Back last fall I helped gather signatures for the first stage of passing a bill in MA called the Dog Protection Act. The main focus of the bill is to end Greyhound Racing in MA. It also has tidbits in there to make stiffer fines and consequences for fighting dogs and higher protection for police and service dogs.
Well we got enough signatures to pass the first step. Now we are getting ready for the next step in which we have to collect 10,000 new signatures during a 5 week period. But I have an issue.
Since collecting the first round of signatures I have met some AMAZING track kennel owners. They are great people who care deeply for the Greyhounds who are in their kennels. So if this bill is to pass into the final stage (which would be getting it on the voting ballot) that would mean that these fantastic people could be out of a job.
In my opinion it is not abusive to race Greyhounds. THEY LOVE IT! I cannot pass a track with Wally in the car without him getting all crazy excited. They love to run, they were bred and raised to run. Wally came from a very caring kennel who has actually sent me an email saying that he was their favorite dog ever.
What is abusive is the way that some kennels treat their Greys. Some are kept at an absurdly low racing weight and are absolute skin and bones. Others are beaten, though this isn't exactly common because an abused Greyhound will not race, so they do have to keep them some sort of happy. And my biggest problem is the ease in which the owners (not the kennel owners, but the dogs' owners) will put them down when their racing career ends.
And I also support the other parts of the bill which do not involve Greyhounds.
So now I'm torn. I have no clue what to do and I'm getting badgered by Grey2K to sign up to petition again soon. All I can think of is this one kennel owner I met who cried when his favorite dog (who was in AMAZING shape . . . as all of his kennel dogs were) was adopted to a home after retirement. I don't want to put this man out of a job. Dogs are his life. If I am ever to get a Greyhound again I want it to be from his kennel specifically. What if this bill passes? What if he is out of business and cannot feed his family anymore?
Guilt guilt guilt.
I just don't know what to do.
Okay, rant over.