Acting on information received from GREY2K USA, the Sarasota Herald–Tribune reported this weekend on the electrocution of one dog and the fatal collapse of another dog in January and February of this year. Both deaths occurred at the Sarasota Kennel Club (SKC), which is not required to produce injury records to the public. Click here to read this weekend’s story.

Only through extraordinary efforts can information be obtained about what is happening to greyhounds in several racing states. The discovery of the electrocution in Florida came only after we received a confidential tip and then followed through with a demand for an investigation by the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. Without our intervention, this death would never have been revealed.

The Division confirmed the electrocution of Raiders Uncle Mo on February 9 and also the death of Se’s Yukon Joe by “electrocution, cardiac arrest, brain hemorrhage, etc” on January 17. Click here to read the state’s investigatory file on these greyhounds.

Through our research, we also discovered that three greyhounds broke their legs and were euthanized, all in one day at SKC. Learn more by reading our blog.

This cannot go on! Greater accountability can lead to better conditions for greyhounds and greater awareness that the cruelty of dog racing must end. While Arkansas, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia do report on greyhound injuries and deaths, the states of Alabama, Arizona and Florida do not. Florida in particular is of great concern given the large number of dogs actively racing, which is estimated at 8,000 per year.

Finally, when greyhound injury reporting becomes the law, greyhound adoptions skyrocket. In Massachusetts, the number of dogs euthanized declined by 88% after injury reporting was implemented in 2001. Similarly, in New Hampshire, greyhound adoption doubled within several years after the introduction of our greyhound injury reporting law to the state in 2004.

Please sign our petition to the senate presidents and house speakers of the three states where tracks are still hiding information about dog racing injuries.