TER General Board

This makes me weep among many things
Huang-Po 4422 reads
posted

Please pass this info to anyone you know who might want to get involved:

The greyhound track in Plainfield, CT voted on April 26th that they would discontinue greyhound racing. Unfortunately - and heartbreakingly - they've also decided that rescuers have only two weeks to get the dogs out, and any dogs remaining at the track on May 14th will be euthanized.
This is a monumental task because there are at least 500 dogs currently at the track. These are all young, healthy dogs, 2-4 years of age, who would make great family pets.

We've committed to saving as many dogs as we possibly can in the next two weeks. We'll be working with an experienced greyhound rescuer who has been placing retired greyhounds for many years. She will be going to the track and bringing us dogs. As soon as we have more room, we'll do it again. We will repeat as many times as we can before May 14th. After May 14th, there will be no dogs left alive at the track. In order to save as many dogs as we can, we are going to try something we've never done before; sending as many as possible out into foster care by May 14th. Every time we send a dog into an adoptive home or a foster home, we can take another dog off the track. We will take the fostered dogs back into the Dakin Animal Shelter for adoption over the next few months as spaces open up for them - as long as they're off the track by May 14th, they'll be safe.

How can you help? Adopt a greyhound They're wonderful dogs - gentle, quiet, sweet, and graceful. The ones we'll be getting will be good companions with other dogs and with cats. Surprisingly, they're couch potatoes. They do need to be in a fenced area or leash walked; they aren't dogs to let run loose. For information on what it's like to take a greyhound home, visit www.greyhoundgang.com. To find out what greys we have available for adoption, call us at 413-548-9898 or visit our dog adoption page.

This is a tragedy of enormous proportions, and we've decided to throw everything we've got into doing as much as we can. It's easy to get overwhelmed thinking about the scope of the problem - and do nothing. If we instead work together as a community, we CAN make a difference. The Dakin Animal Shelter has always relied upon our community for our support, and we're counting on you now. With your help, we WILL make a difference.

Contact: The Dakin Animal Shelter Office Phone: 413-548-9898 Home Phone:
413-548-9898
Email: [email protected]

Check for updated info here

-- Modified on 5/10/2005 11:41:25 AM

The New York Times and Hartford Courant have recently done stories about this topic. None of the dogs will be killed and state officials are closely watching the situation. The dogs will be found homes or be raced at other tracks.

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