5 miles).

She often grabs the baggy at the end and tugs relentlessly on the line and baggy to try and break it free so she can play the “chase me with the toy” game ("tangled in string", struggling to get free). She actually wasn’t bound up by the string at all.

A few weeks prior to that we went amateur racing at a greyhound training facility where we’re occasionally allowed to race our whippets. They wear muzzles just like the racing greyhounds so that an errant tooth at the end doesn’t cause some stitches or worse. With only one lure and high lure drive, the muzzles protect the racers from each other and make it easier to determine race winners in close races. They’re eager to chase the lure and when we put them in the starting box, they know the lure is behind them (they saw it as we walked past) and want nothing more than to catch it, so they struggle to get out of the starting box as fast as possible. If a dog isn’t the lead dog, they get sand kicked up and some gets in the dog’s eyes, which the dog’s body naturally expels through the tear ducts (sand forced into their eyes). We often rinse their eyes with saline after each race to help and we rinse their paws to make sure no sand causes rub spots between their toes/pads etc. They show a little bit of discomfort, but don’t typically seem extremely bothered by it. They run 3 races per day of 330 yards each race for a total of a little over 1 mile for the weekend.

I wrote this to illustrate a point. I hope people take a moment to pause and consider emotionally charged rhetoric and words about greyhound racing, especially if it’s from an organization asking for donations. Context is important in understanding all aspects of a situation and it’s very easy to portray statistics in an emotionally charged way that supports one’s own agenda, as I believe I’ve shown above. Charities, necessarily, have to beg for money and there are a lot of good charities doing wonderful work out there. It’s not my intent to harm the good work these truly beneficial organizations conduct. Unfortunately, there are some (many?) ‘charity’ organizations that will cross any line they legally can to get your donations with no intention of actually helping the cause/dogs/people they claim to support. So I hope if you come across an organization (Grey2k), led by a lawyer (Christine Dorchak) that raises millions of dollars a year but hasn’t actually helped any of the subjects they, Dorchak and her husband, Carey Theil, claim to be helping, I would kindly ask you to ignore those groups and their emotionally charged misinformation. Instead, I would ask you to move along to a more reputable group and source of information. As just one of the many examples of illogical lies being perpetuated, I saw a picture of an anti-racing protester holding a sign claiming 27,000 greyhounds are euthanized a year because they can't race anymore. The National Greyhound Association lists all puppies bred for racing purposes even the ones that are still born and in 2013 there were a little over 10,000 puppies born for racing across the U.S. If nearly 3x the greyhounds born each year are euthanized, how is that remotely sustainable? The NGA claims a 95% adoption rate; we see stories all the time about retired racers being adopted into being used for therapy dogs etc. Which seems more accurate?

If possible go see for yourself what’s really going on with greyhound racing and ask questions of those directly involved in greyhound racing as it’s being vilified with lies and deceit by numerous anti-racing interests. Go watch the wagging tails at the end of each race and tell me with a straight face they don't love it. I hope you keep an open mind and don't believe the hype.

Florida Greyhound Death Statistics from 2013

Let me start by saying this...  I hate sensationalized facts.

That being said, I am going to delve into a Fox news article from Feb 2014 all the same.

The article states that in Florida, 74 greyhounds died across 13 tracks in 7 months, May to December, in 2013. At first sight, this looks like an OMG moment. That is until one does some basic math. Seventy-four (74) dogs divided by 13 tracks equals 5.96 dogs. For simplicity, let us round it up to 6...  6 greyhounds dying in each of those months per track.  Okay...  We need to further reduce that number as it happened over a course of 7 months. That gives us one (1) dog per month, (keep in mind I'm rounding up.)

What this article neglects to tell the reader (despite all the other facts therein) is the total number of races and dogs that raced during that time. Pretty piss poor reporting to me, but okay. That omission is pretty important. So let's fill it in and use the track I'm familiar with - Victoryland.

Victoryland had 24 race days per month and 28 races per day. (on average during it's prime.) They ran eight dogs at a time. So let's do some math here, 24 multiplied by 28 gives us a total of 672 races per month. Multiply the number of races per month times the number of dogs per race (8) and you get a total of 5376 individual starts. So, on average, there were at least 5376 greyhound racing starts per month. Obviously, this number will be much higher for Florida as we are talking about 13 tracks. So, multiply 5376 by 13 for an idea.

