Staff Reports
Supporters of the proposed constitutional ban on greyhound racing say they will hold 13 “grassroots meetings” across the state to officially launch the “Protect Dogs-Yes on 13” campaign.
The meetings, which start June 4, will be held in Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, Naples, Gainesville, Merritt Island, Vero Beach, Largo, Lakeland, and Palm Coast. Details will be forthcoming.
“This will be a true grassroots campaign,” said Joyce Carta, the campaign’s co-chair, in a statement.
“Dogs play an important role in our lives and deserve to be protected,” Carta added. “This November, Floridians will have the historic opportunity to help thousands of dogs by voting ‘Yes’ on Amendment 13.”
The state constitutional amendment, placed on the ballot by the 2017-18 Constitution Revision Commission, would outlaw the racing of dogs and wagering on such races. Amendments need at least 60 percent approval to be added to the state constitution.
The campaign already has enlisted the support of Republican political consultant and lobbyist Marc Reichelderfer to serve as a senior advisor.
It also hired the firm of Trippi Norton Rossmeissl, a Democratic-aligned team that worked on Doug Jones’ U.S. Senate victory in Alabama, the “first Democrat to win the U.S. Senate in Alabama in 25 years.”
62 comments
Lisa Grossman
May 29, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Do you have dates and times for these meetings? I’m interested in Jacksonville.
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 3:09 pm
“Dogs play an important role in our lives and deserve to be protected…”
And that is what Prop 13 is all about. The commodification and exploitation of innocent living creatures for profit. These poor dogs are brought into this world for the sole purpose of making their owners money, and when that can no longer do that they are discarded. The lucky ones are taken in by people who realize that a greyhound is more than just a means to and end, but as long as greyhound racing is allowed to exist there will be unlucky ones, whose fate, even if they survive the dangers of the track, will end in pain and suffering.
I am a Board member of GREY2K USA Worldwide, an organization that fights to save these marvelous creatures all over the globe. (you can learn more about us here: http://www.grey2kusa.org.) I have fostered and adopted rescued racing greyhounds since 1995. I cannot imagine abandoning any of them when they become injured, old or sick and yet this is routinely what happens to them at operating tracks and will continue to happen as long as racing is allowed to exist.
Fred Barton
Board Member
GREY2K USA Worldwide
Joe T
May 29, 2018 at 4:28 pm
Here is Fred is spewing Greed2k lies, they are not abandoned when they are old, injured or sick, they go to respected Adoption Groups across the USA and Canada, and you talk about them making money for their owners, what about the fraud group you belong to that makes money off gullible people with none of it going to actually help greyhounds and none of it is tax deductible, you steal pictures from others and photo shop them, use pictures from other countries to spread lies, Your group already lost one law suit because of defamation and hope more are to come your way, Pretty sad you are proud of being part of a scam group that has ties to a KNOWN TERRORIST GROUP, Fred your group and everyone involved is a crook and liars
Garth
May 29, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Boo!!!! You are wrong and misinformed as the greyhounds are well taken care of and retired to loving homes when their racing careers are over. They enjoy their life at the farms and kennels and are bred to race. They miss their life of racing and you all should look into saving dogs or animals that need help!
Jim
May 29, 2018 at 4:08 pm
Fred Barton the keyboard warrior and his group grey2k have donated a whopping $5000 to greyhound adoption groups around the county while taking in over $6 million dollars. You guys are definitely the savior lmao. What a scaml
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 5:07 pm
The issues are commodification and exploitation. Choosing to attack GREY2K and me merely underscores the fact that the industry has no response to those issues and has as its only strategy an attempt to kill the messenger.
Joe T
May 29, 2018 at 8:27 pm
Fred …check out all the legit adoption groups and you will see that we can back up that they go to groups thru out the USA and Canada, Grey2k has no facts to back up their claims and all you do is cut and paste the same BS every time you post, What is Cruel is when the founder of your group tries to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train and drags her dog with her, then tries to sue the transit company and LOSES big time. shows she is out for money only
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 9:35 pm
Do you really think the people who will vote in November care about your opinion of Grey2K or anyone associated with it? It’s about the commodification and exploitation of innocent living creatures for profit.
