Ballot Question 3

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

SUMMARY
This proposed law would prohibit any dog racing or racing meeting in Massachusetts where any form of betting or wagering on the speed or ability of dogs occurs. The State Racing Commission would be prohibited from accepting or approving any application or request for racing dates for dog racing. Any person violating the proposed law could be required to pay a civil penalty of not less than $20,000 to the Commission. The penalty would be used for the Commission's administrative purposes, subject to appropriation by the state Legislature. All existing parts of the chapter of the state's General Laws concerning dog and horse racing meetings would be interpreted as if they did not refer to dogs. These changes would take effect January 1, 2010. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.
WHAT YOUR VOTE WILL DO
A YES VOTE would prohibit dog races on which betting or wagering occurs, effective January 1, 2010.

A NO VOTE would make no change in the laws governing dog racing.

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I'm a big fan of the statement of opposition which basically ends with "if you pass this law, we're gonna f-ing sue."

ARGUMENTS

As provided by law, the 150-word arguments are written by proponents and opponents of each question, and reflect their opinions. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts does not endorse these arguments, and does not certify the truth or accuracy of any statement made in these arguments. The names of the individuals and organizations who wrote each argument, and any written comments by others about each argument, are on file in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

IN FAVOR: Dog racing is cruel and inhumane. Would you treat your dog this way?

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Thousands of Massachusetts greyhounds endure lives of confinement, kept for 20 or more hours each day in cages barely large enough to stand up or turn around in.
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According to state records more than 800 Massachusetts racing greyhounds have been injured since 2002, including dogs who suffered broken legs, paralysis and even death from cardiac arrest.
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According to the Massachusetts State Racing Commission greyhounds have recently died from a mysterious illness and tested positive for cocaine, an illegal stimulant.

To learn more and see photographs taken by the racetracks, visit www.ProtectDogs.org.
Dogs are important in our lives and deserve protection.
Please join the MSPCA, The Humane Society of the United States, the Springfield Republican, every major animal shelter, dozens of lawmakers and other community leaders.
Vote "Yes" for the dogs on Question 3.

Authored by:
Carter J. Luke, President
Massachusetts Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
P.O. Box 442117
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 666-3526

AGAINST: Parimutuel dog racing has taken place in Massachusetts for over 70 years, now only at Wonderland dog track in Revere, and Raynham/Taunton in Raynham. The greyhounds are owned by caring dog owners, not tracks. There is no mistreatment of the dogs as claimed by animal activists. The State Racing Commission fully regulates the industry, has veterinarians on duty at each track, and maintains numerous programs for the welfare of the dogs during their racing careers, and for adoption when their careers are over. About 1,000 people will lose badly needed jobs if the proposal is enacted. The Commonwealth, Revere and Raynham will lose badly needed revenue. From 2000 to 2007, these tracks paid over $40 million to the Commonwealth in commissions and fees, as well as other taxes related to their racing activities. Finally enactment will likely subject the Commonwealth to suits by the tracks for taking their property.

Authored by:
George L. Carney, Jr.
Massasoit Greyhound Association, Inc.
Raynham Park
1958 Broadway
Raynham, MA 02767
(508) 824-4071

Ref: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele08/ballot_questions_08/quest_3.htm

Comments

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

I'm voting yes. Fuck dog racing.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

I'm voting no, the dogs are actually enjoying themselves. Vote no for 100m human sprinters too??? Bullshit...

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

i was thinking I'd vote no only if the law mandated that the dog owners have to run the track too.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Yeah right, let's compare apples and oranges, that's clever...Run a race against a Greyhound and let me know when you won...

[xuth.livejournal.com]

So why would the law allow horse racing but not dog racing? I don't see the difference other than there are differently connected / affected groups involved. So assuming that the bill issue is worded exactly as presented here I think it's pretty stupid.

On the other hand, what does this have to do with Davis Square?

[ron_newman]

Nothing specific, but we've generally allowed posts about state elections.

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

i want to live amongst people who are politically informed.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

I want to live amongst people whose brain is as colourful as their avatar pretends.

[jellobiafrascat.livejournal.com]

there's much tougher regulations with horse racing that keeps out a lot of the abuse (not all, but much more than dogracing) that occurs with greyhound racing. Horse owners tend to be much more protective and treat their animals like princesses (because they're currency. Once they no longer race, they go out for stud or some family buys the horse for a farm/etc.) This wasn't always the case of course, but the horse racing industry in today's world, by and large, is far more regulated and protective of their horses. This is not the case with greyhound racing, which still sees high incidences of injuries from abuse, neglect, and poor living conditions (cages animals can barely stand up in, food that is below grade for dog food, barely allowed to play/run/interact like other animals, etc.) My uncle used to race greyhounds and he stopped because he was too disgusted by the other owners. A lot of these dogs have to be "rescued" or they're put to death once they can no longer race.

