Simulcast Gambling on Dog Races is Dying

Gina is Happy That Greyhound Simulcasting is Dying

As the greyhound industry slowly dies, nineteen remaining tracks are being partially propped up by states that don't host races but allow gamblers to bet remotely on dog racing. As a result of this simulcast betting, states that have already outlawed greyhound racing, like Massachusetts, are unfortunately supporting animal cruelty.

Thankfully, greyhound simulcasting is withering. It is falling in virtually every state, with several experiencing catastrophic declines in just the past five years:

• In Massachusetts, greyhound simulcasting dropped by 32%, from $38.6 million to $26.2 million.

• In New Hampshire, greyhound simulcasting declined by a staggering 36%, from $21.4 million to $13.7 million.

• In Nevada, greyhound simulcasting fell by 19%, from $8.3 million to $6.7 million.

• In Oregon, greyhound simulcasting dropped by 23%, from $8 million to $6.2 million.

This is good news for greyhounds. It also refutes false claims that have been made recently by the industry. Just last month, National Greyhound Association Executive Secretary Gary Guccione told Kansas lawmakers that greyhound racing isn't dying at all because simulcasting is so successful. Obviously his claim is pure fantasy.

Even though greyhound simulcasting is dying, along with the rest of the dog race industry, it is still a problem that needs attention. These states shouldn't support greyhound cruelty, and it's time for them to get out of the dog racing business altogether.

NGA Tells Sheriff Not to File Charges, Instead Tries to Profit from Greyhound Neglect Case

A greyhound puppy at the Vonderstrasse
farm in Kansas, 2012

Last week the National Greyhound Association (NGA) announced it was revoking the membership of Shane Vonderstrasse, after an inspection at his Arkansas breeding facility found greyhounds "not receiving proper care and adequate shelter." The NGA is a lobby group that represents greyhound breeders.

In its statement, the NGA indicated that it was "accompanied by local law enforcement" agents during the inspection. It also quoted Executive Director Gary Guccione, who claimed this incident is proof the industry effectively polices itself:

"This was an unusual case that required NGA's immediate action and full attention ... NGA representatives and members responded to the situation swiftly and effectively." 

As usual, the NGA is only telling the public part of the story. The full truth is shocking, and proves that the NGA's top priority is protecting greyhound breeders, even those who have committed acts of serious animal neglect.

According to an official Incident Report from the Izard County Sheriff's Office, a large number of dogs were in distress when the Vonderstrasse inspection occurred. Citing a witness, the Report states:

"There was 141 dogs that were alive and 2 were deceased (sic) ... some of them had to be nursed back to health ... the dogs that were dead had died from lack of food and water. He said Mr. [redacted] only had financial ability and means to house 50 to 60 dogs."

NGA Executive Gary Guccione,
photo from Facebook, 2013

The report also indicates that Vonderstrasse had at least one previous incident involving animal welfare, and the NGA "had a problem with [name redacted] a short time back in Abilene concerning greyhound dogs and had to pick up a number of the dogs at that time." This previous incident has also been mentioned in recent industry discussions.

After the dogs were rescued, the Izard County Sheriff's Office asked the NGA if it wanted to press charges against Vonderstrasse:

"I asked [name redacted] if they wished for the state to press charges on [name redacted] for this incident. He told me I needed to talk with Gary Guccione [partially redacted] to see if they wished to press charges."

Incredibly, three days later the NGA responded by telling the Sheriff's Office not to charge Vonderstrasse with animal neglect:

"He stated that he did not wish to pursue charges because he believed they 'got all they were going to get' from [name redacted]. [name redacted] also said he would not be willing to come to Izard County to testify in Court."

As outrageous as that admission is, the next revelation in the Incident Report is even more troubling:

After being rescued, Lady Wire and her four young
puppies are being auctioned off on Friday

"He also stated he did not want people knowing that he was not willing to do so."

Unfortunately, this story has one more sad chapter. After being rescued, some of the Vonderstrasse dogs were given to adoption groups. But at least 23 dogs from the case are being auctioned off to the highest bidder by the NGA on Friday. The auction list includes a nine-year-old fawn greyhound named Gable Eris. Three years ago she was sold to Vonderstrasse for a mere $400, and after everything she has been through she deserves a break.

But there will be no retirement for Gable Eris if the NGA gets its way. She is on the auction block so the industry can make a few more dollars off of her sad life. She is joined by seven other female greyhounds to be used for breeding, including an eight-year-old red fawn greyhound named Lady Wire. Lady Wire is being auctioned off with four young puppies that are only a few weeks old. Her puppies were born nine days after Lady Wire was removed from the Vonderstrasse farm.