Joe T
May 29, 2018 at 11:27 pm
Fred, Why does a board member of your scam group Greed2K race whippets?
Sherry Mangold
May 29, 2018 at 4:40 pm
It’s time for those ,who let the greyhounds work for them, to get real jobs. You have lived off of the injuries and cramped cages greyhounds kept in your industry have endured for way too long. Floridians recognize greyhounds as sentient beings, not commodities, and their vote on November 6 will prove that. Reputable greyhound rescues worldwide are gearing up to find forever homes for Florida’s hounds.
Joe T
May 29, 2018 at 11:37 pm
sorry but they wont be going to rescue groups, They dont need rescuing, Do you think they will let a greyhound go to any old group that doesnt now a thing about greyhounds, That would be inhumane, they will go to NGA approved adoption groups that actually know about the breed
Craig Randle
May 31, 2018 at 6:23 pm
I’m so sick of seeing that overused AR mantra, “Get a real job.” Greyhound trainers work up to 18 hours a day caring for their dogs. Beginning at 6 am, and ending at 12 am, they have to do turnouts, grooming , exercising, feeding, clean kennels, care for racers at the track, and a long list of other daily duties. Sounds like a real job to me. I suggest, Sherry, that YOU get a real life!
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 5:08 pm
See my reply to Jim.
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 5:11 pm
“They enjoy their life at the farms and kennels AND ARE BRED TO RACE (emphasis mine).
And hence the exploitation. Thank you for helping me make my point.
By the way. You might want to consult industry talking points before posting. The phrase is “they love to run.” They are bred to race makes the exploitation all too obvious so the industry stays away from it.
Garth
May 29, 2018 at 8:17 pm
What the hell are you talking about Fred. I know about the greyhound industry and they are the best kept dogs in the country. Your organization is spreading lies and you are exploiting people to invest money that goes in your Grey2k leaders pockets.
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 9:32 pm
A greyhound dies at a Florida track every three days on average. Many more are injured. The industry has a history of documented abuse going back before Ursula O’Donnell and continuing after Ronnie Williams. If you think they are the best treated dogs in the country you haven’t been paying attention.
Joe T
May 29, 2018 at 11:33 pm
and Peta Kills 98% of the animals they take in the first 24 hrs, how many home pets die each day? more than 1 every 3 days, how many home pets are pulled in front of a train because their owner wants to commit suicide like your suicidal leader, and the deaths on the tracks include not only race deaths but cancer, sickness, and just plain old age, they count them in because they are at the track, you can twist the facts all you want to suit your agenda, still makes you a fraud
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 8:09 am
The facts aren’t being twisted and that’s why you are trying to change the subject to PETA, or anything else except the commodification and exploitation of innocent greyhounds for profit. Tht’s what the vote will be about in November.
Lori Bruce
May 30, 2018 at 6:32 am
Fred is trying to mislead you. That number includes dogs that die from natural causes. Greyhounds are probably safer running on the track than they are in backyards, at the dog park, etc. Greyhounds are some of the best kept dogs in America. They are raised with their littermates, loved and well-cared for at the track, and when their career is over, adopted out to loving homes. Please visit greyhoundchronicles.net to learn more.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 8:07 am
Lori is correct, but, know that there are more deaths due to track injuries than natural causes. Also know that there is such a large number of greyhounds looking for homes because the industry has abandoned those dogs. They call it giving them up to new homes, but really the industry is just moving nonprofitable inventory out to make room for new ones.
Lori Bruce
May 30, 2018 at 8:28 am
Fred, please provide evidence to back up your claim.
I am grateful to the people who breed, race, and care for these dogs. Because of them, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and adopt sweet, wonderful, healthy, quirky, loving dogs. I truly hope that this amendment does not pass. I hate to think that the future of this breed will be in the hands of puppy mills.