Anyway, let's keep this simple using that statistic provided by Fox News and our Victoryland substitution.

Using these numbers, We have a staggering one dog that died for every 5376 dogs that raced for a period of one month.  Please consider the number used in the Fox story is incorrect. Seventy-four (74) greyhounds did not die. Grey2K counted some greyhounds twice in their report.  The true facts, as presented, support the assertion that greyhound deaths on the track are rare.

During the course of 2013, there were approximately 10,000 greyhounds racing in Florida. Sadly, seventy (70) of those greyhounds died as a result of illness, travel, congenital defects, accidents, and/or racing. That equals 0.7%.  Please compare that to the fact that 250,000 shelter animals and pets were killed in Florida that same year. 

In Pinellas County alone during the May-Dec 2013 timeframe, over 5,500 animals were euthanized in shelters compared to the ten (10) greyhounds that died in Pinellas county. Where is the front-page headline for those shelter animals?  The loss of any life is tragic, but some of the greyhounds losses could not be prevented.

The greyhound industry has worked successfully to increase greyhound adoptions annually and based on current statistics from the American Greyhound Council (AGC), 92-93% of racing greyhounds are being adopted or returned home to their owners when they retire from racing. Every year, the percentage of racing greyhounds being adopted has increased and the industry is committed to increasing those numbers to higher rates! Why was this not referenced in the article?

Commenting further on the Derby Lane statistics... The reports from the State’s DBPR division have been reviewed and the number of greyhounds which died at Derby Lane was 10, not 12, as incorrectly reported. Some of those dogs that died never raced or competed at the track. Of those 10 dogs, one died after transport to Florida. Veterinary assessment could not ascertain whether the transport had any causative effect on the dog’s health and resulting aneurysm. Approximately 9,000 racing greyhounds were transported in the State of Florida during 2013, with only 1 incident, therefore 99.99% of the greyhounds transported in Florida arrived safely and without incident. Greyhounds are transported to Florida in climate-controlled vehicles which are maintained to the highest safety standards. To vilify an industry for 1 dog who died after transport, possibly from unrelated circumstances, where 9,000 dogs are transported annually to Florida (and within Florida) is asinine. Why didn’t your paper research how many greyhounds are transported in Florida, and demonstrate comparative statistics for those greyhounds that are transported without incident? Instead you published a biased value without any specifications to how many dogs travel safely. 

At Derby Lane, some dogs passed away from natural causes and were not racing at the time of their death. Animals die due to congenital defects and it is not something that can always be prevented. Animals can die from cardiac arrest, seizure, benign hyperthermia, aneurysm, etc. We try to ensure the safety of our greyhounds, but if a greyhound passes away in its sleep, that is hardly the fault of greyhound racing. You cannot attribute the loss of a dog to an industry, based solely on the fact that there is an industry! Just because the dog is a racing greyhound should not implicate the people who love and care for their greyhounds every day. If a pet dies in their sleep in someone’s home, do we vilify the owner? No we don’t, the most common response is a sympathy card. 

In the timeframe from May – Dec 2013, Derby Lane ran 4,129 races, with 32,634 greyhounds racing based on those specific races. Based on a thorough review of all the State’s reports and associated information for these instances, not all the greyhounds dogs died as a direct result of racing. For the 32,634 racing starts, greyhounds racing at Derby Lane have a “safety rate” of 99.98%. We want that rate higher, and we are constantly striving to improve greyhound safety, and will continue to work with racetrack departments at Derby Lane to accomplish that. A safety rate almost at 100% is a good starting point! Kennel owners at Derby Lane want 100% safety for our greyhounds!

We know that Grey2K used the wrong numbers. I'm guessing that Grey2K also knows that their numbers are incorrect, however, my point is that even with their bolstered numbers they cannot win that fight so they (Grey2K and its minions), omit, change, and falsify records. And it plays well for them in the media. Why? Sensationalism. And here's the thing with that article. I read it, and I knew it was over a course of 7 months and that some facts had been omitted. But, the way they present it and the way Carey Theil talks, you keep thinking on a monthly basis. Especially with that comment about 1 every 3 days.