Enough is enough. The NGA should be seen for what it actually is: a lobby group that covers up for greyhound breeders, and prevents them from being held accountable for their actions. It puts out press releases, while at the same time actively enabling greyhound cruelty and neglect.

What Will Greyhound Race Promoters Say Next?

For years, greyhound breeders have personally attacked GREY2K USA and our supporters. These attacks are an intentional strategy designed to protect the cruelty of greyhound racing. One of the top supporters of the dog race industry, Rory Goree, admitted this last year when he wrote:

"Keep pressing grey2k - force them into defense mode - do not allow them to play offense. Make them spend time and resources defending themselves instead of attacking the industry."

Thankfully, this cynical strategy is having absolutely no impact. While greyhound breeders spend all of their time attacking us, dog racing continues to decline. Gambling on greyhound races has now dropped for nineteen consecutive years.

That is why, most of the time, we simply ignore this nonsense. Dog race promoters can attack us all they want, while we stay focused on the task at hand. I also suspect that greyhound breeders believe they can somehow intimidate us with these caveman tactics. But instead, these personal attacks only inspire us to work even harder for the dogs.

Once in awhile, though, it's worth taking a moment to diffuse some of the most egregious lies that dog race promoters spread about GREY2K USA and our work.  For example, in recent days greyhound breeders have been circulating a phony chart which claims that GREY2K USA's two founders receive as much as 42% of all expenditures in compensation.

There is, however, one problem with this claim. It is completely false.

To arrive at these phony figures, greyhound breeders magically invented hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenditures that don't exist. Specifically, they nearly doubled salaries for every year over a six-year period by including statements that were filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of State, Lobbyist Division. Because GREY2K USA fights for greyhound protection laws, we are required in some states to register as lobbyists. Some of these states also require that we report part of our salaries. These are not additional expenditures, they are the same expenditures that we publicly report every year. To arrive at their phony figures greyhound breeders pretended as if these were additional expenditures, which is simply a lie.

But their deception doesn't stop there. After creating these phony expenditure figures, they began to circulate them on the internet with sensational messages like:

"WOW! They are the ultimate greyhound profiteers!!!"

Of course it's deeply ironic that attacks like this, based on made-up phony numbers, would come from people who actually do profit from the suffering of greyhounds.

Here are the facts.

• GREY2K USA is effective because we employ a full-time staff of hard working, highly competent advocates who fight for the dogs.

• In 2011, 83% of all expenditures were used directly for programs including legislative advocacy, ballot initiatives, legal research and public education about the cruelty of dog racing.

• In 2011 our five employees all earned $41,580 or less, despite the fact that they have decades of advocacy experience and strong educational backgrounds, including an advanced degree and a law degree.

• GREY2K USA leadership earns a salary that is less than half the median salary for small non-profit Chief Executive Officers.

• In 2011 our opponents, the National Greyhound Association, spent $346,854 on salaries on benefits. That is more than double what GREY2K USA spent during the same period.

The bottom line is that we are an efficient, effective non-profit organization that is winning the fight over dog racing despite being heavily outspent.

These dog race promoters can make up all the phony numbers they want, and attack us until the greyhounds come home. It will have no effect on our campaigns, and will not save their cruel industry. These personal attacks should be seen for exactly what they are: the last gasps of a dying industry that doesn't realize its fate is already sealed.

Dog Track Pioneer: Golden Days of Greyhound Racing are Gone Forever

Raynham Park in Massachusetts is overgrown with weeds

It's not often that I agree with one of the pioneers of the commercial greyhound racing industry. That happens to be the case today, however. In the current edition of Greyhound Review magazine, industry Hall of Fame member Paul C. Hartwell acknowledges the collapse of the dog race industry in a column titled "Those old-time Crowds."

Hartwell, who has been involved with the greyhound racing industry since the 1930's, starts his column by pointing out that the crowds are gone, and regular dog track customers have vanished:

"For most of my racing life there was a hard-core of racetrack customers that were just as regular at the track as were the employees or dogmen. They showed up every night just as if they were on a payroll. Some were touts, some were gamblers, and for some it was just the right place to be. For whatever reason they were there, they never missed a night or a race and they knew as much about the overall racing operation as anyone that was working at the track. You just don't see that anymore."

Hartwell then quotes National Greyhound Association Secretary-Treasurer Gary Guccione, who says that because voters ended greyhound racing in Massachusetts, track patrons now have to return to their "assisted living facilities" to "stare at the TV." This is certainly not a vote of confidence in dog racing.

Finally, Hartwell ends his essay by stating that even though he believes commercial greyhound racing will survive in some form, its golden days are over:

"It looks like greyhound racing came along when the country needed it, but now the attitude of the public has changed and its attention is aimed elsewhere. For this reason, even though I believe that greyhound racing, in one form or another, will be around for many years to come, I don't think any amount of  high-powered advertising is going to bring back the golden years many of us were fortunate to have experienced."