Renee Leslie
May 29, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Yes, Mr. Barton, let’s look at the issues – with TRUTHful facts without sensationalized, fear-mongering tactics. 1. Racing greyhounds are not “discarded.” They have a 95+% adoption rate, which is better than the majority of animal shelters in the country, with many racing owners and trainers taking them home to live on their own couches. 2. Yes, greyhounds ARE bred for racing, just like horses are bred for racing or jumping; cows are bred for better milk production; purebred dogs are bred to improve their breeds, and so forth. Great care is taken in ensuring that known genetic abnormalities are not passed on, so you will not find hip dysplasia and other such problems in the racing greyhound. If you are so concerned with their being “exploited” via breeding, then put your efforts towards puppy mills and backyard breeding of dogs. 3. Racing dogs is not exploitation. They are fulfilling their function – to run! Just as border collies herd; hunting dogs flush and retrieve; German shepherds and Dobermans guard; and a sundry of other working dogs who act in accordance with their “nature.” Yes, people wager on them, but your concern is for the dog and not people who gamble, right? 4. Their crates are very spacious – enough for 2 grown adults to get into. I couldn’t find a crate to purchase as large as they have. They have plenty of room to stand, lie down, turn around and stretch. I realize you call them “cages” as it suits your high emotion “pity” trigger with the public. 4. They are NOT kept in their crates for 23hrs/day as is often alluded to. They have a number of turn-outs per day in large open outdoor areas, often 1 to 1-1/2 hours per turn-out. Then there are training times, grooming times, vet checks and other things that happen in their day. And, in case you’ve forgotten, they ARE greyhounds and sleep upwards of 16-18 hrs. per day. 5. Let’s see…. oh, yes – their food. They eat much better than most pets who only get kibble or canned pet food. They get the same beef that is fed to the valuable carnivores at zoos. Yes, it is not for human consumption, because our human digestive system can’t handle what canine and other animals’ digestive system can. They have certain enzymes and bacterium that we do not, plain and simple! Their diet is also supplemented with vitamins, vegetables, kibble and even yogurt and cottage cheese. If you want an athlete to be in best form, you feed them well! 6. Injuries – yes, Mr. Barton, there are occasional injuries as in any sport. The racing community is required to report ALL injuries from a simple cut on a fence or wound from wagging a tail too much (“happy tail”), to a dislocated toe or a broken hock. Interesting that only 1% of all the thousands of greyhounds that race in a year are ever injured (remember, that ALL injuries). And interesting how your organization and others like it, make out every injury to be the absolute worst and how you lead people to believe that every injury results in the death the dog. 7. And while, we’re on topic of safety, how is that your organization failed to support the 3-Point Safety Act in the legislature (originated by the racing industry itself) which would have required racetracks to implement certain changes to keep greyhounds safer? 8. Greyhounds are not a “commodity.” They are living, breathing creatures that are well-cared for and loved by their owners, trainers and handlers. Do they make their living off of greyhound racing? Of course! Just as many make their livings off of horseback riding or carriages, horse racing, training dogs for obedience, service dogs, police dogs, etc., breeding show animals, raising farm animals (milk, eggs, beef, pork, chicken, turkey…. – and we don’t eat greyhound). 9. Low-dose testosterone to keep females from coming into season while racing are not “anabolic steroids” which you are fond of referring to them as. They are not dangerous (if they were, how could females after racing be bred?). 10. Oh, and this headline “12 Canines Tested Positive for Cocaine” sure did a lot for your cause, until it was discovered that the samples that were supposed to be greyhounds, weren’t even canine – they were human! We are still awaiting your retraction and apology.
The racing industry encourages and invites the general public to view for themselves how happy and well-cared for their greyhounds are. I have heard complaints that people in your group are not welcome at the tracks and kennels. Can you blame them? It doesn’t matter if they have nothing to hide (which they don’t), but they know you are not to be trusted. You can twist and turn anything you want for your own purposes. You’re not welcome in my home either, sir.
