A Compelling Case to Vote Yes on Question 3
Steve Baer published a rather persuasive article in the InCity, urging people to vote Yes on Question 3, the ballot initiative that would ban greyhound racing in the entire state of Massachusetts.
Greyhound racing truly is a cruel industry.
From Steve Baer’s article:
…
Between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2008 there have been 832 reported injuries sustained by greyhounds at the two Massachusetts tracks. Over seven dogs out of ten who suffered injuries had broken bones. One dog out of ten for which an injury was reported experienced a dislocation. Other reported injuries included seizures, ruptured organs, cardiac arrest, head trauma, sudden death, paralysis and broken necks and spines. An average of 128 injuries have occurred per year – that amounts to an average of more than 10 injuries per month. According to the American Greyhound Council’s guidelines the vast majority of the reported injuries are considered “career ending” to “fatal.”
Behind the sterilized curtain of statistics that effectively provides a broad, desensitized view of dog racing injuries are segments of the real-life stories of the greyhounds who experienced the trauma
One dog, Hibbert, cracked his skull during a 2005 New Year’s Day race and died as a result of that injury. It wasn’t a happy new year for Hibbert.
A dog named “RHF No Doubt” snapped her neck after getting bumped hard on the track on July 18, 2006 and died.
Another greyhound, Starz Voice, who appears in a podcast made from a June 25, 2007 R a y n h a m greyhound race track video, shows the 61- p o u n d , 2 – y e a r – o l d g r e y h o u n d surging out of the gate with seven other dogs. She is p o s i t i o n e d farthest from the center of the race track. She is seen picking up speed as she nears the first turn. Then a calamity happens when she is bumped. Starz Voice and another dog are seen tumbling off the track and slamming into a wall. Starz Voice broke two bones in her right front leg. As a result Starz Voice was put to death. Starz Voice’s injuries are not unique; they are a peculiar injury that is common only to dogs that race at dog tracks.
Undercover video and video coverage at the two Massachusetts dog tracks…
October 21, 2008
Posted in: Activism, Animal Rights, News
4 Responses
Pie and Coffee » WoMag: Aware of all Internet traditions? and other items - October 23, 2008
[...] has a ballot question that would ban dog racing in the state. Sounds good to me. VegWorcester has “A compelling case to Vote Yes on Question 3,” with links to a very long article by [...]
WoMag: Aware of all Internet traditions? and other items : Real Worcester - Worcester News and Blogs - October 23, 2008
[...] has a ballot question that would ban dog racing in the state. Sounds good to me. VegWorcester has “A compelling case to Vote Yes on Question 3,” with links to a very long article by [...]
VegWorcester.com » Get a Free Soy Latte Today, After you Vote Yes on Question 3 - November 4, 2008
[...] Greyhound racing is cruel and unnecessary. If question 3 passes this year, Massachusetts would end all greyhound racing. The dogs who are bred for racing live in terrible conditions and oftentimes suffer painful injuries as a result of being forced to compete. There are plenty of reasons why we should end greyhound racing in Massachusetts, Steve Baer wrote a stellar article on the bill in the last issue of InCity Times. [...]
Get a Free Soy Latte Today, After you Vote Yes on Question 3 : Real Worcester - Worcester News and Blogs - November 8, 2008
[...] Greyhound racing is cruel and unnecessary. If question 3 passes this year, Massachusetts would end all greyhound racing. The dogs who are bred for racing live in terrible conditions and oftentimes suffer painful injuries as a result of being forced to compete. There are plenty of reasons why we should end greyhound racing in Massachusetts, Steve Baer wrote a stellar article on the bill in the last issue of InCity Times. [...]
Leave a Reply