Greyhounds need homes
would not race if they were unhealthy or neglected.
But as Florida is home to 11 of the nation’s 17 active dog tracks, there is a concern that the networks of people who find new owners for dogs at the end of their short racing careers will be overwhelmed.
“There is no way to know when the tracks will close or how many dogs are coming into the market, so we are sitting on pins and needles, but also quietly working to try to find new foster homes, calling vets about care packages, and looking for people willing to drive vans to Florida to pick the dogs up,” said Carol Becker, president of God’s Greyts, a greyhound adoption group in Orlando.
“We are trying to avoid a crisis if too many tracks close around the same time and there are not enough homes lined up,” she added.
Becker’s group opposed the amendment on the basis that the dogs were already well cared for.
“Contrary to what the public might think about dog racing, they are not abused,” she said. “I have been in these greyhound kennels, I have seen how they are living and how they are treated.”
A 2015 report from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Grey2K, a nonprofit that is working to end greyhound racing, found more than 11,000 greyhound injuries nationwide and more than 900 deaths between 2008 and 2015. Some dogs are found dead in their cages; others suffer serious injuries while racing or are electrocuted while chasing a mechanical rabbit around the track. In Florida, nearly 500 greyhounds have died since the state started tracking deaths in 2013.
As of October, Florida was home to about 3,700 greyhounds, according to the Humane Society of the United States and Grey2K USA. The number fluctuates depending on which seasonal tracks are open.
“This is a stake in the heart of dog racing nationwide,” said Christine Dorchak, a spokeswoman for Grey2K.
Not all of the dogs will be retired from racing.
“When the ban takes place, they’re not all going to be pets,’’ said Dennis Tyler, the co-chairman of the Greyhound Adoption Action Alliance, a group of 12 adoption agencies. “I’m assuming 1,500 to 2,000 will go to race somewhere else.” Tracks are still active in West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa and Texas in addition to Florida.
But for those that do become available, some Florida greyhound owners are already stepping up, at least to provide foster homes.
Seeking a companion after the death of his husband, Gene Majka adopted a greyhound that had raced in Iowa about three years ago. He fell in love with Hughey, whom he described as 70 pounds of quiet sweetness.
Majka — and Hughey — stood on street corners in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors holding signs in support of Amendment 13.
“I have been telling everyone what wonderful dogs they are,” said Majka, a retired nursing professor. “We have to do whatever we can to make sure these dogs find loving homes.”
For people outside Florida who are interested in adopting, Tyler suggested contacting local greyhound adoption groups. He has been preparing to contact every adoption group around the country to prepare for the “final push” at the end of 2020, he said.