A greyhound protection group says one racing dog dies every three days in Florida, and 74 have died since greyhound-death reporting became mandatory last May. Several state legislators joined with animal rights groups and two rescued dogs at the capitol Wednesday, calling for an end to greyhound racing in Florida.
Two bills have been filed for the 2014 session aimed at improving the quality of life for racing dogs. One bill would require all greyhound injuries to be reported to the state. Another would end the requirement for some facilities to have dog racing in order to offer other forms of gambling.State Representative Matt Gaetz is backing the measures.
“The only reason that we have greyhound racing in the State of Florida is that our laws require pari-mutuel facilities to engage in this barbaric practice simply to keep their licenses”, said Gaetz.
The animal rights groups say de-coupling the other gambling that occurs at racetracks from dog races could essentially end greyhound racing. That’s because it has waned in popularity in recent years. Florida is one of only seven states that still allows greyhound racing.