In the Tampa Bay Times, Kate McFall, Florida state director of the Humane Society, pens an op-ed advocating for the abolition of greyhound racing in the Sunshine State:
With 12 of the 18 dog tracks nationwide in our state, Florida has the most dog racing operations in the United States, thanks to our state government’s actions to prop up the industry. Greyhound racing is illegal in 40 states. It is now time to add Florida to the list.
But why?
On average, a racing greyhound dies in Florida every three days. Many more are injured. Even if dogs don’t end up injured or dead, their lives are ones of abject misery. They are fed meat that comes from diseased and dying cows (a substandard beef grade known as 4-D) and confined 20 to 23 hours a day in cages too small for them to stand up normally. Since 2008, state investigators have documented at least eight cases of cruelty and severe neglect at Florida dog tracks and associated track kennels, including a 2010 case where state investigators found 37 dead greyhounds at a kennel compound and another five severely emaciated live dogs.
This is terrible, why has greyhound racing been allowed to continue for decades?
The dogs racing in Florida pay the price for a long-ago political deal that makes no sense in today’s economy. The government forces businesses to conduct one activity so they can offer another. Because of this antiquated mandate, tracks keep money-losing greyhound racing around so they can offer more popular and lucrative games like slots and poker. While patrons crowd inside playing slots or cards, the dogs run around a track in front of largely empty stands. Legislative attempts to separate dog racing from other forms of gambling have been unsuccessful.
The Florida Constitution Revision Commission meets every 20 years to review and recommend changes to the state constitution. The commission meets soon to decide which changes will appear on the November 2018 ballot. A permanent ban on greyhound racing should be one of those changes.