a coworker of mine is circulating a petition on a proposal for a new law which would, among other things, ban greyhound racing in Massachusetts
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I don't have any evidence of whether or not track dogs get abused/neglected, but I am inclined to believe that they do simply because dog racing is very much about profit, and squeezing the most profit out of your dogs means giving them as little as possible and then killing them when they don't perform adequately.
The fact that the dogs are euthanized after a brief racing career is enough to turn me against dog racing. Even if they aren't euthanized, they're dumped into the rescue system, and I'm opposed to anything that worsens the problem of animals needing homes.
As you said, there are already laws to prevent animal abuse, but they're not well enforced. I'm inclined to believe that they never will be well enforced because that's the way the system works, sadly - government tends to protect businesses to a fault. So maybe the only way to stop the abuse is to ban dog racing altogether. If people can't be responsible enough to follow the rules, maybe they shouldn't have the privilege of racing dogs at all. It's bad enough when people break the rules just because they're not enforced. But when it's another creature's well-being at stake, their disregard of the rules is infuriating to me.
But when it's another creature's well-being at stake, their disregard of the rules is infuriating to me.
Really the personal liberty argument is the only one that was stuck in my head. But this - admittedly indirectly - clears that up. Gay marriage is a personal choice that affects only the two adults who consent to it. Abortion arguably affects another living person but the degree to which that is true is still up for debate (and there are at any rate complicated factors that make that issue far more complicated than this one).
But racing a dog has the potential to harm another creature who has no say in the matter, and it does seem that racers have had ample opportunities to show that they are willing and able to mitigate that potential, and have instead shown only a willingness to mitigate their exposure to negative public opinion.
I support people's liberty to bet on dogs if they are inclined to betting, but not if they have shown they cannot do so without harming the dogs.
The fact that the dogs are euthanized after a brief racing career is enough to turn me against dog racing. Even if they aren't euthanized, they're dumped into the rescue system, and I'm opposed to anything that worsens the problem of animals needing homes.
As you said, there are already laws to prevent animal abuse, but they're not well enforced. I'm inclined to believe that they never will be well enforced because that's the way the system works, sadly - government tends to protect businesses to a fault. So maybe the only way to stop the abuse is to ban dog racing altogether. If people can't be responsible enough to follow the rules, maybe they shouldn't have the privilege of racing dogs at all. It's bad enough when people break the rules just because they're not enforced. But when it's another creature's well-being at stake, their disregard of the rules is infuriating to me.
it were offered to me, I'd sign the petition.
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Really the personal liberty argument is the only one that was stuck in my head. But this - admittedly indirectly - clears that up. Gay marriage is a personal choice that affects only the two adults who consent to it. Abortion arguably affects another living person but the degree to which that is true is still up for debate (and there are at any rate complicated factors that make that issue far more complicated than this one).
But racing a dog has the potential to harm another creature who has no say in the matter, and it does seem that racers have had ample opportunities to show that they are willing and able to mitigate that potential, and have instead shown only a willingness to mitigate their exposure to negative public opinion.
I support people's liberty to bet on dogs if they are inclined to betting, but not if they have shown they cannot do so without harming the dogs.
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