Floridians to decide on greyhound racing in November

The election ballot will include an amendment to ban the 11 dog racing tracks in the state.

US.- Greyhound racing could come to an end in Florida after the November election when voters will decide whether to pass an amendment to ban the 11 tracks left in the state. Florida is one of six states that still allow the segment and has animal rights activists fighting dog racing industry workers over whether the amendment should be approved.

Former greyhound trainer and chairman of the pro-racing group Committee to Support Greyhounds, Jennifer Newcome, said: “With Florida holding two-thirds of the tracks in the country, (amendment approval) would put racing on a path to be decimated.”

She also added that there would be a loss of 3,000 direct jobs and asserted: “It’s not unusual to see a greyhound puppy farm with grandkids playing. You see three generations out there.”

“The biggest issue is for the greyhound owners,” administrative assistant at Melbourne Greyhound Park Lydia Curlew said. “We’ve had a long and tenuous relationship with them. (Our support) is not necessarily for our business, it’s for the people in the greyhound industry,” she added

“We’ve been working in Florida for a decade on greyhound legislation,” Kate MacFall, Florida director of the Humane Society of the United States, said. “Now we’re on the edge. We’re confident of Floridian’s love of dogs. We’re confident they’ll vote yes.”