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Greyhound Protection Act— 100,000 more signatures needed by November 20
October 10—As of today, there are only six weeks left to gather signatures for the Greyhound Protection Act.
The good news is that we have received 20,000 signatures so far. Volunteers working together in all parts of the state have been doing well, including a great team in Berkshire County. Led by volunteer coordinator Tina Supple, this small but deeply dedicated group has already collected over 2,000 signatures! Go Berkshire County!
But the bad news is that we are only on track to collect a total of 85,000 signatures. A minimum of 120,000 are needed to qualify for the ballot. The greyhounds will not make it without more help.
So please take advantage of the nice weather and get out there every day from now until November 20. The greyhounds are depending on us all!
Petitioners are asked to mail in signed petitions each Monday in a flat, manila envelope to
The Committee to Protect Dogs PO Box 442176 Somerville, MA 02144
The Committee will automatically return to each sender an equivalent number of blank petitions, unless specified otherwise.
Report documents injuries, confinement
The Committee to Protect Dogs released a report September 5 outlining animal welfare problems at two commercial dog tracks in Massachusetts. The report documents specific animal welfare issues at these facilities.
• Since 2002, there have been 728 reported greyhound injuries at these tracks. Nearly 80% involved broken bones, and other reported injuries include dislocations, ruptures, lacerations, head trauma, instant death, cardiac arrest, paralysis and seizures.
• At Massachusetts racetracks, dogs live in small cages for 20 or more hours per day with barely enough room for them to stand up or turn around. Both tracks require a population of over 1,000 dogs in order to function as gambling businesses.
• In the Spring of 2005, 19 dogs at Wonderland Greyhound Park died from a mysterious illness that was later proven to be a form of horse flu that had never before jumped species.
• To reduce costs, dogs at these tracks are fed meat that has been deemed unfit for human consumption. Because this meat is fed to the dogs raw, it can cause dogs to be exposed to serious pathogens such as Salmonella.
• In late 2003 and early 2004, a dog tested positive for cocaine twice at Wonderland Greyhound Park.
• Efforts to protect greyhounds through the legislative and regulatory processes have not succeeded. Voters have no choice but to seek relief through the initiative process.
• Commercial dog racing is a dying industry in Massachusetts. Between 2002 and 2006, the total amount gambled at Wonderland Greyhound Park and Raynham Park declined by 57% and 35%, respectively.
All information in the report relates specifically to Wonderland and Raynham Park.