I realize, Mr. Barton, that I am not going to change your mind (nor will you change mine). However, people need to see that you and your NOT tax-exempt, NON-animal assistance organization has been and is using high-emotion, sensationalized, fear-mongering tactics by not explaining or revealing the full truth of your pick and choose “facts,” showing pitiful photographs from other countries and, in some instances, spreading outright lies, such as “You Bet They Die!” Scare tactics, Mr. Barton. You know it and I know it.
The sad part is, your organization well deserves the name calling it receives for it has stooped to underhanded and self-serving methods instead of actually caring about greyhounds. When you and groups like yours resort to calling people who actually and directly care for these wonderful hounds “exploiters, users, abusers” and other such derogatory descriptors, you should expect the same in return. I will not stoop to your level, Mr. Barton, but you shall never be a respected person in my eyes. After personally spending many years in the trenches of actual animal abuse and welfare, my regret for you is that I know you could help so many animals who are truly in need.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 10:46 am
TL:dr
Lori Bruce
May 30, 2018 at 1:25 pm
Well maybe you should make the effort to read it because Renee makes several excellent points.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 3:01 pm
Read them all before. Many times. Industry talking points.
steve grabarczyk
May 31, 2018 at 10:52 am
No you haven’t Fred because you misquote the Merck Manual, you ignore DVM’s that are way smarter than you(Dr. Fenwick, Dr. Gillete, Dr. Blythe, Dr. Tobin), NOT ONCE have you disputed ANY of their research, findings, letters with any kind of scientific rebuttal. Why? Because you can’t. You just spew the same stuff over and over again and hold yourself out as some kind of expert over the above mentioned esteemed DVM’s in the field. The only thing you are good at is spin and talking in circles and the only “Doctor” you are is a Spin Doctor. So instead of your normal BS response of getting banned from my sites because you couldn’t answer the above, or deflecting to the dogs as being in a holocaust as you have written in the past, instead of accusing people of illegal things when they have not happened, having your Lobby shill Tony Glover tamper with urine samples, why don’t you ACTUALLY answer the question I pose above? Any response less than what I have asked for here, just further proves you and the organization you represent are nothing more than charlatans and shills.
Standard Fred Barton Responses
“Read them all before. Many times. Industry talking points.”
“TL:dr”
“See my reply to”
Fred Barton
May 29, 2018 at 9:27 pm
See my earlier reply to Jim.
Margarita D
May 30, 2018 at 1:42 am
They’re gonna defend their business till the end because these dogs are their money makers. That’s all they’re to them, profit.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 8:13 am
Prop 13 came to the ballot because of the institutionalized cruelty that comes from the commodification and exploitation of innocent greyhounds for profit. Why do you refuse to speak to that issue?
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 9:11 am
Prop 13 came to the ballot because of ignorance of the constitutional commissioners. They don’t realize that it could cost the State of Florida between $250 – $500 million in reparations to the greyhound tracks, along with lost tax revenue, negatively affecting the lives of 50k residents and straining resources more in order to care for 8k greyhounds until they are adopted out. We all know that Grey2k lies and manipulates numbers in order to get donations where less than 1% goes towards the welfare of the dogs and is not tax deductible. Vote NO on 13!
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 9:37 am
I would be interested to see where your numbers came from. According to the industry publication America’s Card Room, the state makes about $3 million in revenue from racing. Hard to see why “$250 – $500 million in reparations ” would be needed. The figure I’ve seen the industry using for the number of people affected by ending racing is 5k, not 50k, and the number of dogs in Florida, according to the industry, is closer to 7000.
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 9:58 am
The reparation and number of dog figures have come from several sources. The livelihoods are based on 3k direct and 10k indirect multiplied by avg household size of 4 equals 52k. I don’t see Grey2k putting their money where their mouth is and helping the dogs, I see them paying salaries and lining politicians pockets.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 10:47 am
Would you be willing to identify those “several sources?”
