Solon Economou

Vote YES on Question 3!

I hesitated at first to write on Question 3, the proposal to ban dog racing in Massachusetts, because I wasn't sure if the objections to it were valid, or if they were generated by the nutjobs from PETA.  You know, those are the people who want to tear the hamburger out of your hand, spill fake blood on your leather coat, and turn our beloved pets loose into the wild, "where they belong."

They really ought to confer with my cat, Sheena, on that last one.  Dogs and cats have spent maybe fifty thousand years training us to domesticate and take care of them, and these nutjobs want to undo all that hard work and training.  They really need professional help.

But back to dog racing.  Proponents of Question 3 claim that racing dogs suffer inhumane conditions by being kept in small cages for up to 20 hours a day, barely large enough to stand up or move around.  Also that hundreds of dogs suffer serious injuries,  like broken bones, head injuries and paralysis.

Opponents to Question 3 seem to comprise the owners of Massachusetts' two race tracks, the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park and Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere.  No surprise there.

The tipping point came from e-mails I received from readers.  Race track owners claim a 100 percent adoption rate for "retired" dogs, but what kind of life have they led IF they make it to retirement?

One wrote, "I have one of those retired racers.  I adopted her two years ago from a local shelter.  She is one of those dogs who had the worst of track life and has hind quarters with the many scars to prove it.  Sure, greyhounds love to run, but they cannot say, nope, don't feel like racing today, leg hurts.  You know--it's run or else." 

Calling Michael Vick!

Also, "There are good handlers no doubt, but there are also the bad...those that had my dog.  I guess all I really need to do is look at the numerous scars and remember the re-training we did to get Zoey where she is today."

And more of the same. 

Don't confuse dog racing with horse racing.  Would owners or trainers treat a million-dollar race horse like that?  These are two different worlds, and, when it comes to dog racing, the animals are the losers and the victims.

It's time to shut down our dog racing tracks.  The owners and trainers have no one to blame but themselves.  Inhumane treatment of helpless animals is inexcusable and disgraceful and will continue if we don't stop it.

You have a chance to put an end to the suffering endured by these animals.  I urge you to vote YES on Question 3 on Tuesday!

Many wonderful dogs will thank you.  You may even get a chance to adopt one of them.