This
week, Take Action Thursday urges action to close down the
nation’s few remaining greyhound racing tracks.
State
Legislation
The vast majority of the country has banned the cruel
practice of greyhound racing. Greyhound racing treats dogs as dispensable
commodities who are used and abused in deplorable living conditions. Dogs are
typically kept at the track where they race, are confined in small stacked cages
for 20 or more hours a day, are fed substandard meat, and are abandoned or killed when
they don’t win races. Traditionally, unwanted greyhounds were often sold to be
further victimized as subjects of animal experimentation.
Following last week’s banning
of greyhound racing in Arizona, the practice remains active in only five states—Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Iowa and West Virginia. Recently, the citizens of Seminole County,
Florida joined together to place the Greyhound Protection
Act
on the ballot in November to urge the Board of County Commissioners to impose
stricter regulations at the Sanford Orlando Race Track.
Unfortunately, Florida hosts the vast majority of dog
racing tracks in the country, so while a county-specific ban is a good start,
the ban on the “sport” needs to be implemented statewide—in Florida, as well as
in the four other states that also have greyhound tracks in use.
If you live in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa or West Virginia, please
ask your state legislators to introduce legislation to put an end to this cruel
form of entertainment.
Alabama
TAKE ACTION »
Arkansas
TAKE ACTION »
Florida
TAKE ACTION »
Iowa
TAKE ACTION »
West Virginia
TAKE ACTION »
Legal
Trends
While most greyhound racing tracks have been shut down
in the United States, greyhound racing is being revived in Macau, China. The Macau
Canidrome is China’s only legal dog track and is known as the race track where
no dog gets out alive. In March, greyhounds from Ireland were illegally shipped
in crates to be delivered to Macau. Grey2K USA Worldwide has created a petition
demanding that the illegal export of Irish greyhounds be stopped. Thousands of
dogs are routinely injured at race tracks each year and greyhounds are often
dosed with illegal substances, including cocaine and anabolic steroids. Please sign
the petition urging Ireland’s Prime Minister to end
the illegal export of greyhounds to China.
Want to do more? Visit the NAVS Advocacy
Center to TAKE ACTION on behalf of animals in your state
and around the country.
For the latest
information regarding animals and the law, visit NAVS’ Animal
Law Resource Center. 
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