Grey Athlete
May 30, 2018 at 8:30 am
Fred Barton is a killer who takes part in an activity which kills 1,000,000 animals each day. Driving a motor vehicle. His car, and every car, will kill on average 15 animals in its lifetime. But he’s worried about athletes that are taken care of extremely well and adopted after their careers. Fred will say he never runs over a creature, that if so it’s an “accident “. Of course that’s untrue, and an accident is something you cannot fathom happening. With prior knowledge, killing animals driving is a certainty. It’s no accident. These “animal rights” Nazis are not only delusional, they are complete hypocrites.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 10:44 am
Well, that’s certainly the most unusual response I’ve gotten in a good while, but I’ve learned never to underestimate the industry’s ability to attempt to change the subject.
Andy
May 30, 2018 at 8:45 am
The only exploitation going on is your scam group exploiting honest hard working people to scam people out of their money. Notice how Fat Freddie doesn”t address the comments about his suicidal lying leader. He says that and the documented evidence of fraud in Mass is ” irrelevant” , when what it is, is FRAUD. He says the non canine DNA drug test is ” only one “. Well, Fat Freddie, how many felonies does it take before it matters? Independent tests on the other drug tests would most likely have the same results. It was a set up, pure and simple. The guy in charge of the tests then, one TONY GLOVER, is now, guess what, the lawyer for grey2lies. Hopefully this all comes out in court, and civil and criminal penalties await these charlatans.
Joe T
May 30, 2018 at 11:42 am
Fred deflects and wont answer questions about Grey2k and their scam because it would hurt donations if he told the truth He thinks he is smart bu using big words when actually all he does is cut and paste the same response on other post, He is scripted by his lying suicidal owner Christine Dorchak
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 12:34 pm
I’ve mentioned before why it’s important for you to change the topic–mainly because there is no ethical or economic defense for greyhound racing, but sooner or later you’re going to have to address the institutionalized cruelty of your so called sport, or be called to task by the voters of Florida.
Andy
May 30, 2018 at 8:58 am
Fat Freddie is lying again, Prop 13 came on the ballot because certain tracks want to be casinos, and this is their back door way of doing it since they can’t force it through the legislature. Any voter who wishes to form his own opinion need only visit kennels and farms and watch greyhound chronicles to see the truth. Also google the dorchak train wreck lie, research Massachusetts where grey2k admitted fraud and lost a defamation lawsuit. Further research will reveal how Carey Steal tried to blackmail a candidate for Governor in W Va
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 9:19 am
The information is from state records and it has been reported in several Florida newspapers. Greyhounds already come from puppy mills only the industry calls them farms.
Lori Bruce
May 30, 2018 at 1:55 pm
Great care is taken in choosing greyhounds for breeding and in raising the puppies. These dogs are elite athletes. Puppy mills don’t care about the quality of dogs they are producing or making sure they get a good start in life. No comparison! And please provide links to this information you speak of.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 3:03 pm
You can find it yourself with a simple Google search. Places where dogs are simply commodities brought into the world for profit are puppy mills. You’re just talking about a different kind of profit.
Lori Bruce
May 31, 2018 at 7:22 am
Mr. Barton, you are the one throwing around accusations. I am simply asking you to back them up.
I guess by your definition, you consider anyone who breeds dogs to be running a puppy mill?
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 8:50 am
You would believe me anyway, so look it up and see for yourself. Like I said, a simple Google search. To the industry, greyhounds are commodities, like a car or a toaster. They are bred on farms to make money for their owners. Once they can no longer do that they are discarded. The lucky ones are picked up be people who see more in them than a paycheck.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 9:23 am
Andy! haven’t heard from you in a while. Still got that body fetish thing going on I see. You really ought to work on that. So think about this: Do you really think the people who will vote in November care about your opinion of me, or Grey2K? The issue is the commodification and exploitation of innocent greyhounds for profit and the institutionalized cruelty that come with it. Your attempts to change the subject aren’t addressing that core reality.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 9:26 am
You may have a point. I would imagine some tracks would like to be casinos because greyhound racing is a money loser. But like many things in life, it’s not that simple. The bulk of the testimonies before the CRC weren’t about making more money for track owners, it was about rescuing innocent greyhounds form the racing gulags they are trapped in all across the state.
