Drugs, Filthy Conditions Found at Alabama Dog Track

Birmingham Race Course, c. 2012, photo by Ray Wong

According to government records we recently obtained, inspectors documented a myriad of problems at Birmingham Race Course in Alabama in 2013. These issues were documented repeatedly throughout the year. Meanwhile, it appears that virtually no disciplinary action was taken by regulators.

On December 4, inspectors at the track found four drugs along with needles and syringes in the Fine Line Racing Kennel. One of the drugs was an anabolic steroid called Testosterone Cypionate. While it's likely this drug is being used by prevent female greyhounds from coming into heat, it can also be used to enhance performance. According to Steroid.com:

"Testosterone Cypionate is a highly anabolic and androgenic hormone making it a great steroid to use if one is in pursuit of more size and strength."

Incredibly, greyhound trainer Eric Griffin was only fined $100 for possession of this anabolic steroid. This is nothing more than a slap on the wrist, and raises serious doubts about the effectiveness of the Birmingham Racing Commission.

On the same day, inspectors found that the Phat Kat Kennel "had a strong odor" and that multiple dogs in the kennel had "flea dirt" and "live fleas." The official inspection report further states that there has been a "persistent flea infestation in this kennel." As far as we can tell, no disciplinary action was taken.

Months earlier, in September, similar problems were documented at Birmingham Race Course. In the Phat Kat kennel, inspectors found that the food preparation area was "cluttered and dirty" and the refrigerator was "filthy." Inspectors also noted that the kennel compound was in a general state of disrepair.

Going back further, on May 21 the story was the same. A syringe was discovered in the Phat Kat kennel at the track, broken cages were found in the Double G Kennel, and officials were unable to conduct any inspection at all for two kennels.

Alabama is the only state in the country that does not have a state regulatory body to govern greyhound racing, and it shows. Local agencies like the Birmingham Racing Commission are not up to the job of addressing even basic issues, like drug cases and filthy conditions. In the next legislative session the state should create an Alabama Racing Commission, and send a message that it will not tolerate this cruelty.

Florida Greyhound Breeders Tell Lawmakers a Tall Tale

Seamus lives with a loving family in New York

In January, the Florida Greyhound Association distributed a press release which claimed that gambling on dog races is actually increasing. The missive was based on data from a single month, and titled:

"Florida's Greyhound Racing Venues See Revenue, Attendance Rise"

According to the release, dog tracks in Florida are "experiencing steady growth" and are "on an upward trend." There is only one problem with these statements: they are completely false.

According to data from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, betting at Florida dog tracks for the first eight months of the Fiscal Year is actually down by $670,731. Further, several tracks are experiencing declines that are nothing short of catastrophic. Pari-mutuel gambling at Pensacola Greyhound Track, for example, is down by 35%. Similarly, wagering at Ebro Greyhound Park is down by 11%.

In its press release, the Florida Greyhound Association also singled out tracks that it claimed are doing particularly well. The lobbying group claimed that betting is up at Derby Lane and Tampa, because "both tracks have full time racing advocates in marketing and public relations." Once again, this is proven wrong by the facts. According to state data, greyhound gambling at Derby Lane and Tampa is down by 8.9% and 7.6%, respectively. It's also important to note that there is no live racing at Tampa, which essentially operates as an off track betting parlor.

Were these simple mistakes by the Florida Greyhound Association, or an attempt to intentionally mislead lawmakers? Nearly a month before it went out, greyhound breeders were warned that the data they based their press release on was "inflated a bit." This apparently did not deter them from making these false statements, just weeks before the start of the legislative session.

Finally, the decline of dog racing is not limited to Florida. According to data that was released today by the Macau government, gambling at the Canidrome dog track is down by a staggering 23% for the first quarter of 2014. Meanwhile, new data from a racetrack regulator in Alabama indicates that betting on dog races at Birmingham Race Course fell by 8.7% in 2013.