So, Grey2K needs to "suck it up." The statistics simply are not in their favor. That's why they and the media must sensationalize it. They simply can not win in a fair fight.

Rams Stacey E - The Rest of the Story

Something that is current news in greyhound racing & adoption circles is the placement of Stacey, a white & red greyhound bitch, with GPA-AZ. Stacey is looking for a new home.

Now, that may not be newsworthy to some, but y'all don't know Stacey's story.  You see...  Stacey is a "dead dog" according to Grey2K.

We have all seen posts on the "stuff" that is spouted by Grey2K to raise donations. Finally, somebody was involved in one of those stories that has been floating around from them for a while. The Grey2K story is that a greyhound was electrocuted at the Phoenix Greyhound Park back a few years ago before Phoenix closed. Grey2k, of course, has only told part, maybe half, of the story. This post is about, to quote Paul Harvey, "The rest of the story!"

Stacey is a big girl. She raced at 70lbs and she has these long, long legs. She's all legs.  For some time, she was accident prone, for want of a better description.

Her first race, she broke her maiden at Phoenix with a time of 30:42. Not too shabby. She showed a lot of promise then.

Another night, night she was 10 lengths ahead of the pack and at the finish line, she tripped over her own legs. She got up and was perfectly fine, but...  Aye yi yi yi!  Those legs!

Then, on another night, July 16, 2009, she tripped, yet again, and fell in the far turn. This time, however, she didn't get up. She fell into the rail. The leadouts got to her pretty darn quick, but they had to wait for the race to finish so the power to the lure could be cut.

This accident was a bad one.  The person who carried Stacey back in, had no doubt that Stacey was dead. They just knew it. When her body was carried in, her head was dangling over their arm and she had relieved herself. Even so, Stacey was taken to the vet to be examined.

As the vet examined her, he thought he heard a faint heart beat. He began massaging her heart. The vet worked with her a long time, refusing to give up.  Finally, her heart beat was stronger and Stacey finally  opened her eyes!  To everyone's amazement, she was back!!

Rams Stacey E - very much alive

One of the leadouts carried her out to the water hose, so she could be washed off before being put back into the truck. As the water hit her, she jumped up, sent the leadout flying, and took off. LOOSE DOG!!!!  Everyone scrambled to catch her. Finally, she was placed in the truck and taken back to the kennel, where she ate her dinner and curled up to go to sleep.

After a good night's sleep, the next day, it was as if nothing had happened. Even so, Stacey was given some time off, close to 2 wks, to just give her a break. Ya gotta wonder if any person has ever had a dog  survive something like that and, if so, did the dog come back to race?  Anyway, after her vacation, Stacey went back to work. She was going stir crazy in the kennel.

By all accounts from those associated with Stacey, it was as if the accident never happened. Except for one BIG positive...  Stacey learned to keep her legs under her and she stopped tripping over them.

Stacey was retired from racing in late 2011. She was bred, had a litter of pups and now, she's gone into adoption.

That's pretty good for a "dead" dog.

Contact Florida Representatives and politely encourage them to support the Greyhound Safety Act, HB 186. With that Act in place, there would be no chance of another dog possibly getting electrically shocked.  Also, ask them, why isn't Grey2K, a group supposedly for protecting greyhounds, in support of a bill that would do that in spades?

Yours in greyhounds....

Jocularity... Jocularity...

Anyone who is a M.A.S.H. fan will recognize the "jocularity, jocularity" phrase. It is oft attributed to Father Mulcahy, but it was actually Col. Potter imitating the kind Father.  So, what does the quote habe to do with greyhound racing & Grey2K, you ask?  Well, Grey2K is composed of some of the best storytellers that I know.  They are such good story tellers, passing their stories off as imitations of the truth, that it causes me to laugh and say, "Jocularity! Jocularity!"

One of the most recent examples was, and I'm still laughing at this one,

"The FGA has a right to fight for the continuation of dog racing," Theil says. "They do not have the right, however, to simply make things up." (Carey Theil, Executive Director of Grey2K USA Worldwide to Broward Palm Beach News Times).

