Friday Hound Blogging

We're coming to you today from the...wait a minute...what's that sound? Can you hear it? It sounds like...It sounds like...The fat lady singing.

Greyhound tracks, which say they have been losing money on racing and can make more from poker rooms, would be allowed to continue to offer gambling without having to stage live dog racing under a bill that passed Tuesday in the House. The measure (HB 1145), which passed the House 86-31, now goes to the Senate.

Whoa! 86 - 31! That's like almost three Set My Doggies Free to every Please Don't Make Us Get Jobs. That cannot be good. Someone must speak for the overlords. They must have an ally left somewhere. Oh, wait, we know, track owners. The people who provide the venues. The landlords, so to speak. They stand to lose big if greyhound exploitation racing ends. They must be speaking up.

Track owners pushed for the legislation. Many dog tracks now make most of their money off poker rooms and some actually lose money on dog racing.

Yes! The brotherhood of greyhound racing. It's like as  big family, it's...wait, what?

The House and Senate bills bring together an unlikely coalition – dog track operators who want to free themselves from the burdens of an increasingly unprofitable industry and animal rights organizations who believe dog racing is cruel.

Dog track operators and animal rights organizations? What kind of a family is that? It's like the mother in law moved in and now the overlords have to sleep in the garage.

Izzy Havenick, the vice president of Southwest Florida Enterprises, which owns the Bonita-based track, has said he would like to cut down the number of greyhound performances at his track. “We think it’s a good bill,” Havenick said. “We think it’s about time we’re allowed to determine what we do and how we run our business.

Um...did we say garage? Make that a tent out back by the garden shed. Well, on the bright side, at least they'll have more room than you did in your 2 1/2 by 3 foot crate huh, Charlein?

Charlien is quiet, shy, and skittish, but curious. She is affectionate with her foster family, but is a little tentative with new people. She follows her foster family around the house. She is starting to nuzzle her family. Charlien would do well in a working family home with well-mannered children, 10 and up. She is good with other dogs and would probably do best with another dog in the home or with someone who is home most of the time. She tends to be vocal when left alone, so she needs a single family home.  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.