Florida banned greyhound racing. What happens to the dogs now? [View all]
Source: Washington Post
Florida banned greyhound racing. What happens to the dogs now?
By Kim Kavin November 16 at 7:00 AM
One week after Florida voters overwhelmingly chose to ban greyhound racing — eliminating 11 of America’s 17 remaining dog tracks by the end of 2020 — new battle lines are being drawn over who will eventually handle adoptions for the dogs that are now coming up through breeding and training kennels.
If the racing industry and its supporters have their way, it won’t be anybody who convinced Floridians that the dogs needed saving in the first place. The National Greyhound Association, which registers all racing greyhounds and fought the ban, says it will shun any rescue groups that worked to end the sport in the Sunshine State.
“We had over 100 adoption groups that helped support us throughout this ordeal in Florida,” said Jim Gartland, executive director of the association, which argues that racing is not bad for dogs. “They are all what we call responsible, endorsed adoption groups — and those are the groups, being led by Greyhound Pets of America, that we will be working with to place these dogs.”
The battle for access to what could be as many as 7,000 greyhounds — some of which may end up racing in other states where it is legal — is reflective of a bigger divide that shapes animal welfare politics.
On one side are people who say they stand for improving animal industry welfare practices while acknowledging that the industry will continue to exist. Such groups become bedfellows with the industry, if reluctantly so, because it serves as a source of adoptable dogs. In the area of commercial breeding, for example, some groups that call themselves “puppy mill rescues” buy dogs from the breeders they decry. In the area of greyhound racing, most adoption groups that opposed Florida’s ban have supported or stood neutral on racing.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/11/16/florida-banned-greyhound-racing-now-what-happens-dogs/
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