Friday Hound Blogging

Hey, green shoots and stuff huh? Looks like the economy is improving a little if you can say going from apocalyptic ruin to bleak depression is an improvement. No wonder the Mittbot doesn't care about the poors...Happy days are here again.

Well, a rising tide floats all boats right? So even the overlords must be feeling hope growing like the brightening pink glow of the sun, heralding a new day. Or maybe what they're feeling is their feet getting wet, because their boat? A little leaky if you take our point.

No matter. The economy, like we said. Soon the rubes will be flocking back to the tracks and the long awaited renaissance of greyhound racing will have arrived. Then we'll be plugging those holes with dollar bills, right boys? But we have to get ready. We have to be prepared for the crowds that are about to be unleashed on us. Get it? Unleashed? See we're talking about dogs here, so leashes? Never mind. What's up Volusia county?

The Volusia County Council decided to hold off on deciding if they want a referendum on the question of slot machines in county pari-mutuels, places where betting is allowed.

Slots? OK, well yeah, slots are a thing, but we're interested in what is going to happen to the greyhound racing tracks. What's first on the agenda? Expand the parking lot? Build a bigger clubhouse?

Those in the greyhound business, like Todd Byers, says if tracks get slots then they could be out of a job. Byers heads the Daytona Beach Greyhound Association.

Or add more races. We forgot about add more races because...wait. Out of a job? How you figure that?

Daniel Francati, the general manager with the Daytona Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room said his company has no plans to end live greyhound racing at its track. Yet Byers thinks if slots are introduced, the track owners will have no other financial incentive to keep live racing.

  No financial incentive? What the heck does that mean? We're talking greyhound racing here man, greyhound racing! Greyhound racing is recognized as one of the nation's largest spectator sports by the The American Greyhound Track Operators Association. You need to get your head on straight. No financial incentive, what a load.

There's no question most of Florida's dog tracks are losing money on their greyhound races.It could be a lot worse for the tracks if not for the 4.7 million dollars in subsidies they get every year from Tallahassee.

 Oh, no way. No freakin' way. The greyhound industry pays its own way, man. Just ask them. There's got to be some kind of problem with the way the system operates in Florida, some glitch or bureaucratic mess up. There's profits out there, we just know it. Oh, we've got it, let's go look at another state. A state where the system is operating efficiently. How about Arizona?

Arizona is one step closer to ending greyhound racing. Last week saw the passage of House Bill 2536,which will significantly reduce the number of days that live greyhound racing is required for a track to also operate simulcast betting.

There. See what happens when you have cooperation between the industry and government. You get mutually beneficial...wait, what? In the Senate you say? Oh. Uh...well. Hey, how about Iowa? In Iowa the gambling industry tried to bribe the state to end greyhound racing, but the heroes in the legislature resisted them, realizing what a good deal they had going for the citizens of the Hawkeye state by having greyhound racing. Now there's a system that's got to be operating on all cylinders.

A renewed $70 million battle to allow casinos to end greyhound racing moved ahead Wednesday in the Iowa Senate.

Dang. OK Pat we give up. You got anything?

Pat C Heya is a very happy, affectionate little girl. She loves to go for walks and play with her stuffies. She is your typical “couch potato.” She does well in her crate. She is friendly with strangers. Pat C Heya would do well as an only dog or with others. She would do well in a single-family home or a family. She has not had any exposure to children. 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.