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End run – Dog racing fans speak out

By Nick Blank
Posted 11/14/18

ORANGE PARK – Five minutes to post, the odds for the greyhounds numbered one through eight, are shown on a small screen. Bettors rush the counter placing last-second wagers. Others come prepared …

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End run – Dog racing fans speak out


Posted

ORANGE PARK – Five minutes to post, the odds for the greyhounds numbered one through eight, are shown on a small screen. Bettors rush the counter placing last-second wagers. Others come prepared with their top three and stick to it.

At bestbet Orange Park, days after Florida voters banned greyhound racing, more people watch from the interior lined wall to wall with TVs rather than trackside, so they can bet on other races across the state.

The first race of the evening features a photo finish by literally a snout. The dog in fifth position, TR’s Zander, assumes a large lead and claims the inside. Though a late charge by Super C McKenna from third position makes it interesting, it comes up short.

You can’t hear yourself over the shouting for the short race. A fair share of profanities follow.

Amendment 13, which was passed by Florida voters on Nov. 6, will end dog racing in 2020, barring a legal challenge. The topic is quick to come up in conversation among the group hovering around the TVs. James Layfield has been going to the track since the early-1990s and he said he comes three or four times a month.

Layfield disagreed with the amendment, which passed with 69 percent voting in favor of the ban. Pointing to bestbet staff and mentioning breeders and trainers, he said the dogs weren’t the only entity affected by the ban.

“It’s something that’s fun,” He said. “It’s what the dogs are trained to do.”

Jimmy Saltourides is with his father, Christos. They make the drive from Savannah, Ga. a few times a month. He lamented at the lack of gambling opportunities in Georgia and said bestbet Orange Park was the closest to him.

With the ban coming, he said he would prefer a casino in the space. Saltourides said the dogs’ best interest and health were probably never at the forefront of dog racing but going to the races was a family tradition.

“It’s something to do,” Saltourides said.

The amendment originated from a groundswell of bipartisan support over the past decade. Kate MacFall, state director for the Humane Society, who worked with numerous pro-Amendment 13 groups, said anti-dog racing advocates just wanted the state’s 12 tracks to release information about dogs and to prohibit owners from giving anabolic steroids to female dogs to prevent them going into heat. Both measures were defeated.

However, last year dog advocates recorded a victory, requiring a track in Seminole County to report its injuries. MacFall said there were 87 injuries, 64 broken bones and five deaths at the track since May 2017.

“That's just one track,” she said.

Mentioning an incident where a dog tested positive for cocaine last fall in Orange Park, MacFall said the dogs are confined to cramped kennels most of the day and a dog died every three days across the state.

“We’ve come a long way since 1931 [when greyhound racing was legalized],” MacFall said. “This is really out of sync with today’s’ values. We saw that in the result on Tuesday.”

When voters went to the polls, MacFall said they didn’t expect the margin of victory to be nearly 70 percent. In Clay County, 58.56 percent voted in favor of the ban and 41.44 percent voted against the ban, 53,206 votes to 37,652.

“It speaks volumes about Floridians and people who really care about the welfare of dogs and animals in general,” MacFall said.

Jack Cory is a lobbyist for the Florida Greyhound Association and was disappointed with last Tuesday’s results. He said there would be unintended economic and animal welfare consequences because of its passage. In a statement, he said the state Constitutional Review Commission should be abolished.

“We will now proceed to Legislative and if necessary Judicial, remedies to be sure our members are properly compensated for the taking of the value of their property,” Cory said.

Tracks must phase out racing by Dec. 31, 2020. Some dog racing advocates and greyhound adoption groups have raised concerns that the amendment was passed without a clear plan dealing with the thousands of greyhounds in the state that will be out of a job.

Most estimates have that number varying between 4,000 and 6,000 greyhounds that will need homes. MacFall said the two-year phase-out period was an adequate amount of time to find homes for the dogs.

“We all want the best thing for the dogs and see them get placed in loving homes,” MacFall said. “All the groups can agree on that.”