As if that one isn't hilarious enough, there's this one,

"Since 2009, we have made donations totaling nearly $50,000 to local adoption organizations. We also give adoption referrals, and regularly encourage our supporters to adopt from their local group."

Considering how much nonsense Grey2K propagandizes, the first comment is beyond the realm of ludicrous.  Grey2K's propaganda machine is almost as good as that which Goebbels presided over. I also suspect it is also ruled with the same kind of iron fist.

It is the opinion of many in the greyhound adoption community that the only reason Grey2K makes any donations at all to placement groups is so they can maintain their tax exempt status.  It sure isn't for the benefit of the dogs.  How do we know?  Well, back when MA Prop 2 was being cussed & discussed, Grey2K promised to take care of the displaced greyhounds, if the proposition passed.


Unfortunately for greyhounds and the people associated with them, the Massachusetts voters were duped by Grey2K into believing that greyhounds are horrifically abused. More than 1,000 people lost their jobs with the bill's passage and that was only the people directly involved with the dogs. The ripple effect spread widely with restaurant employees losing their jobs and various businesses closing, many of which were not directly associated with greyhound racing.

Grey2K came in with their smoke & mirrors and when they left, they left all the dogs, saying that it wasn't their problem; that the adoption groups would take care of them.  They didn't even have the decency to donate any monies to those same adoption groups.  There used to be a saying, "beware a Greek bearing gifts". That saying had its origins with the Trojan horse as the Greeks came to Troy and left the Trojan Horse as a "gift". What a gift... lead to the destruction of a people and a culture.  Grey2K USA is a Trojan Horse and it leaves destruction in its wake.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/01/ban_on_dog_racing_has_stifled_livelihoods_of_many/


Thank God for the racing people and Linda Jensen, may she rest in peace. They are the folks who took care of the greyhounds until homes could be found for all of them.  They are the heroes; not Grey2K and their allies, all of which are hell bent on the destruction of not only greyhound racing, but ALL human & animal interactions. They are out to ban carriages in city parks, biological parks & zoos, and pet ownership.

I digress...  Regarding the 2014 "58 donations to greyhound adoption orgs... totaling $16,567.33", it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that that amount when split among 58 groups equals each of the 58 groups, if indeed it was 58 groups, getting a grand total of $285.64.  That's very, very generous...  not.

IF it weren't so sad, Theil's comments would be absolutely hilarious.  What a jolly joker, especially as he & his wife rake in thousands of dollars, money that could, quite literally, go to the dogs.  Father Mulcahy's last comment is really quite apropos.  Why are the wicked in Grey2K advanced & strengthened with riches?

Yours in greyhounds....

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

PeTA & Grey2K

I'm sure ya'll remember the Grey2K video of the kennel at Tucson Greyhound Park (TGP)? You know which one...  the one that was taken in the dark at one of the kennels...  the one where the 'videographers' told the watchman to not turn on the lights because the cameras worked better in the dark?  That video was so "scandalous"...  After all, the greyhounds had beds, in which they were laying, and were in the dark - at night - so they could sleep!  How dare the Grey2K goons disturb their good night's sleep!

Anyway, some of those "abused" greyhounds from Tucson have gone into adoption.  Those dogs have been making the rounds and they are beautiful! One, Tonic, is a lovely boy and he came from the very kennel that they filmed.  I have come to know Tonic and I can pretty much assert that he was sleeping in his condo when the goons came in with their flashlights to film their epic contribution to the film world. Tell me, if things are so horrible for the dogs and they have been so abused, why is this boy one of the happiest dudes anyone has ever seen?  Why is he so generous with his kisses and why does he have such a giant greyhound smile?  Tell me...  please tell me...  this is something I really, really do not understand....  Would a dog which has been beaten and abused, as asserted through the years by Grey2K and its minions, would a greyhound that has, in general, been grossly mistreated be this friendly?   Uhm... not only NO, but HELL NO!  I'd expect the dog to run as if his tail is on fire at the sight of a human!

You know, I always get comments on how friendly, calm & peaceable my dogs are. All of them have always been Momma's "kids" but the girls are the most confident and outgoing dogs I have ever seen and that includes peoples' much loved pets, show dogs, all of them.... The girls really like to work the crowds. I'd hate to see how the average Joe treats their dogs if these dogs are abused. Why?  Because, you simply don't get temperament like this by poor and abusive handling.

