Well, here's the thing: it's difficult for me to expect the average US citizen to understand greyhound racing, and to educate themselves fairly on this issue. Not so very long ago, there were a number of people in the racing world who refused to deal with the public or adoption groups. For some of them, it was just distrust of people outside the system. For others, it was because they had been burned too many times. There were tracks that opened their doors to people claiming to be interested in opening an adoption group, who actually took what they saw, twisted it, and posted anti-racing articles. Such events happened enough to cause a lot of bad blood, and it's taken a lot of people a great deal of time and effort to establish good relationships with tracks.
The end result of all of this is that greyhound racing folks have never put a lot of time or money into advertising that made it clear where they stood. Although there are a lot of outspoken people in the world, they're fighting an uphill battle, because the AR folks tug at people's heartstrings. You only have to mutter 'animal abuse' for people to listen. And there ARE examples of animal abuse in the racing world, but they're really not the majority.
What I'm trying to say (and not doing a good job of) is that the racing world is still very isolated, and there are a number of people in it who do not feel they need to justify themselves when they're doing nothing wrong. As a result, the AR ads and campaigners can really get a foothold and influence the public. I thought racing was cruel, too, until I started to meet greyhound people. It's a crying shame that you have to get so involved just to wade through the half-truths and outright lies.
So, here's my take: don't beat yourself up because you weren't well informed. It is difficult to get fair information on this issue, and how can you fact check when the statistics being thrown around are based on pure guesswork? You can't prove a negative, after all. Instead, if you regret your decision, keep an eye on the news about the tracks closing. If you hear about groups being inundated, I can point you to some wonderful greyhound agencies in your area who would appreciate a donation (no matter how small, every dollar counts). Or, just spread the word to people you know that these groups are going to need some help until 2010 when the tracks will close for good. The racing world has managed such this before but groups rely on your help to get by. :)
Some people take a neutral stance and just focus on the dogs. So if you can help get the word out that these dogs make wonderful companions that are suited to apartment life as well as larger households, that they're quiet, well socialised, and good with other dogs, then you'd be doing a world of good!
The end result of all of this is that greyhound racing folks have never put a lot of time or money into advertising that made it clear where they stood. Although there are a lot of outspoken people in the world, they're fighting an uphill battle, because the AR folks tug at people's heartstrings. You only have to mutter 'animal abuse' for people to listen. And there ARE examples of animal abuse in the racing world, but they're really not the majority.
What I'm trying to say (and not doing a good job of) is that the racing world is still very isolated, and there are a number of people in it who do not feel they need to justify themselves when they're doing nothing wrong. As a result, the AR ads and campaigners can really get a foothold and influence the public. I thought racing was cruel, too, until I started to meet greyhound people. It's a crying shame that you have to get so involved just to wade through the half-truths and outright lies.
So, here's my take: don't beat yourself up because you weren't well informed. It is difficult to get fair information on this issue, and how can you fact check when the statistics being thrown around are based on pure guesswork? You can't prove a negative, after all. Instead, if you regret your decision, keep an eye on the news about the tracks closing. If you hear about groups being inundated, I can point you to some wonderful greyhound agencies in your area who would appreciate a donation (no matter how small, every dollar counts). Or, just spread the word to people you know that these groups are going to need some help until 2010 when the tracks will close for good. The racing world has managed such this before but groups rely on your help to get by. :)
Some people take a neutral stance and just focus on the dogs. So if you can help get the word out that these dogs make wonderful companions that are suited to apartment life as well as larger households, that they're quiet, well socialised, and good with other dogs, then you'd be doing a world of good!
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