By Dr. Sue Nielsen
A planned peaceful protest brought together close to 30 local activists to raise awareness of the dark side of greyhound racing. Florida continues to be one of the last strong holds of dog racing due to archaic law that couples other forms of gambling with dog racing. Currently only 7 states in the United States still allow greyhound racing and we unfortunately have a track right here in Sarasota County. The sad truth: one dog dies every 3 days in the racing world, with often deadly accidents on the track.
The dogs are often kept in a case 22 hours a day without human contact. A national group, Grey2k has been working since 2001 to eliminate all greyhound racing and has had significant success. By working with local advocates the national organization is able to make an impact nationally and globally.
We continue to need local citizens to speak to their representatives to get this practice of racing dogs eliminated in our community. Protesting will raise awareness, but we need better laws to protect the animals, who do not have a voice themselves.
A special thanks to Farrel Hansen for mobilizing the Sarasota Animal Advocates (SAA).
Looking to get involved? SAA has scheduled another protest – this time to spread awareness about puppy mills. Join local advocates at PetLand, located at 5380 Fruitville Road in Sarasota, on November 29th from 10:30am-1:30pm. Come for ten minutes; Come for an hour. Just bring a sign, water and don’t forget your sunscreen! For more information, check out the event details here.