ohmidog!

Comment from Eric_NM
Time January 13, 2012 at 10:00 pm

It is unconscionable that Skechers would shoot an ad at this notorious dog track where hundreds of dogs endure lives of confinement and suffer injuries on the track.

At Tucson Greyhound Park, greyhounds are kept confined in small cages which are barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. They are fed raw 4-D meat, the meat of downed, diseased, disabled or dead livestock. This was documented in a recent video investigation.

While racing, greyhounds face the risk of serious injury. According to state records, between January 2007 and November 2009, nearly 1,000 greyhound injuries were reported at Arizona racetracks. The most common injury was a broken leg, and other reported injuries included fractures, sprains, dislocations, muscle tears and strains, lacerations, a cracked skull, broken backs, heat stroke, puncture wounds and paralysis. To learn more, please see our full report and video at http://www.grey2kusa.org.

Comment from BennieLyn
Time January 18, 2012 at 4:35 pm

I have Greyhounds. They are beautiful, loving and sweet dogs that do not deserve to be expoited this way.

You deserve to be in a cage…THEY DON’T!

You people make me sick. Skechers has gone to the level of hell…STAY THERE!

I hope Skechers has a very horrible and bankrupt 2012. You all are sick as hell.

Comment from Michele
Time January 18, 2012 at 4:40 pm

Have any one of ad people ever seen what life is like for the animals that race at these dog tracts. Shame on you and no one in my family will be sketcher fans ever again.

Comment from Greg
Time February 2, 2012 at 11:16 am

I glad that Skechers is going to show commercial ! It will give the opportunity for people to greyhounds at what they love to do ! Run period ! I hope this will help in the adoptions of more greyhounds to be adopted out after they retire from racing !

Comment from Jimmy
Time February 2, 2012 at 11:54 am

It figures the first comment comes from a board member of the radical hate group G2K. He and his band of haters are very delusional as to what really happens to these very happy dogs that make great pets when they retire from racing. They are well cared for, but you can’t talk to these haters. They work hand in hand with PETA, and we all know what they’re about.
We applaud the fact that this commercial will air on Super Bowl Sunday, and we hope that the millions of viewers might consider adopting a beautiful, and very happy greyhound when the see this commercial. We see this as a win-win. If you listen to people like Eric, greyhounds will become extinct in this country except for the AKC ones. Congratulations Skechers, and we’ll all be wearing ours!!!

Comment from Rachel Hogue
Time February 2, 2012 at 12:06 pm

This article is incredibly disheartening and one-sided. Please, don’t GREY2K fool you. They spread awful lies about those of us in the business just to advance their political agendas and line their pockets. They say they want to “protect” the greyhounds, but they don’t even give money to adoption groups. They shut tracks down and leave thousands of greyhounds with no place to go, and the adoption groups (with limited space and limited resources) are expected to put out the fire they started.

The crates the dogs are kept in are plenty large enough for them to stand, stretch, turn, and roll around in. They are the same dimensions as the crates pet owners keep their greyhounds in. The dogs love them; a crate functions as their personal space: a safe haven.

The meat is NOT diseased – think about how much sense that makes. Why would I feed my dogs bad meat if I’m expecting them to win races? Imagine the worst stomach ache you’ve ever had. Food poisoning. That’s what bad meat does. Did you feel like running while you were sick? The dogs won’t run, either.

Injuries have been reported to be between a tenth to a quarter of a percent. Children’s sports have far higher injury rates. The dogs are kept in amazing physical shape and the surface they run on is meticulously maintained in an effort to keep this number as low as possible.

The time, effort, money, and physical strength that goes into caring for these dogs is unbelievable. There is someone at the kennel no less than 16 hours a day, sunup to sundown. Trainers and helpers get just one day off a week, and even when you’re off, you’re on call. We don’t get to take Christmas day off because the dogs always come first. Those of us in the business are not in it for sport. We’re in it because we LOVE our dogs.

Please, don’t believe the lies that GREY2K spreads. Folks are quick to believe them because so many people don’t have access to the track. I put together a photo series that brings the track to you. Please explore it. Questions are most welcome.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dazzleme/sets/72157627145032411/

If GREY2K wins, hundreds of people are left without jobs, and thousands of dogs are left without homes.

Comment from jwoestendiek
Time February 2, 2012 at 1:50 pm

Jimmy, and others: If racing greyhounds are so loved by those who race them, why are there so many in need of adoption — and even before greyhound tracks started shutting down? Or does the owners’ love run out when a greyhound’s ability to make money runs out? An industry, or sport, that uses dogs and then puts them up for adoption, adding to the surplus, can hardly, it seems to me, be described as a dog-loving one.
John / ohmidog!