This is something that I've been preaching ever since before Grey2K came out with this stupid video. The only thing that that "investigative team" did was narrate the video in such a way as to make it sound bad. You know, a couple of amateurs with a video camera does not make an investigative team. However, that is the Grey2K tactic learned from her PeTA mentor, Ingrid Newkirk.

PeTA is known for using such tactics. Back in 1994, PeTA hired Michele Rokke (founder of Animal Protection New Mexico) as an “investigator.”  Here's a for instance...

Between June 1996 & April 1997, Rokke was in the employ of Howard Baker, DVM in New Jersey and conducting an undercover PeTA "investigation."  Two months after her employment ended, June 1997, Rokke filed charges against and accused Baker of 16 counts of animal cruelty, beginning with a dog that was treated at the clinic two days after she started her job in June 1996 and ending with a dog seen by Baker in April 1997.

The case was based on the uncorroborated testimony of Rokke, who surreptitiously videotaped the doctor and shot as much as 200 hours of tape with a camera hidden in her handbag. That tape was edited to about three minutes by PeTA and sent to national media.  The edited videotape was played before and during the trial on local and national news programs, tabloid shows, and syndicated talk shows. Throughout the nearly three-year ordeal, Baker and his wife were harassed and received death threats.

Baker was convicted in lower court in July 1999 but the conviction was overturned in April 2000 on appeal. Howard Baker DVM was exonerated of all charges of cruelty by New Jersey Superior Court, and the New Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners reinstated his license to practice 12 days after the court's April 14 decision.

The appeals court ruled that:

1. the testimony of the state's star witness was not believable;
2. the testimony of the defendant's witnesses was believable;
3. Baker's actions did not amount to cruelty under the law; and
4. the connection between the witness and PeTA tainted her testimony.

This is not the only case in which this has happened. Rokke has been involved in other illegal investigations including actions against Boys Town National Research Hospital, Huntingdon Life Sciences, and a North Dakota horse ranch. There are more.

Anyone who is really into dogs knows & understands that much of dog temperament is genetic, so behavior is not really proof of anything. There are spooky dogs that have never been abused, while some dogs from truly horrific environments and conditions still wag their tails and solicit attention from every human they meet. I hate when people see a nervous or shy dog and assume it means abuse. Genetic temperament and early socialization are huge influences. Even fears of things like loud voices, raised hands, fast movements, NONE of that is "proof" of abuse.

I take my dogs, my pets, for walks.  On one such walk, with a couple of them, I was stopped by several people that we came across.  One, in particular, assumed that my shy girl was abused at the track.  She was associating it with her being beaten and "tortured".  Standard comment, "Oh you poor BABY!  You were so abused that you are TERRIFIED of people!  You POOR, POOR, THING!"  and then continuing to me, "Isn't it criminal what they do to these poor dogs at the track?"

Imagine her shock & surprise when I told her that the shy girl never raced and that I had had her the longest and that her running mate had only just retired a couple of weeks earlier. The woman did not know how to respond.  It blew their race track trauma theory right out of the water. I told her, "The dogs just have different personalities... that's all."

Anyway, if you take nothing away from most of this post, I would hope you'd think about this...

1. Grey2K USA and its founders are very closely aligned with PeTA & Ingrid Newkirk.  
2. PeTA and its followers are not above extreme propagandizing to achieve their goal and neither is Grey2K, up to & including editing to present an very distorted and most inaccurate representation of "the truth".  In fact, their edits are so extreme that the resulting information is as far from the truth as the earth is from the sun!
3. Both Grey2K & PeTA are for the extermination of the working animal, the animal with a job.
4. Both Grey2K & PeTA interchange "animal welfare" and "animal rights" descriptions, intentionally confusing the public.
5. Grey2K & PeTA are NOT animal welfare groups.  Neither operate as shelters & both are LOBBYING groups.
6. PeTA cares so much about animals that it kills 98% of the animals it takes into its supposed shelter in VA.

I'm sure there's more that you can take away, but this is just the beginning...

Yours in greyhounds