I don’t know anything about dog racing.  I do know that the fine folks at PETA and HSUS authored a bill (Amendment 13) that was passed in Florida to shut down Greyhound dog racing. 

I don’t know anything about dog racing.  But I do know a lot about horse racing and Thoroughbred after-care and adoptions and keeping a non-profit afloat, so I can’t imagine this issue is going to be a lot different.

I don’t know anything about dog racing.  But I do know that with the rise of casino gambling, the live racing events are not bringing in enough money to the venue for the management to support it or help it or regulate it or care about it. That’s up to the individual sanctioning organizations.  

I don’t know anything about dog racing after-care.  But I do know that the organizations who bring in a ton of money every year do not spend very much of it on the care and keeping of those animals.  Don’t get me wrong — they do great work and they do a lot in terms of legislation, education, grant funding, and awareness. But those things don’t feed animals. On the other hand, the small non-profits who do have boots on the ground to help feed, shelter, and care for these dogs (horses) subsist on pennies — and every penny goes directly to the animals.  These groups have lemonade stands and walk-a-thons and social media fundraisers to try to cover the cost of caring for ONE animal. And they fall short. Over and over and over again.

Here’s what I do know:  shutting down racing is going to hurt those animals.  It will cost a few hundred dollars per dog for basic veterinary care, plus the cost of sheltering/fostering, plus the cost of rehoming (triple that for a horse).  Tuesday’s vote had a multi-million dollar impact. Some shelters are not no-kill — that means dogs that are residents over a certain daily limit are euthanized. Dogs will be sold for “bait” in the dog-fighting industry.  Breeding stock will be neglected and abandoned. Well-meaning folks with hoarding tendencies will take on too many to care for and those dogs will die a slow death by starvation. Horses in these situations end up on a long, sad truck to slaughter.

I also know that while there are unscrupulous people working in racing who are not caring for their animals kindly or humanely, there are unscrupulous people standing next to me in line at the grocery store who are not caring for their children kindly. Or humanely.  People suck. There are rotten ones in every business. I can’t speak for the dog people, but I know the horses I see at the track eat better than my own horse, have access to vet care on the regular, and have owners who go without so their horses don’t have to. I know of big-time race syndicate owners who sleep in the barns when their maiden mares foal for the first time.  I know men who don’t go to the hospital when their children are born. Are animals injured at the track? They sure are. Elite athletes competing at an elite level will suffer injuries — just like they do in the NBA, the NFL, and the Olympics. Are the dogs competing in agility competitions spared from injury? I don’t think so — I know of a frisbee freestyle dog who broke its back jumping up to catch the disk and flipping over.  Are animals drugged to mask pain in the racing industry? Probably. Is it all of them? Nope. I know elite show horses who are given performance enhancing or anxiety suppression medication prior to competition, yet I don’t see cries of abuse or calls to shut them down. Do you know what fancy cat people are allowed (and encouraged) to give to their cats so that they behave at fancy cat shows? And while we’re at it, can we talk about those cruel humans who declaw their cats so that their pretty sofas don’t get ruined?  Or the people who have the vocal cords on their pet dogs cut to curb nuisance barking? Do you know that the Bureau of Land Management voted against humane sterilization of older herd females even though wild horses are currently starving to death?

This doesn’t mean I am a racing-apologist or disagree with the decision to vote it down. My concern is for the safe transition and rehoming of thousands of dogs.  I don’t want to see dogs abandoned at the track the way horses are when racing is shut down, and I don’t want to see healthy young dogs euthanized because there aren’t enough homes. The problems of racing in both the equine and canine industries are multi-faceted. As long as horses and dogs are bred for sport, sports for dogs and horses will continue.  Who decides which sports are humane or acceptable? Shutting down one industry without a plan and the resources to support it creates more hardship for the aftercare industry, and actually doesn’t stop the abuse — if dogs can’t race in Florida, they will find another place to continue even if they have to go overseas.

I don’t know anything about dog racing.  But I do know that those dogs are athletes, bred for a specific purpose, and they love it.  My own couch potato beagle will “hunt” every day in the backyard because it’s in her DNA. My retired racehorse never again has to run fast and to the left, but when a car is passing his pasture, he feels compelled to race it along the fenceline. They were bred for their intelligence and athleticism — if racing isn’t OK, that’s okay — but they need a job.  How do we decide what is ok? Horses are used in Police work — is walking on hard concrete harmful to their feet and joints?  Dogs are used in Police work — is sniffing all those drugs detrimental to their health?  What about the Amish who rely on horsepower for farming and transportation?  Service dogs save lives — but I know of one who never gets cookies and isn’t allowed on the bed.  Animals in research labs.  The circus.  The zoo.  Sanctuaries.  THE IDITAROD! The myth of bailing horses from the kill pen buyer actually saving a life (FYI, bailing a horse from a kill-pen buyer actually condemns 3 more to slaughter — he has found a way to get animal welfare activists to fund his slaughter business).  This is a discussion for another day. 

My vote is to regulate and celebrate these magnificent animals. Stop the abuses, support the after-care industry, and be part of the solution.  

If you’re searching for dog rescue charities, PetSmart Charities invests $45 million in more than 3,000 animal welfare groups across North America, including all 50 states and Canada. The nonprofit used 90 cents of every dollar to help pets.

If you want to help a retired racehorse transition safely from the track, Thoroughbred Charities of America is a charitable organization that provides grants to approved non-profit organizations that work toward improving the lives of Thoroughbred racehorses and the people who care for them. TCA offers the Thoroughbred industry and its supporters a way to give to one organization while helping many.  Over the past 28 years, TCA has provided over $23 million in grants to more than 200 Thoroughbred-related organizations.

PS: these opinions are all my own.  All the love, all the days.