Comment from Jimmy
Time February 2, 2012 at 2:35 pm

jwoestendiek , When greyhounds retire, they go to adoption groups who find them homes. The owners love their dogs, but they also have pups that are getting ready to race, and they can’t keep everyone of them. As they retire, another one comes in to race. We help each other out. But make no mistake, they hate giving up their dogs, but in order to keep going, they have to. And they give us great, happy, tail wagging kissers they we love to place. It’s the way it works. And we are bless to work with great owners, trainers, kennel operators.. By the way, they don’t race them for the money. There really is no big money in this, they do if for the love of the breed, and for the beauty of watch a magnificent dog doing what it loves to do the most. Hope this helps. Thanks!

Comment from Betty
Time February 2, 2012 at 2:41 pm

John, I’d strongly suggest that an award winning journalist should investigate both sides of a story before making the mistake of believing the wrong one. Grey2K is a media-pleasing activist group that does nothing at all for Greyhounds. Indeed, the only thing they actually do is suck donations from an ill-informed public, and then pay themselves for doing it. It might surprise you to learn that the first adoption efforts originated in the racing kennels with the blessing and the support of racing owners and trainers. When it was discovered that The Media had wrongly depicted them as vicious and unsuitable as pets, lots and lots of folks jumped at the chance to participate in that very same adoption effort. Our dogs are well cared for, compassionately handled, and truly loved for their entire lives. They run fast. If racing should be outlawed, the good and compassionate among us would abide by the law and stop what we do. But before you set up a cheering section, please consider what will happen next, because where-ever there are 2 people with something that goes fast, there will be a race to prove it. It will no longer be on a carefully manicured surface. There will not be vets and state regulations providing for the safety of the dogs. It’ll be on churned up junkyard ovals where no eyes can see, and THAT is where the horror stories will be. This breed we love will never again be the majestic animal we celebrate.

Comment from Carrie Atkins
Time February 2, 2012 at 4:04 pm

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There are so many racing greyhounds up for adoption because the owners DO care for them. Greyhounds do not have long racing careers. They are not “doomed to a life of slavery on the track.” When they are done racing, the vast majority of these dogs are still quite young, and these make wonderfully gentle, already socialized, already housebroken pets. Many greyhounds simply do not want to race, or are not fast enough to be competitive. These dogs bypass the track entirely and go directly into the adoption program. I cannot stress enough the fact that the retirees, losers, and never-raced dogs are NOT shot, NOT poisoned, NOT tortured, and NOT abandoned as Grey2K is fond of saying. That is why there are so many greyhounds needing adoptive homes. People like me, unpaid volunteers for adoption groups, take them in and find suitable placements.

We often spend hundreds of dollars of our own money to provide food, vet care, and other necessities for each foster dog. If we can’t find homes, we adopt them ourselves.

If G2K was correct about the “kill” factor, the number of dogs available as pets would be negligible at best. Why don’t the breeders and owners keep every dog? Quite simply, I’m glad they don’t. I’m happy that they “share the wealth” and allow these wonderful dogs to share their lives with people like me.

Comment from Elaine Summerhill
Time February 2, 2012 at 7:56 pm

There are glaring errors in this article.

1) Greyhound racing is not cruel and inhumane.
2) The crates in which the dogs are kept are not small. The average greyhound crate in a kennel compound is about 36w x 36h x 48l. It is more than big enough for a dog to get in there and sprawl out, sleeping on their back with their feet in the air. I have used these crates for my personal dogs, most of which are much larger than the racing greyhounds, and they have plenty of room!
3) They are not fed diseased meat. They are fed a high quality raw diet, much like many pets today. However, the meat they are fed has been denatured so that it cannot be eaten by people.

I have been directly involved in greyhound adoptions since 1995. In all those years, the only dogs I have seen abused were those which were owned by private parties, who were not associated with racing. I have seen racing people cry when they hand over their dogs for adoption.

These dogs are not tortured, not mistreated, not abandoned… Things are NOT as Grey2K would have people believe.

Now then, that being said, Grey2K does nothing to help rehome these magnificent animals. Grey2K has been known to come in, spread their lies, and propose legislation, which when passed, causes hundreds of people to lose their jobs and leaves hundreds of dogs without a place to go. Does Grey2K help find them homes? NO. Does Grey2K offer monies to those rehoming them? NO! They come in, sow destruction and dance off leaving the hard work to others.

I’d rather see G2K banned!