All over the world, greyhound racing is dying. This is good news, and brings us closer to the day when greyhound racing will inevitably end.

For the Greyhounds, Lawmakers Should Create Alabama State Racing Commission

Last week, the Birmingham News reported on a proposed bill that would give lawmakers a greater role in regulating greyhound racing. This measure is a step in the right direction, but doesn't go far enough.

Under current law the members of the Birmingham Racing Commission, which regulates racing at the Birmingham Race Course, can only be appointed at a special meeting called by the Mayor of Birmingham. In practice, this gives the Mayor almost exclusive authority in determining who serves on the Commission. According to an interview State Senator Jabo Waggoner gave to the Birmingham News, the Mayor has not called such a meeting in decades:

"We've not had a change in the board in 20 years because the mayor of Birmingham has not called a meeting."

Under Waggoner's bill, lawmakers could call appointment meetings for the Commission. This is a small but important change, and I am hopeful it will become law.

However, even if this bill does pass it will not resolve all of the problems with Alabama's racing regulatory structure. The current system is permanently broken and needs to be fixed. Here are the facts:

• Alabama is the only state that does not have a statewide racing commission to regulate dog racing.

• When regulators do hand down rulings, they are often inadequate. For example, in December 2009 a greyhound trainer received a paltry $50 fine after a dog tested positive for cocaine.

• The executive director of the Birmingham Racing Commission has repeatedly proven that he puts the interests of dog track owners and breeders ahead of the public interest. He tells greyhound breeders how to respond to legitimate criticism, has said working for dog track Milton McGregor owner was a "privilege," and called a Birmingham News report about a greyhound testing positive for cocaine an "8 month old pile of garbage."

There is a glaring lack of oversight and transparency today at Alabama's dog tracks. This failure is a direct threat to the health and welfare of greyhounds competing in the state. It also calls into question the integrity of wagers being placed at local racetracks.

For the greyhounds, Alabama lawmakers should pass Senator Waggoner's bill. Then, they should introduce and swiftly approve a new law that creates the Alabama State Racing Commission.

Greyhound News Treats to End the Week

There is nothing my adopted greyhound Zoe likes more than treats covered in peanut butter. On behalf of Zoe, here are a few greyhound news treats to end the week.

• The fantastic blog by GREY2K USA Vice President Jennifer Krebs, Living the Greyt Life, has been nominated for a DogTime Pettie Award in the category of Best Cause Related Blog. Jennifer's blog is one of the best greyhound sites on the internet, and I am hopeful she will take take home the prize. Please take a moment to vote for Living the Greyt Life today, and ask your friends to do the same. Voting ends on July 29, and it is my understanding that DogTime allows readers to vote daily.

• Thanks to the hard work of greyhound advocate Trudy Baker and her group, Greyt Exploitations, one of the most notorious greyhound breeders in the United Kingdom has been forced out of the industry. Bravo!
  

• The bribery trial of Alabama dog track owner Milton McGregor is about to enter its sixth week. If the allegations about McGregor are true, he should face a stiff penalty for his alleged corruption.

• In New Zealand, the Labour party called for millions in additional government subsidies for dog and horse racing. Hopefully other political parties, and ultimately the voters, will hold them accountable for this reckless proposal.

• An Australian dog track plans on handing out a "free pack of lollies" and other candy to patrons as part of a "family fun" promotion event. Free gambling vouchers will be handed out, and the track will have "plenty of activities organised to keep the children entertained" while their parents gamble. This misguided promotion underlines the profit-first perspective of the dog racing industry.
  

• If you haven't already, please check out the funniest greyhound blog I have come across, Ironicus Maximus. This site is also a good place to look if you are considering adopting a greyhound. Each week, Ironicus Maximus highlights a greyhound that needs a home, like Jetta.
  

Finally, two notable greyhound advocates lost dog companions this week. My heart goes out to Tom Grady and Nancy Wellar. Losing a dog companion is always hard, and there is never a good time for them to leave us.