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 9:32 am
There is no rescuing of innocent greyhounds because they aren’t in danger of being put down. More dogs are put down daily by the US Humane Society than greyhounds by the racing industry in several years. 95% of racing greyhounds are adopted out and the remaining 5% are either kept for breeding or as pets by their owners.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 10:42 am
Those are industry numbers and they are, to put it mildly, in dispute. Especially sine the industry refuses to allow dogs to go to adoption groups with an anti-racing stance thereby reducing the number of available placements significantly.
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Fred, the industry as you call it reports even the smallest injury to the state, weather it’s a small sprain or a broken leg. The horse racing industry is the same way. I feed college kids for a living and we report all employee injuries, even if it’s a paper cut. I also personally know for a fact that one greyhound track brought in a horse racing track guy to improve the track because of broken legs happening. After he left the broken legs were very significantly reduced.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 9:31 pm
I was talking about the 95% adoption rate.
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 11:23 am
Fred, being that Grey2k’s leaders have proven to be thieves and liars, numbers from the industry are more credible. My several sources stem from the arguements when the constitutional ban was brought up in November . Keep in mind I’m not employed by the industry nor do I live in Florida. I’m just calling it as I see it.
Fred Barton
May 30, 2018 at 12:32 pm
Well, apparently you can only see the half of it. Especially since our numbers come from official state documents, objective organizations like Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association and even industry sources like The Greyhound Review and Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound.
marianne carper
May 30, 2018 at 12:47 pm
fred, i’m just curious, have you ever been around working dogs?
Craig Laginess
May 30, 2018 at 9:38 pm
Fred, the 95% adoption rate is well known. Greyhoun adoption rate has increased EVERY year since the 1980s. I did a research paper on the topic 15 years ago as part of my masters classes at Wayne State University in Detroit. This research moved me from anti-racing to pro-racing.
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 8:46 am
Interesting. Where did you get your information? I ask because the National
Greyhound Association acknowledged that there are “no cumulative annual
records” available regarding the ultimate fate of racing greyhounds. Looks like you put one over on your professor.
That wouldn’t have happened if you’d gone to MSU. Just saying.
Craig Laginess
May 31, 2018 at 8:56 am
Actually I talked with kennels and tracks doing my research. Had I gone to MSU I still would have switched to pro-racing. Wayne State is a better business school. I visited a track and toured a kennel while doing my research. After working in the horse racing industry for a couple of years until the track closed, I talked frequently with people in the greyhound racing industry and the findings of my research from prior years was confirmed.
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 10:51 am
Then apparently you didn’t learn one of the fundamental elements of research and that is the the plural of anecdote is not data. You would have learned that at MSU.
steve grabarczyk
May 31, 2018 at 10:56 am
From the PAC site mentioned above
Lie#1 Are greyhounds used in racing drugged?
Yes. Over the past decade there have been 419 greyhound drug positives at Florida tracks, including 68 greyhound cocaine positives, and positive results for novocaine, lidocaine, industrial solvent DMSO, and opiates oxycodone and oxymorphone. Greyhound breeders claim cocaine positives are from environmental contamination, a ridiculous theory that has never been proven in a single case. The state agrees this scenario is unlikely: “The Division finds it is much more likely that a prohibited substance is provided to a racing animal purposely by the animal’s trainer.”
29. Dr. Cynthia Cole is a veterinarian and pharmacologist,
who acted as the director of the UF Lab from 2003 to 2006.
Dr. Cole testified that BZE and EME are “naturally occurring
substances,” in the strict sense that they are metabolites of
cocaine and would be naturally produced by any animal that has ingested cocaine.
