Friday Hound Blogging

But first, a word from the George Orwell Memorial Don't Look Over There, Just Listen Photo Of The Day:


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We've written several times about the...how to say this politely...lack of revenue generated by the greyhound racing industry. Now, granted that can make for shortened nerves and heightened stress, but this seems a bit extreme.

Chris Condon, general manager of the Townsville Greyhound Track allegedly grabbed and held Lawrence Hogg during an argument over a disputed $2 annual club membership fee. Mr. Hogg said he had refused to pay a $2 charge to go into the show grounds just to deliver some papers to a dog owner. "Look, two bucks may not seem like much," Condon said, "But it's thirty percent of my daily take. I gotta eat you know. Oh, and the dogs. Gotta feed the dogs too."

Two dollars a year?

Oh, but it gets better. Apparently, Mr. Hogg is not one to take a slight. When Condon's attorney asked him if he'd tried to get an acquaintance to "fix up" Condon he denied it. Then they went to the tape:

In it, two male voices have a conversation, including a reference to getting Mr. Condon 'fixed up' and one man saying 'We want him gone ... we've been there since 1977/78 and never had any trouble until Chris took over the stand'.

My my. What has happened to good old family exploitation...er...we mean entertainment? It's truly a shame when a sport as well regarded and cleanly run as greyhound racing has to suffer because of the actions of a few bad apples.

Well, at least this week's hound got out before the riff raff took over. Meet MJ's Poison Ivy:

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Ivy is a very sweet girl. She loves people so much she would gladly shower you with doggie kisses. If you need a shadow to follow you around she would be the dog to do it. She shows her affection in many ways but loves to be near the human family members with her tail wagging. She is a very happy girl who likes to play but does like her quiet time also. Since she is just 2 years old she displays some puppy like traits. She would benefit from obedience classes. She would need a family who is willing to work with her and monitor her because she can get into things and on top of counters. Until she is adopted her foster family is working with her on these issues. Ivy loves to go for walks to explore her neighborhood but also likes to lounge in the house. She is happy to be with her family so a perfect home would be someone who is looking for a companion to spend time with. For more information about this dog, and other rescued racing greyhounds looking for homes, go here. If you don't know about the plight of racing greyhounds go here.