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| Newsletter, Fall 2009 This is our first Newsletter on our new site, which somehow made me think about newsletters from the past. In 1988, they were cut and pasted, typed with an IBM Selectric typewriter. Copies were snuck on the office copier after hours; then hand collated, stapled and stamped. So, the production of our Newsletters has made lots of changes. They were sent only to our adopters and only made public by those who loved or hated us. November/December 1993 caught my eye: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here in central Indiana, our first snow of the season arrived on Halloween. So it is not out of line for those of us in this area to be somewhat concerned about the severity of the winter weather yet to come. However, my dismay about such an early snow was not shared by any of the greyhounds here, foster or permanent residents. THEY LOVED IT! One from Florida seem positive that the sky was falling for the first few minutes he was outside, but then he was bumped by one of the others and soon was ripping around the yard with no more worries about the weather … just impressing the girls with his speed! Greyhounds are so easy to entertain. This has been a very busy year [1993]. Because of the increased attention to some of the more recent industry travesties, we have responded to over 6000 phone and letter requests for information on our program and the standard practices of the greyhound racing industry. Additionally, we've handed out some 10,000 info packets at various public events. And as the year winds down, we suspect that we'll surpass our previous record for the number of dogs placed in homes for a 12 month period. Of course, all of this is done by volunteers willing to donate their time, energy and resources to help save a few more greyhounds from the dog racing industry's current retirement program. Death. Without the countless hours of Sharon Murphy, Diane Gamble, Nancy Wallace, Shirley Kuzmicz and JoAnna Turpin, the plight of the racing greyhound would not be known to nearly as many Americans. And as the saying goes, knowledge is power … and that is what gives each of us hope for change … change to a time when sweet greyhounds just like our own are no longer killed; day in and day out. Social change seldom comes in one swift swoop. Generally, it takes years, decades, even centuries to see real, socially accepted change. The death of the greyhound racing industry will be no different. Those of us who prefer a day when all greyhounds are pets rather than the tools of a trade, will find the process much more frustrating than either those who don't care or those within the business. There will be advances and there will be setbacks; but change and perhaps even the death of this industry is inevitable. 1993 has been a year of advances and setbacks. Three tracks have closed. Numerous others totter on the brink of failure. Attendance is down for most, as is the amount of money being wagered. Some tracks have attempted additional days of racing to lure in more money, while others have gone from year-round racing to 6 or 4 months. A new idea is to add other sorts of gambling to the dog track environment. This is to appeal to those who want to gamble, but not play the puppies. The Green Mountain Track in Powell, Vermont, opened in 1976. It closed early this year in controversy … cruelty to the greyhounds was a major issue. Fox Valley in Kaukauna, WI, opened in 1990; it closed in August ('93) due to a lack of interest, AKA attendance. But Waterloo Greyhound Park offers the most interesting story. It opened October 15, 1986. The record attendance was set April 15, 1987. It bottomed out sometime this past winter with fewer than 200 in attendance. According to various newspaper and wire stories, the track never closed a racing season in the black. And while I assume the National Cattle Congress, the owner of the facility (mortgagor) is large and wealthy, it does in fact want either a return on the investment or the investment returned. So after a semi-dramatic closing forever stunt the last day of May this year, and a summer of posturing and politics, Waterloo Greyhound Park will once again have live races for 13 weeks beginning December 26. Why? In order to bring in slot machines. The idea is that slot machines will compete with the Indian gambling that is currently the rage and doing so much damage to the Midwest dog tracks. The Cattle Congress wanted a full-blown casino, but was approved for slots and simulcasting. Ridiculous? Unbelievable? Perhaps. But definitely desperate. So, if you were offended or sickened or angered by the idea of these dogs running for their lives to make people money … don't spend too much time thinking about them running for their lives as a warm-up group for slot machines! For no longer is it enough to give up their lives for the sake of entertainment, now they must die to pave the way to mechanical gambling devices. I wonder how many dogs will die for each one-armed bandit? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That was November/December 1993. Newspapers, wire services, spies, the grapevine, the telephone, that was how information was gathered and passed along. Very few people had access to the internet or car phones. Wow, it was primitive. And TV was just beginning to discover the visual effects/impact that greyhound racing stories could provide. Today, Fall 2009, our ability to communite has in many ways surpassed our ability to think, and most certainly to behave. Three days of “balloon boy” is getting pretty dumb. Yet, greyhound racing remains in the news: Phoenix Greyhound Park to halt live racing December 19, 2009.
Live racing to end in Massachusetts December 31, 2009. Tuscon, AZ track caught using illegal anabolic steroids. Twin River Greyhound Park in Rhode Island files bankruptcy and may not reopen for 2010 season. In 1993, two tracks closed. Since then, 26 other tracks have closed, leaving 30 “operating” in the US and the one ghastly, gruesome Aqua Caliente, Mexico, where they go in but they don’t come out. This, I guess, brings us back to change. And while no one could have said it better than Epictetus in 200 A.D. “No great thing is created suddenly.” You gotta love that silly little ant with “High Hopes!” Sally Allen, President USA DOG, Inc. formerly known as Indiana REGAP |
Carmel, IN 46082