THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 12, 1995 TAG: 9506100010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
I am compelled to respond to Gary Guccione's May 31 letter. Mr. Guiccione is an eloquent spokesman for the National Greyhound Association, an organization that not only provides guidance and documentation for industry regulation but also contributes to the American Greyhound Council, a group the racing people formed to demonstrate they are doing ``something'' to curb the many abuses that prevail.
Mr. Guccione reports, ``In 1994, 13,000 greyhounds were humanely euthanized.'' No argument there, but the fact doesn't speak to how many were killed (in fairness, a figure that no one can compile). Euthanizations are down, in large part, because it costs about $30 a shot and many industry people find it cheaper to use ``other'' methods: guns, knives, electricity, etc.
I visited a farm in Florida last year that had six brood bitches. Even with this small farm as the average, it doesn't take much math to calculate with an average litter of 6 pups (an industry figure) that conservatively speaking there are well over 75,000 pups born per year. The industry needs only about 45,000 dogs racing at a time. If 13,000 are humanely destroyed and 13,000 are adopted, where are the rest?
Racing-kennel dogs are crated about 20 hours a day and often muzzled when crated. Most kennels feed dogs a diet of 60 percent 4D raw meat (4D stands for dead, drugged, dying or diseased). Many states, including Florida, have no laws that protect the health and care of greyhounds, not even mandatory innoculation programs.
Some tracks do have good adoption programs. Wichita, Kan., and Daytona Beach, Fla., are cases in point, but I have found lip-service programs elsewhere. Eighty percent of adoptions are still done by volunteer nonprofit groups working within the track infrastructure or independently.
Many track operators and racing-kennel owners have made efforts to help with adoptions and regulation under pressure from the public but have not come close to solving the problem.
To his credit, Mr. Guccione has been instrumental in this movement since 1987, and the volunteer groups will continue to save as many greyhounds as possible in cooperation with the AGC's efforts. We will, however, continue to push for more regulation of this exploitive industry and continue to fight for legislation to stop the spread of greyhound racing to additional states. Thanks to the efforts of Sen. Fred Quayle of Chesapeake, his bill banning greyhound racing was signed into law by Governor Allen, and this form of gambling won't come to Virginia.
GAY LATIMER
National Greyhound Adoption Program
Virginia Beach, June 1, 1995 by CNB