Friday Hound Blogging

Frequent reader(s) of this blog know the cosmos is not concerned with their dreams and aspirations...er...we mean know that a few months ago the Florida legislature gave the overlords a new lease on life by not acting on a bill to "decouple" greyhound racing from other forms of gambling and thus cut them adrift in a sea of gambling sharks while tying steaks to their ankles and smearing hamburger in their hair.

It would not have been pretty, but as we said, the legislature granted the overlords a reprieve. That was a while back so we thought we'd talk a little trip down to greyhound racing central and see what the overlords have made of their new lease on life. Have they unlocked the secret of getting people who have all their teeth out to the track? Can they really afford to throw those Wal-mart greeter school applications in the trash? Can they finally get someone who hasn't suffered a traumatic brain injury to believe them when they say they are concerned for the units...um...dogs' welfare? Inquiring minds what to know. Can you enlighten us Naples News reporter Steven Beardsley?

On a warm Memorial Day afternoon, the Naples-Fort Myers track in Bonita Springs said goodbye to its live racing season, hosting a final matinee for a modest crowd. The dogs would later be trucked to Miami, where they’ll race through the summer before returning in November.

Yes! Heartless Animal Exploitation lives! Um...we mean the season continues. OK, never mind that this shows there isn't enough interest in greyhound racing to keep all the tracks open throughout the year, so the industry has to engage in a sort of greyhound three card monty to keep afloat, but it's floating, man, it's floating. What other good news do you have Stevie?

Spectators flipped through $2 programs and placed bets. They avoided the sun, sipped on cheap drafts and abandoned worthless tickets to the ground. Starr Scuderi, 39, brought her 5-year-old daughter, Mae, for the family’s first visit since moving to the area in August. “I think we’ve lost every single thing we bet on,” Scuderi chuckled.

Booyah! More good news. The rubes is still losin' the rent money! Things are bad enough around the track already and if these bozos suddenly got smart enough to win a bet or two the overlords would all be walking home with a big bag of diddley and a pocket full of squat. Ah. Gotta love the rubes.

Norman Santini, 57, sat in the vacant second tier, his attention split between the track and a simulcast race from Palm Beach. A one-time regular, Santini said he now prefers Internet poker or blackjack at the Indian casino.

Look at that! Dudes losing on the race in front of him and losing more on the tee vee. Looks like you'll be able to get screens in the windows this year after all as soon as this guy...wait a minute. You say he'd rather play poker and blackjack with the Indians? OK we're thinking long term that's not a good thing.

When the track switched from year-round racing to a seasonal schedule in 2010, one kennel owner told me it was a welcome throwback to greyhound racing’s glory days, when dogs raced on a circuit. Fewer races would mean better-quality races, he said. Last Monday, it felt like another nail in the coffin of a slowly dying industry.

 Erm...nails..coffins...death. Suddenly this article isn't so cheerful and upbeat.

Racing is a shadow of what it once was. Revenues have fallen 54 percent in the past decade as bettors and gamblers turn to other alternatives, including the Internet and posh Native American casinos. Public support for dog racing is questionable, meanwhile. A recent Mason-Dixon poll found more Florida respondents viewed racing unfavorably (49 percent) than those who viewed it favorably (38 percent).

Aw man, there you go getting all fact based and stuff. You know the overlords hate it when you get all fact based.

Tracks see the writing on the wall. This past legislative session, they lobbied for a bill to decouple greyhound racing from the more lucrative card rooms and slot machines.

Jeez o peets, come on dude. Do you have to keep reminding the overlords about that? And telling them it's the track owners who want to dump them...well that's just mean right there, right  Seein' I?

She is curious but a little shy of new things. She is playful and likes to play with people. She will approach and puts her head in your lap and will rub her head on your legs for attention. She is a bit of a collector, and will pick up shoes, remote controls, eyeglasses, etc. but does not chew them. She has half of a tail that flaps up and down like a beaver when she gets excited.  Seein' I would do well in a working family home, with well mannered, older children, ages 8 and up. She is currently the only dog in the home and she is also good with other dogs. 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.