I concur with Hartwell that the attitude of the public has changed, and the glory days of greyhound racing are gone forever. I would go a step further, however, and point out that commercial greyhound racing is not only a dying industry, it is a cultural dinosaur.

The dog race industry can no longer effectively compete with other forms of entertainment, and is out of touch with mainstream values on the humane treatment of animals. It is an antiquated relic from a previous generation, and will eventually end.

More Proof That the Greyhound Industry's Adoption Claims are a Myth

A few days ago, I wrote about the bogus adoption statistics being promoted by the National Greyhound Association. For years, the NGA has falsely claimed that the overwhelming majority of greyhounds are adopted, and that this number now reaches "nearly 95%."

Thankfully, the truth began to come out last month, when the Secretary-Treasurer of the National Greyhound Association responded to a question from an adoption advocate in Colorado, who wanted to know what statistics are available on the ultimate fate of racing dogs. In his answer, the NGA spokesperson admitted that they don't actually know what happens to greyhounds when their racing careers are over. Specifically, he wrote:

"No cumulative annual records are available that we're aware of on disposition, whelped, where they race, where they end up, etc."

Now, there is even more proof that the greyhound racing industry's adoption claims are completely made up. Shortly after my post went up, a greyhound adoption advocate named John Parker was asked a similar question on Facebook. Until recently, Parker was the national Vice President of Greyhound Pets of America (GPA), the largest adoption organization in the country. GPA is partly funded by the industry and does not speak out against greyhound racing. In other words, as the largest industry-funded group GPA is in a unique position to know whether these adoption claims are true or not.

When he was asked directly, here is what Parker said about adoption statistics:

"Unfortunately there is no central clearinghouse of statistics on the number of greyhounds adopted and euthanized."

Incredibly, he then acknowledged that the NGA's estimates are driven by their agenda:

"Any 'percentage adopted' or 'numbers put down' you see is just an estimate, often agenda-driven (even the NGA's)."

Finally, he ended by arguing that it is likely that the number of greyhounds being killed is declining, but there is ultimately no way of knowing for sure:

"My own sense of it is that the number of healthy, adoptable Greyhounds that are euthanized is in rapid decline, but I wouldn't venture a guess. Since putting down healthy greyhounds at the end of their professional careers is so widely discouraged and even condemned nowadays, it's no doubt a practice that's carried on in a very low-key if not secretive way."

Mr. Parker and I have fundamental disagreements about the merits of the greyhound racing industry. Nonetheless, on this point I agree with him. There are no actual statistics on the ultimate fate of racing dogs. The statistics being touted by greyhound breeders are completely made up, and are "agenda-driven." Further, while it is likely that the number of greyhounds being euthanized is declining, without real statistics there is no real way of knowing for sure.

The National Greyhound Association should never again be allowed to cite these bogus statistics without being challenged. They have already been allowed to tell this lie for far too long.

National Greyhound Association Admits They Don't Know What Happens to Dogs

Yesterday, the Wichita Eagle published a letter from Gary Guccione, one of the nation's most prominent supporters of dog racing.

Guccione, who is the Secretary-Treasurer of the National Greyhound Association (NGA), was responding to a pro-greyhound letter published days earlier by GREY2K USA Board Member Caryn Wood. The NGA is an organization that was formed decades ago to support the dog racing industry.

Guccione argued that "racing greyhounds are among the best-cared for animals in the world," and claimed that they know exactly how many greyhounds are adopted out each year. Specifically, he wrote:

"Almost 95 percent of all racing greyhounds are either adopted or returned to the farm when they retire."

This would be good news for greyhounds, if it were only true. There is only one problem: it isn't. In fact, just seven weeks ago the same Gary Guccione told a completely different story to a Colorado adoption advocate.

Specifically, Guccione was asked about what happens to greyhounds that are bred in Colorado. His message was forwarded to us when we were asked for the same information. When Guccione was put on the spot, here is what he wrote:

"No cumulative annual records are available that we're aware of on disposition, whelped, where they race, where they end up, etc."

Finally, we hear the truth. The National Greyhound Association has absolutely no idea how many greyhounds are adopted each year and how many are euthanized. Sadly, greyhounds are not being tracked by anyone and their ultimate fate is completely unknown.

The NGA's 95% adoption claim is a myth that dog racing supporters have been perpetuating for years, a false statement they have made over and over again in an attempt to defend this cruel industry. From this point forward, the NGA should be challenged every time they make statements on greyhound adoption. They are clearly not a reliable source.