Friday Hound Blogging

Frequent reader(s) of this blog know the ultimate ambition is born of desperation...erm...we mean know we are leeching our existence off the taxpayer here in our local educorproate training facility indoctrinating young minds with communist, socialist dogma, and maybe Muslim too, we haven't been keeping up with the news. We tell you this to demonstrate our interest in learning and as a background for how intrigued we were to come across overlord Rory Goree, who thinks he's a science teacher. Let's see how he does, shall we?

These days we have access to every conceivable bit of information thanks to the Internet. Websites, blogs, discussion boards, Twitter, Facebook. All fill our heads with...Exactly what do they fill our heads with, Facts, Personal hypothesis, or just made up stuff that you believe as you figure the writer knows from personal experience or interaction what they are talking about?

Oh man, he starts right out with a pop quiz. Pretty teacherly there Mr. Goree sir. OK, since we didn't study we'll use the theory that in multiple choice the longest answer is usually the correct one, we're going with "made up stuff," although  if that is the right answer and now that your little post is now part of "every conceivable bit of information" on the Internet, that means it's made up too, but it's a little early in the lesson to quibble.

When it comes to greyhound racing and the stance of those who seek to eliminate it from the face of the earth, I have found that the information put forth as "fact" is, more often than not, one person's view tossed into cyberspace from the confines of their hyperbolic computer room in the hopes it goes viral.

 Whoa, Hey did you see what he did there? Instead of saying those who seek to end racing, he said "those who seek to eliminate it from the face of the earth." A phrase obviously written in a "hyperbolic computer room." All good teachers teach by example. Yo, Mr. Goree? Do we get extra credit for figuring that out?

Now before you pooh-pooh my line of thought ask yourself...Would you not purchase an item if a stranger wrote a hate blog about it and you had never personally experienced the item?

Aw man, another quiz. This must be short answer essay. That means show your work. OK, so if it was a blog about some consumer good, like say a car, we might say, well that guy didn't like his car, but that doesn't necessarily mean all those cars are bad, so we'd probably still consider purchasing the item.

But if it was a blog about something that's morally reprehensible, ethically suspect and violates basic human tenets of decency and compassion to begin with, like say greyhound racing, then yeah, we'd probably stay away from that, but not because of the blog, just because, you know, souls.

Would you protest something just because a blog told you to and not bother to personally find out what exactly you were doing?

Dude! This is a trick question, right? If we do something, don't we know exactly what we are doing because we're like, the ones doing it and whatnot? This is one of those conundrum things isn't it?

Would you vote for something simply because someone told you to and not bother to learn was the ramifications were?

Depends. Are we republicans?

On June 27, 2011, a Grey2K board member wrote the following regarding Tucson Greyhound Park holding races when the temperature was 103 degrees:

"Take off your damn shoes and run around that track and tell me how hot is too hot."

This statement has bothered me for almost a year. Was this person putting forth a question to others based on something they themselves had already done? Did the writer know for a fact how hot was too hot on the track surface? Had the writer taken their shoes off at TGP? Well, last night I decided to do a bit of personal, first hand research for myself.

 Now, we realize the hallmark of good teaching is creating confusion then leading students to understanding, but we've read this passage several times and the only questions we can find being put forth are yours.

I went to Tucson Greyhound Park on Friday June 1, 2012. The temperature was 105 degrees at TGP when I began my experiment. There are witnesses to my experiment. And what was my experiment? I took off my "damn shoes" and walked the Tucson Greyhound Park track IN MY BARE FEET in the full sun when the temperature was 105 degrees.

 We should take a moment here to point out that the reason Mr. Goree wrote in my bare feet in all caps was to underline the fact that he was wearing his big boy shoes with the laces rather than the ones with the Velcro straps his mom usually makes him wear when he leaves the house. Also, he put them back on and tied them all by himself when he was done. On the right feet too, after a couple tries.

I apologize that I walked and did not run around the track but I am not a trained athlete in top physical shape and, unlike a greyhound, I cannot run a 550 yard track in 30-32 seconds. In any case it did take me approx. 15 minutes to walk the full track in MY BARE FEET and I found the "comfort level" on MY BARE FEET to feel much the same as when I would walk (or stand) along the beaches in California and Hawaii in MY BARE FEET.

EHEHEHHH!!! Oh, Mr. Goree, Bummer! So close!  But thanks for playing Pretend I Know What I'm Talking About. See, the thing about science is if you're going to replicate the greyhounds' experience you have to include all of the relevant aspects of that event, so when you were told to "Take off your damn shoes and run around that track..." well, that means run dude. Now, we understand you couldn't run 550 yards in 30 some seconds like the dogs, but you could have tried just running flat out  for the allotted time because...well maybe not, but the point is heat and exertion and stuff, that's what we're really talking about here, so the whole strolling around the track like you were at the beach thing...not helpful. See, it's sort of like doing an experiment where you are supposed to mix two chemicals, but you just mixed one.

But it's OK, as a consolation prize we've got some suggestions for your next experiment: How about sitting in a greyhound cage for up to 22 hours a day, or going on a diet of 4D meat? Or have someone haul you and one of your friends down the road crammed in the trunk of a car, you know, sort of like Petey.  It's for science, right Zapper?

Zapper is a friendly, calm, loving boy that loves attention. He is not too playful yet, but is starting to discover toys. He is very self-assured. He loves to go for walks and does very well on the leash. He does well with cats and large dogs but has not had any exposure to small dogs. He loves everyone he meets. He would be fine in a home with children of any age. He would do well with other dogs or as an only dog. As he does well with cats, he would probably also be fine with small 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.