Greyhound Protection Efforts Advance in Alabama, But More Work is Left to Do

Last week, greyhound protection efforts in Alabama took a big step forward when VictoryLand Greyhound Park announced that it is ending live greyhound racing on June 1.

The end of dog racing at the track, which has held races for more than a quarter of a century, is the result of a bizarre sequence of legislative intrigue, State Police raids, and federal indictments. In a few weeks, VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor will stand trial on charges that he allegedly conspired with others to buy and sell votes in an attempt to legalize slot machines. Ironically, the track had already installed thousands of slot machine-like devices it was using to prop up greyhound racing. Now the slot machines have been removed, McGregor faces federal charges, and greyhound racing is ending.

As important as this victory is, there is a tremendous amount of work left to do for greyhounds in Alabama. There are still two tracks left in the state, Mobile Greyhound Park and Birmingham Racecourse.

At these tracks, hundreds of greyhounds endure lives of confinement and suffer serious injuries. Also, in recent years several troubling cases involving drugs have been documented in the Alabama dog racing industry. For example:

• On October 20, 2009, a greyhound at Birmingham Racecourse tested positive for cocaine. As a result, the trainer responsible for the dog was suspended for 60 days by the Birmingham Racing Commission.

• A few weeks later, on December 23, 2009 another greyhound tested positive for cocaine, this time at Mobile Greyhound Park. The trainer responsible for the dog, Harold Williams, was subsequently fined $50 by the Mobile Racing Commission.

• In 2006, thirteen people were charged with felony counts of illegal gambling after they allegedly conspired to drug dogs and place illegal bets on them at Mobile Greyhound Park.
  

Greyhounds in Alabama are also subjected to a regulatory system that is broken and badly in need of reform. The $50 fine handed down by the Mobile Racing Commission in 2009 for a cocaine positive greyhound is outrageous. Further, the Mobile Racing Commission has refused to make greyhound injury reports available to the public. Unfortunately, these are only two examples of the lack of oversight that is frequently demonstrated by Alabama track regulators. In particular, Mobile Racing Commission executive director Kip Keefer has repeatedly proven that he views his job as representing dog track owners, rather than the general public.

A former dog track executive himself, Keefer has repeatedly dismissed any legitimate criticism of Alabama's dog tracks. When media reported on the Mobile cocaine positive in May 2010, Keefer told greyhound breeders in an on line forum that the news story was an "8 month old pile of garbage." In another message, he gave greyhound breeders specific directions on how they should respond to greyhound protection groups like GREY2K USA:

"Anytime this industry is attacked the response must be swift and non-defensive in nature."

In response to this message, greyhound breeder Wendy Brotherton told Kip that he was doing a "good job," and said that the greyhound racing industry needs "to get real 'cozy' with the media in areas in order to get them to contact us FIRST before publishing anything detrimental" to the racing industry.

Keefer also publicly defended track owner Milton McGregor as recently as October 2010, authoring a letter in the Birmingham News in which he wrote:

"I have had the privilege of working for and with Milton McGregor off and on over the past 20 years. I cannot think of anyone who possesses more honesty and integrity."

Thankfully, there is reason to hope that the future is bright for greyhounds at Birmingham and Mobile. In recent years, new allies have spoken up for these dogs.

Most notably, GREY2K USA Vice President Jennifer Krebs has become the most prominent voice for Alabama's greyhounds. A former adoption volunteer who rescued greyhounds from Birmingham, Jennifer has personally seen the cruel and inhumane treatment dogs are subjected to, and writes frequently about greyhound protection issues in Alabama on her blog, Living the Greyt Life.

The greyhounds are also fortunate to have allies like Joe Godfrey of the Alabama Citizens Action Program and Mindy Gilbert, State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. In fact, greyhound protection efforts in Alabama are picking up steam every day, with more opinion leaders, bloggers, and humane advocates joining the fight.

With allies like these, I am convinced that our best days in Alabama are ahead of us, and the closure of VictoryLand is just the beginning.