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Activists take greyhound racing fight to ballot box
By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press, 09/27/00 BOSTON -- Lab workers give a greyhound a lethal injection and toss the dog's carcass onto a pile in the back of a pickup truck.
The images in a 10-minute videotape are being shown by animal rights activists in support of a proposition on the Nov. 7 ballot to shut down Massachusetts' 65-year-old greyhound racing industry. Passage would mark the first time a state's voters put an end to an active dog racing industry, though in the past decade six states without active tracks have outlawed dog racing. Track owners complain that the emotionally charged appeal distorts a cultural pastime. "There are 48 tracks in the country, and they are targeting two that treat the dogs with great care," said George Carney, owner of the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park, one of two greyhound tracks in Massachusetts. No polls have been taken, but Tobe Berkovitz, a political commentator who teaches at Boston University, said he believes the measure will pass because Massachusetts residents tend to sympathize with animals. "This is our Gettysburg," said Carey Theil of Grey2K, the organization sponsoring the ballot measure. Grey2k says race dogs often meet terrible ends. The group cites instances of starvation, death in kennel fires and donation for medical research. The industry says the activists are exploiting photographs and other images from other states and even other countries. "The allegations that the dogs are mistreated just doesn't make sense. They are the most valuable assets," said Richard Dalton, president of Wonderland Greyhound Park in the Boston suburb of Revere. Activists acknowledge some of the ugly pictures come from elsewhere -- the video of the dog being destroyed was shot in Florida, for instance -- but they say the images represent the industry. "Like cockfighting and dog fighting, at some point we have to come to the conclusion that practices like dog racing are inherently cruel and shouldn't be allowed," Theil said. Passage could have a human cost for the town of Raynham, where the track is the top local employer. The town, 25 miles south of Boston, also gets about $600,000 between yearly taxes and a cut of the purse. The two Massachusetts tracks employ 1,200 people between them. Even without the threat of the ballot question, the tracks are struggling with declining popularity and competition from casinos in neighboring states. Betting at Wonderland was down 19 percent to $25.37 million in 1999. Some lament the possibility of losing the chance to win a few dollars or more with the greyhounds. "These people should put their efforts into something more useful, like kids getting molested," said Fred Saia, who describes himself as a professional gambler. "I've never seen a dog abused." |
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