Animal Group Releases Report Documenting Greyhound Injuries, Confinement, Other Concerns

BOSTON, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In anticipation of a debate over the proposed ballot question to phase out dog racing in the Bay State,
the Committee to Protect Dogs today released a report outlining animal
welfare problems at two commercial dog tracks in Massachusetts.

"This report documents our concerns with greyhound racing, which
includes the number of injuries and the almost constant confinement of
dogs," said Carter Luke, Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA)-Angell.

The report documents specific animal welfare issues at these
facilities, including:

-- Since 2002, there have been 728 reported greyhound injuries at these
tracks. Nearly 80% involved broken bones, and other reported injuries
include dislocations, ruptures, lacerations, head trauma, instant
death, cardiac arrest, paralysis and seizures.

-- At Massachusetts racetracks, dogs live in small cages for 20 or more
hours per day with barely enough room for them to stand up or turn
around. Both tracks require a population of over 1,000 dogs in order
to function as gambling businesses.

-- In the Spring of 2005, 19 dogs at Wonderland Greyhound Park died from
a mysterious illness that was later proven to be a form of horse flu
that had never before jumped species.

-- To reduce costs, dogs at these tracks are fed meat that has been
deemed unfit for human consumption. Because this meat is fed to the
dogs raw, it can cause dogs to be exposed to serious pathogens such
as Salmonella.

-- In late 2003 and early 2004, a dog tested positive for cocaine twice
at Wonderland Greyhound Park.

-- Efforts to protect greyhounds through the legislative and regulatory
processes have not succeeded. Voters have no choice but to seek
relief through the initiative process.

-- Commercial dog racing is a dying industry in Massachusetts. Between
2002 and 2006, the total amount gambled at Wonderland Greyhound Park
and Raynham Park declined by 57% and 35%, respectively.

All information contained in the report relates specifically to
Wonderland Greyhound Park and Raynham Park. In addition, all information is
recent, and based on state records, industry statements, and/or reports by
mainstream news organizations. All photographs were taken by the
Massachusetts dog tracks themselves.

The Committee to Protect Dogs is a state ballot question committee
dedicated to passing stronger dog protection laws in the Commonwealth.
Committee co-chairs include representatives of the MSPCA-Angell, The Humane
Society of the United States and greyhound protection group GREY2K USA. For
more information, visit http://www.ProtectDogs.org.

ELECTRONIC COPY OF REPORT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

See also this interesting blog post about the report and look for the petition to get the question on the 2008 ballot. As soon as we have a link to the petition or a way to distribute it, we'll do so. In the meantime, visit http://www.ProtectDogs.org to volunteer to gather signatures.