Take Action for Greyhounds: End Cruel Dog Racing Mandates in Florida and Iowa

Greyhound racing is a notoriously cruel industry. Both racing dogs and those deemed “wastage,” or not viable for the tracks, suffer immensely.

Racers are confined to barren cages for most of their life, except for the few times they are brought out to race. Once on the track, they can suffer severe injuries from broken bones to even cardiac arrest. “Wastage” dogs, on the other hand, are simply discarded, and a new report from Australia has revealed that these hounds are bled out at veterinary clinics, then killed.

Greyhound racing still exists in seven U.S. states, and 12 out of the 21 operational tracks reside in Florida.

Recently, GREY2K USA launched a nationwide campaign to pass greyhound decoupling mandates in Florida and Iowa to provide greater protection to current racing greyhounds while also reducing the amount of racing that goes on.

Right now, there are mandates in Florida and Iowa that require tracks to provide live greyhound racing as a “loss leader” for other forms of gambling to exist. (Doesn’t make too much sense, right?) This type of mandate costs both taxpayers and track operators, as greyhound racing’s profitability has been drastically diminished over the years.

According to GREY2K USA, the amount of taxes collected by Florida “for live greyhound racing has declined by 98 percent from more than $75 million in 1990 to less than $2 million in 2012” and “in the same year, the state spent $1.88 million on regulation of live dog racing,” illustrating that significant money is being lost because of the industry’s regulatory upkeep.

If greyhound decoupling is passed, it would halt these costly mandates and save dogs from the track. This campaign is an important step to ending greyhound racing for good in the U.S.

Do your part to help pass greyhound decoupling by signing this Change.org petition, asking Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Florida Gov. Rick Scott to Support greyhound decoupling. The petition needs 11,822 signatures, and as of this writing, 3,179 supporters have signed. After you add your name to the petition, be sure to spread the word even more by:

• Sharing this information on your social media pages and among family and friends
• Sending a polite comment in favor of greyhound decoupling to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad on his website, his Twitter at @TerryBranstad or by leaving a message on his Facebook page.
• Sending a polite comment supporting greyhound decoupling to Florida Gov. Rick Scott on his website, his Twitter at @FLGovScott, or by leaving a message on his Facebook page.

Interested in doing more for greyhounds? Consider adopting one or supporting any of these fine greyhound rescue groups.

Image source: James Creegan / Flickr