Thousands of Florida greyhounds will soon need homes
Before Floridians voted last week to end greyhound racing by 2021, Maryann Tolliver would field maybe three inquiries a week from people looking to adopt a retired dog from St. Petersburg’s Derby Lane.
But in less than a week since voters gave the already diminishing sport its fatal blow in Florida, Tolliver said she has heard from more than two dozen applicants who expected immediate fallout.
Despite the looming deadline and response by willing adopters, there has not been a rush to place racing greyhounds out of the marked industry just yet.
“We’re not in a panic; we are not going to change the way we do adoptions,” said Tolliver, president of the Greyhound Pets of America/Tampa Bay, the adoption arm of Derby Lane. “We’re not just going to be handing dogs out.”
Derby Lane, like many of the 11 tracks in the state, will continue racing until its deadline in 26 months. In the meantime, a nationwide coalition of 100 adoption groups, foster volunteers and transport drivers have united to help absorb the thousands of canines that will trickle off Florida’s tracks.
“I’m very confident the adoption community won’t just let any greyhound be left behind,” John Parker, a lawyer in Atlanta and vice president of the coalition, said. “We don’t want them going into general animal shelters; we don’t want them with groups with no experience with greyhounds. They are a specific breed and need a specific kind of home.”
Throughout the debate over Amendment 13, which passed with 69 percent of the vote, racing advocates warned the ban would trigger a flood of dogs in need of homes.
The Florida Greyhound Association estimates there are 8,000 racing dogs in Florida and 7,000 puppies at breeding farms. Because the state does not track the number of greyhounds, there are no independent estimates.