30. Dr. Cole also conceded that levels of cocaine below
100 (ng/mL) would be very unlikely to have any effect on a
racing animal’s performance, and that such low levels could be the result of environmental contamination. Of the 24 positive tests cited against Petitioners, the highest concentration of a cocaine metabolite was 36.5 ng/mL. Even that appeared to be an outlier, as most of the concentrations were in the range of 10 to 15 ng/mL.
31. Dr. Thomas Tobin, a veterinarian, pharmacologist, and
toxicologist, testified that trace amounts of cocaine are
present virtually everywhere in North American human society.
Dr. Tobin stated that less than 50 ng/mL of urinary BZE is
indicative of nothing more than that the subject lives in North
America. Dr. Tobin testified that a very small concentration of
cocaine metabolites in the urine is likely attributable to
environmental contamination. Dr. Tobin stated that when the
concentration is below pharmacological significance, it should
not be called a positive. He noted that in human drug testing,
a sample is first screened at 150 ng/mL and then confirmed at
100 ng/mL, at which point it is reported as positive. Dr. Tobin
could think of no scientific reason why there should be a
regulatory reporting threshold for humans but not for racing
animals.
32. Cocaine is rapidly absorbed and metabolized, and may
enter a dog’s body through the mouth, the mucous membranes, or through the skin. Dr. Tobin opined that the very small concentrations of cocaine metabolites found in Petitioners’ greyhounds suggest exposure to the drug via touch, soon before the urine sample was taken. He found this significant because of the manner in which urine is collected from racing greyhounds in Florida.
33. Shortly before the first race begins for each 15-race
card, greyhound trainers customarily arrive at the track
detention facility with their greyhounds for weigh-in. The
trainers then leave their greyhounds in the care of track
personnel. Between weigh-in and the end of a greyhound’s race, the dog has no physical contact with its trainer, while it has extensive contact with track personnel.
34. After weigh-in, and approximately 30 minutes before
the first race begins, track personnel identified as “leadouts,”
take the greyhounds into a locked area called a “ginny
pit.” Track personnel supervise the dogs in this area; trainers
and owners are not allowed to be present. The urine sampling of a racing greyhound takes place just prior to the greyhound’s
scheduled race. Depending on when a greyhound is scheduled to race, its urine may be sampled several hours after its last contact with its trainer.
35. Veterinarian assistants employed by the Division catch
racing greyhounds’ urine during the sampling process. The
Division does not drug-test its veterinarian assistants.
Findings of FACT mean nothing to these people. To read the whole court FINDING of FACT by the judge, click this link. https://grey2kscam.com/wp/letters-of-experts/ruling3718.pdf
LIE#2
Are greyhounds used in racing given anabolic steroids?
Yes. Female greyhounds are routinely given an anabolic steroid to prevent a loss of race days. In 2017 legislative testimony, the Florida Greyhound Association estimated that 50% of female dogs are given this drug. This practice is outlawed in greyhound racing in Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, due to integrity and animal welfare concerns. Industry handbook Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound states that anabolic steroid use can result in serious harmful side effects including increased aggression and virilization. According to the Merck Veterinary Manual: “Longterm suppression of estrus by using androgens is not advised, because it is not documented to be safe in breeding … the safety and efficacy of injectable testosterone, as practiced commonly in racing Greyhounds, has not been supported by controlled studies and is not advised.”
AGAIN REAL SCIENCE means nothing, all they can do is MISQUOTE from a BOOK. Where are the real scientists evidence of their claims??????
And the letters to back up the above Why do they never dispute the two doctors research below?
http://www.grey2kscam.com/letters/Fenwick.pdf
http://www.grey2kscam.com/letters/gillette.pdf
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 12:48 pm
Awww, Stevie. Do we have to go through this again? OK (big sigh). You admit that greyhounds test positive for cocaine, then go into this long and convoluted explanation of why it could come from anyplace else. Well, if that’s true why don’t all greyhounds test positive for cocaine all the time? Google Occam’s razor, dude. The simplest explanation is that someone is giving them cocaine.
