uestion 3's supporters have bombarded mall-walkers with gruesome photographs and gory details. Its opponents have taken to the airwaves with passionate pleas touting an industry's 65-year history in Massachusetts.
All this for the dogs. Question 3 would ban dog racing in Massachusetts, a measure that would force the two tracks in the state to close and stop new ones from opening. Advocates call it a clear case of protecting the rights of animals. Industry officials say that the state's greyhound racing tracks are among the best-run in the country and have a right to operate. National groups and out-of-state interests have contributed funds for and against the initiative. All involved acknowledge that the vote will probably be close.
''It could go either way,'' said Carey Theil, a spokesman for Grey 2K, the group that has led the fight for the initiative.
After lobbying the Legislature for years, animal-rights activists decided to pursue a dog-racing ban via a state ballot initiative. The forces aligned against the initiative have raised significantly more money, but Grey 2K's personal publicity methods - with volunteers in malls and other public places - have kept them competitive in terms of visibility.
''You can't have dog racing without killing. You also can't have dog racing without cruelty,'' Theil said. ''This is a national problem, and Massachusetts is taking part in it.''
Those working against the initiative say that dog racing is heavily regulated in Massachusetts, and that the tracks in the state - Wonderland in Revere and Raynham-Taunton - are not responsible for the atrocities that Grey 2K workers cite. Their advertisements have been designed to combat Grey 2K claims.
''People have been misled by information that they're distributing,'' said Glenn Totten, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Animal Interest Coalition, which represents the state's two dog racetrack owners and other interested parties. ''There has been not one documented case of greyhound abuse at a Massachusetts racing facility.''
Totten said that animal-rights activists have focused their battle to ban dog racing on Massachusetts only because it's relatively easy to get an issue on the state ballot. Many volunteers are sincere, he said, but he maintains that behind Grey 2K's grass-roots veneer are groups from outside the state who are trying to eliminate dog racing one state at a time.
Theil acknowledged that his group has found few examples of mistreatment of greyhounds at the Massachusetts tracks. Still, he said, the industry as a whole is cruel and should be shut down everywhere. If the initiative passes, Massachusetts would become the first state to outlaw dog racing via a referendum. The initiative would essentially legislate the state's two tracks - and their 1,200 jobs - out of existence.
Totten said the owners would not stand for that. He said that if the referendum passes, they may pursue legal action on the grounds that the state would in essence be taking their property away without compensation.
''The Commonwealth could be liable for a very substantial payment,'' Totten said.
RICK KLEIN
