thelovelyscientist:

noodlehorsecomics:

Honestly, content warning: A lot of dogs at a lot of risk in 2019.

I wanted to talk about this in detail – I don’t normally talk about
the politics of greyhounds, nor greyhounds much at all on my blog.

On
election day, Florida approved Amendment 13, a ban on betting on
greyhound racing in the state. As it stands, there are 5 states where
they still race dogs; Florida is the largest of these by far. 11 of the
16 race tracks in all of the US will stop racing by Jan 1, 2020.

Florida, their Constitution, and why they’ve fucked up:

There are around 20,000 greyhounds born every year in the US. Again, probably close to 12,000 of this are from Florida. I don’t have whelp numbers on hand, but this is probably about right. These dogs can race until they turn 5, so there are at least 4 years worth of dogs in Florida right now, at most 48,000 dogs in the system in Florida. Realistically, some (most) dogs retire really, but all the pups and yearlings are still there, so the number must be at least 24,000. Again, NORMALLY, there are 20,000 greyhound born every year and 20,000 greyhounds that get adopted every year. This system is a tight balancing act between volunteer run groups, like Greyhound Pets of America, and the farms and tracks that raise and race these dogs.

Groups like “Protect Dogs – Yes on 13″ ran big campaigns to raise awareness for the amendment and pass it. What “Protect Dogs” didn’t do is help us formulate a plan on how to go from 20,000 adoptions in 2018 to (the normal) 20,000 adoptions, plus another 24,000-48,000 dogs coming just out of Florida. That’s a 125-225% spike in dogs that will need adopting next year.

Floridians voted for something I want. I want to see a reduction of greyhound racing in my lifetime. Florida was probably the biggest culprit out of the group – Florida tracks were responsible for some of the worst conditions in the US. At large, the farmhands and workers that raise these dogs care about them deeply, just like anyone would. I want to see greyhound racing come to an end in Florida. But not like this.

We estimate that about 100 dogs a year die on the track in Florida – that’s <1% of all racing dogs in Florida. Each death is a tragedy, and one that could be avoided, but now Floridians have voted to put the lives of at least 24,000 dogs at risk. That’s the equivalent of 240 year of dog racing accidents, all without the infrastructure of foster homes, training programs, vets, and adoption homes that we need.

“Well, racing is bad! What do you suggest, smarty?”

Easy. Rather than ending in 2020, the amendment should have tapered off towards 2024. That would give 5 years (the maximum normal racing period for a dog) to ramp down the dogs. The farms would stop breeding, the dogs could be retired at a normal pace, and the industry could wind down on its own without leaving tens of thousands of dogs out in the cold. No extra stress on the retirement process.

“Well, just send them to a humane society. Solved.”

Not so fast, buck-a-roo. Not only are many humane societies in the US chronically full and underfunded, but we have a complicating issue. Greyhounds spend the entire first 2-5 years of their life being an athlete, not a pet. A 5 year old greyhound may never have:

• climbed stairs

• been inside a residential building

• seen a dog other than a greyhound

• seen a mirror

• been in urban environments

• literally done anything a normal dog does

With all of this in mind, they don’t just need a place to go, they need a normal life, with a foster family who’s willing to help the dog adjust to human society. We can’t just expect them to normalize while sitting in a humane society or pound – they need the extra touch.

“Oh jeez, wow. Maybe Florida did fuck up a perfectly good cause by pushing it to happen too fast.”

You fucked up a perfectly humane cause is what you did. Look at it. It’s got anxiety.

“Ok, but how do I help? Dogs are hard”

Dogs are hard – take it from someone who has spent the last 4 years fostering. There’s a couple of easy things you can do, and some tougher things.

Spread awareness

This one is simple. Reblog this post, bring this up to people you care about outside tumblr. Make sure everyone knows that.

Donate to a group like Greyhound Pets of America

There’s two ends of this. On the adoption end of this, groups like GPA need resources to help dogs travel to their foster hosts and eventual home. They need money for food. Cash is king. Lookup your local chapter and let them know you care. Donate as you can.

On the other end of this is greyhound rescue. We’ve talked about retirement, but a small number of dogs are stolen/bribed off of a track and taken to the underground racing world. This is where the real abuse happens, and honestly, it’s bad. It’s only going to get worse next year. There’s no way that some dogs won’t slip through the cracks and end up shipped off to a puppy mill or an underground racing group. Amendment 13 will absolutely worsen the lives of some existing Florida racers. Rescue groups work with animal control and local police to break up these illicit rings and make sure the dogs are well taken care of. These rescue groups, especially throughout Appalachia, will need your help this year. Again, cash is king.

Adopt a greyhound

Approximately 1.6 million dogs are adopted annually in the US. With any luck, the dog lovers of the US can take on another 20,000 without incident. Adopt one of these loving dogs and you’ll have a health, faithful companion for many years to come.

Foster greyhounds

Lastly, and most importantly, we need foster homes (perhaps more than adopters). Foster homes are going to make sure that these dogs get the love and care they need before moving on to an adoptive home. I’ve fostered in two different cities in the US. Many cities, especially though the south and Appalachia, have a branch of Greyhound Pets of America, or something like it. Even this year, we were always looking for as many foster homes as possible. A single track in WV closed this year, and it swamped the local groups in dogs. Eleven tracks are closing this year in Florida. We’re already at capacity. Please, consider fostering greyhounds. In many cities, if you foster, you can have a great temporary pet, and they pay for the food and vet bills. They mostly just need homes. If you foster, you’ll be helping as many dogs as you take in over the course of the year.

I know this is a lot of info. If you have questions, reach out to me, @thelovelyscientist; another greyhound blog on here, I’m sure @noodlehorsecomics could answer questions; or talk to your local greyhound adoption group.