Friday Hound Blogging

We're coming to you today from the Department of Journalistic Ethics here in the marbled halls of IM Central. The DOJE is a division of the International School of Parrot Reporting, a wholly owned subsidy of We Report? You Decide. Corporation.

It seems that in the blizzard of information blanketing the nation concerning the giant sucking sound you hear that is the torrent of money falling in to the black hole of greyhound racing as it slowly collapses in on itself, one local news outlet has managed to remain blissfully unaware of the last, oh say 25 years:

Taxes on Greyhound racing in Florida put about 24 million in the state treasury each year. Some are pushing to end the sport, and thousands of jobs and millions of dollars are at stake.  Of course that 24 mil is down from $76 million in 1990, and actually it's not $24 million anyway as last year only about $1.5 million was collected, but you know, one number is as good as another when you're just filling air time.

Using reports to the state would show 70 dogs died last year, animal activists are pushing lawmakers to end dog racing, and by "animal activists" we mean anyone who thinks dogs dying in a futile quest to suck a few more bucks out of a dead industry is a bad thing.

Breeder Gene Gurley, who has been a Greyhound breeder since 1961, counters that it doesn't make sense for him to mistreat his dogs. When asked to comment specifically on the issue of dogs dying, Gurley glanced down his page of talking points and said, "How about 'all dogs get adopted.' You like that one?"

And Jack Cory, who represents the breeders in front of Florida legislators, says the 70 dogs who died make up less than one percent of all the dogs that raced in Florida. He blames tracks for the majority of deaths and injuries. "We're the real victims here," Cory said. If those tracks didn't make us race our dogs on their unsafe surfaces we could keep the animal rights wackos off our backs."

Now see there Schroeder? Don't you feel bad because you ran on all those unsafe tracks and made nice Mr. Cory get yelled at?

Schroeder is 2 1/2 years old. He is good with cats and 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 and here.