Also, this may seem surprising, but horse racing still rakes in far more revenue than greyhound racing in MA ever has and the dog tracks are losing money left and right while Massachusetts still somehow keeps them subsidized enough to stay open. It's really a useless industry at this point that doesn't really give many more jobs to the state or bring in money.

I could go on. I no longer live in Mass, but I've seen the differences between horse racing and greyhound racing first hand and it's vast.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

I completely disagree, see post below...

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Horse racing is a much more a difficult topic as horses actually get shot at the races because they "just" break a leg and are of no use anymore...

[ron_newman]

Most infamously, Eight Belles at this year's Kentucky Derby.

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

on the other hand, who benefits from dog racing? i'm against gambling across the board.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Well then start a rally against Poker/Casinos too? Let's see where that get's you...

[sparkgrrl658.livejournal.com]

dude, crate training and pet stores are SO far apart it's ridiculous.

[liza.livejournal.com]

These dogs have an amazing adoption rate...

They do have a good adoption rate for racing dogs which have "retired". However, not all greyhounds make it to the racetrack. Here's the racing record for my greyhound (http://greyhound-data.com/d?i=1026731). Notice that one littermate has zero races and no adoption record. What happened to that dog? Like most mammals, dogs breed abundantly and any greyhound adoption group will tell you that puppies are rare to non-existent. Surely not every greyhound puppy is genetically perfect enough to be a racing dog. Plus, "retired" often means that the dog experienced a serious injury. Dogs in my group are often found to have sustained broken limbs; the kennel does not always disclaim this.

Greyhound placement can be difficult. My adoption group has been going through record numbers of dog returns. Returns in rescue organizations aren't unusual, but adult dogs generally end up in rescue groups because they have behavioral problems and have been previously bounced by their first owners, or were abused. Greyhounds often simply have trouble adjusting to a home life. See this post (http://ask.metafilter.com/103876/Thinking-about-returning-an-adopted-dogguilt-shame-I-suck#comment) made just yesterday on Metafilter, and the number of greyhound owners who respond with similar stories.

Greyhounds can be difficult because their upbringing is so abnormal, both from the perspective of housepets and of wild dogs. In the racing environment, they are isolated in individual kennels most of the time. Many greyhounds never accommodate to other dog breeds, and nearly all respond negatively to normal physical contact from other dogs like wrestling or play-biting. This limits their post-retirement activity; few greyhounds are candidates for doggy day care activities, and their extreme speed and race training makes them entirely unsuited for long off-leash rambles in the woods.

As a breed, they're beautiful when running but physically fragile. If you are unhappy with the existence of delicate toy breeds or squishy-nosed pugs with breathing problems, consider that racing greyhounds are also over-selected and in-bred past the limits of the natural dog frame. In England, when greyhounds are used for hunting they're usually cross-bred with sturdier dogs. Mine has cost a few thousand dollars in vet care for minor injuries that would not have broken the skin of most breeds.

It's true (and wonderful) that Massachusetts greyhounds are cared for much better than in previous decades, but it's simply not the case that these dogs come through the experience unscathed.

Easy now

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Seriously: I don't think dog racing is too bad. I do think horse racing is really bad. I've seen a couple of horses being shot to death directly on the track because they broke their legs...I don't think that does happen on a dog track. I agree with feralnerd in that case.

Re: Easy now

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

horses are majestic creatures. i can understand why people want to ride them, or watch them race. i don't particularly understand wanting to watch dogs race. i understand that people like to bet on the races. and i understand there are people making lots of money from the betting. it's an industry i don't support. i don't think society benefits, even if the dogs do.

Re: Easy now

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Excuse me...????

You may want to look into a couple of other issues first before you get into dogs...You may not have noticed but dogs are not going to be extinct so soon...And they are not going to be extinct man made so soon, neither rats, or cats...but there are some other species that may have to face some more serious issues than dogs, cats or horsies....

Re: Easy now

[jellobiafrascat.livejournal.com]

When I was 13, I witnessed an owner pull his dog off the track after losing by the hind legs, causing dislocation and thus having to have the dog euthanized because the owner refused to pay for treatment. He reportedly bought another dog that night to replace him. Ok, I take back that there's more regulation on horse racing, maybe there isn't, but in terms of cost, it's easier to replace dogs and thus dogs tend to get literally thrown around more. I'm sure some have been shot. Both forms of racing are idiotic.

as an aside question, what kind of horse do you have?

Voting "YES" on this one.

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Exactly, fuck dog racing.

Re: Voting "YES" on this one.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Fuck NVIDIA and go ATI...