BTW. Typing fact in all caps doen’t make it a fact.
Craig Laginess
May 31, 2018 at 11:22 am
When the closest track is a 5 hour drive and working 50 hours/week while taking classes, and a month to get the paper done, time only allows for one visit. It was easier and just as effective to email and communicate with several phone calls. Grey2k doesn’t want to believe that 5he dogs are treated humanely. When I adopted my first greyhound from an anti-racing group, one of his trainers sent me pictures of him. Our other 7 greyhounds have been adopted from either pro-racing or neutral groups. We all know that your opinion isn’t going to change, since you have drank too much of the Grey2k koolaid.
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 11:47 am
I appreciate the challenges students face, but you chose to do the paper and that gave you an ethical responsibility to follow established research guidelines and practices to complete it. E-mailing people who have a vested interest in the issue and basing generalized conclusions on their response cannot lead to any inferences that take into account the entire industry. Like I said: you would have learned that at MSU.
Fred Barton
May 31, 2018 at 11:41 am
Stevie boy! I thought you’d given up on me man. OK. We’ve been through all this before, but if you insist…(big sigh). Note to people who have lives: TL:dr.
1. The 95% adoption rate is, to say the least a figure in dispute, especially when the National Greyhound Association acknowledged that there are “no cumulative annual
records” available regarding the ultimate fate of racing greyhounds. And the reason greyhounds need to be adopted is because the industry has discarded them for non-profitability.
2. The fact that greyhounds are “bred for racing” merely underscores the fact that they are being exploited from birth.
3. Racing dogs is exploitation because it takes advantage of greyhounds’ natural abilities and places them in an artificial and dangerous environment for the purpose of making a profit for their owners at their expense.
4. According to industry statements, greyhounds are kept confined in their cages for
20 to 23 hours per day. They are confined perpetually with two exceptions:
A few times per month, greyhounds are removed from their cages and taken to a
racetrack, where they compete. (Iowa Greyhound Association, “Greyhound Farming,”
Iowa Greyhound Association newsletter). A few times per day, greyhounds are
“turned out” in a large group and allowed to relieve themselves. These turn -outs account for a total cumulative period of one to four hours per day. (Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, Investigative Report for Case No. 2006029115).
5. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raw 4-D meat “may present a potential health hazard to the animals that consume it and to the people who handle it.” In 2017, one dog died and 72 fell ill at the Sanford Orlando Kennel Club in Florida from a suspected case of “bad meat.” Investigators found that the carpet of the greyhound who died was saturated in vomit and feces. In 2014, two dogs died and close to 100 fell ill at Daytona Beach Kennel Club, also due to “bad meat.”
6. The reporting of injuries is irreverent. At dog tracks world wide, greyhounds routinely suffer serious injuries. These include dogs that suffer broken legs, paralysis, head trauma, and death from cardiac arrest, all in pursuit of profit for their owners.
7. Grey2K is in the business of ending greyhound racing because no amount of regulation will change the inherent cruelty at its core.
8. Greyhounds are a commodity. They are brought into this world for the sole purpose of making money for their owners and discarded when they can no longer do that. And adoption is merely the industry making a virtue of necessity because the dogs wouldn’t need to be adopted if the industry hadn’t discarded them when they were no longer profitable.
9. According to Care of the Racing & Retired Greyhound, anabolic steroids can cause serious side effects. These include: Increased aggression which can result in fighting during trialing and racing; Increased weight due to water retention; Occasional loss of vigor; Virilization.
10. From 2016 to 2017, thirty greyhound cocaine positives were reported at two Florida racetracks. Since 2008, GREY2K USA has documented over 400 violations in six racing states and several former racing states, including drug positive tests for cocaine, ractopamine, anabolic steroid metandienone, and industrial solvent dimethyl sulfoxide.
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