Truth Hounds

While California’s Prop 2 has been a frequent subject of my blog posts, there’s another important ballot measure slated for a vote this fall. The HSUS is a sponsor of Question 3, the Greyhound Protection Act, in Massachusetts to end greyhound racing.

© iStockphoto

Working with coalition partners, like greyhound protection group GREY2K USA and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, we intend to bring our message of common sense and compassion to Bay State voters. It is a fact that at greyhound racetracks thousands of dogs endure lives of terrible confinement, and many suffer serious injury. Since 2002, more than 800 greyhounds have been injured in Massachusetts, including dogs that suffered broken bones, paralysis and death from cardiac arrest.

We have called on dog track owners to join us in a fair debate based on the facts, but they apparently didn’t get the memo. Yesterday they filed a committee to fight Question 3, using a name that mimics ours, in a blatant attempt to confuse voters. But their deception doesn’t end there. They chose a name—the Massachusetts Animal Coalition—that is already used by a local animal protection group that actually supports Question 3.

Just like the factory farms are engaging in scurrilous tactics to defeat Prop 2 in California, the Massachusetts dog tracks don’t seem to be letting facts get in the way of their campaign against the measure. Right out of the gate, they are attempting to deceive voters about the state of affairs for dogs. They claimed that Massachusetts dog tracks have a 100 percent adoption rate. The actual adoption rate, according to state records, is only 14 percent.

Watch the Yes on 3 campaign video today, and please get involved in the campaign, especially if you live in Massachusetts or you know voters there. The greyhounds are counting on us.