Alabama

DISMAL END FOR RACE DOGS, ALABAMA AUTHORITIES SAY
The last stop on the Florida greyhound racing circuit was supposed to be the Pensacola dog track, where over-the-hill racers hustled after the mechanical rabbit one last time.

But for dogs that could not keep up the pace, the authorities say, it turns out that the end of the line would often be across Perdido Bay, in a dusty corner of Alabama, in a ditch behind the ramshackle home of one Robert L. Rhodes.

Here, on an 18-acre spread strewn with rusty trailers, filthy sheds, steel animal traps and a small menagerie of hogs, cows and billy goats, Mr. Rhodes routinely disposed of used-up greyhounds with a bullet to the brain, prosecutors say.

Judging from aerial photos of mounds of bones, Mr. Rhodes's own admissions, and the number of dog carcasses unearthed on Tuesday in just one pit, investigators say they believe Mr. Rhodes slaughtered 1,000 to 3,000 dogs over the last 10 years. read more
Source: The New York Times, By David M. Halbfinger, May, 23 2002

GREYHOUND ELECTROCUTED ON TRACK RAIL IN ALABAMA
Randad, dog No. 3 in the 14th race on June 21, at the Birmingham, Alabama dog track was electrocuted when he climbed onto the lure rail, which provides a function similar to a subway's hot rail. The dog was electrocuted by 230 volts running at 30 amps, and shrieked for several seconds before he was struck by the mechanical lure that had continued around the track, according to witnesses.
Source: Birmingham News, Benjamin Niolet, June 29, 2000.

254 RACING DOGS FROM ALABAMA WERE DONATED FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH BY KENNEL PERSONNEL BETWEEN JANUARY 1996 AND MARCH 1998, many without the consent of their legal owners. Of the 254 greyhounds donated, seven were released, 20 remained at the school and the rest were euthanized. Larry Swango, DVM, Executive Director of Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources Program said it appeared that the school had been "duped" by kennel personnel looking for a way to dispose of dogs.
Source: The Birmingham News/ Michael Sznajderman, July 29, 1998, Montgomery Advertiser/ Alvin Benn, July 30, 1998

200 ABANDONED GREYHOUNDS WERE RESCUED FROM GREENETRACK in Alabama when the management abruptly ended the live racing season. The rescue, estimated to cost approximately $30,000, was accomplished through the cooperation and financial assistance of a number of animal welfare and adoption organizations and the track management. There was no financial support from the official industry organization, the National Greyhound Association, or the industry organization formed to promote greyhound adoption and welfare, The American Greyhound Council.
Source: Indianapolis Star/ John Mason, Marcella Fleming, December 12, 1998, PR Newswire, December 11, 1998

HUNDREDS OF GREYHOUNDS THAT HAD ONCE RACED AT ALABAMA'S FOUR DOG TRACKS WERE DONATED TO AUBURN UNIVERSITY'S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH IN THE LAST TWO YEARS. MANY OF THEM WERE DONATED WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THEIR LEGAL OWNERS. Of the 254 greyhounds donated, seven were recently released, 20 remain at the school as research subjects, and the rest have been euthanized. The dogs are used in orthopedic research and wound healing studies, dissection labs to test surgery techniques, and as blood donors at the school's trauma clinic.
Source: The Birmingham News: Michael Sznajderman/Montgomery Advertiser: Alvin Benn, Fall 1998

APPROXIMATELY 40 GREYHOUNDS FROM THE GREENETRACK, ALABAMA DOG TRACK WERE ILLEGALLY DONATED FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH BY A KENNEL OPERATOR AND A TRACK EMPLOYEE. The dogs were provided to Mississippi State University without the knowledge or permission of their legal owners.
Source: NE Mississippi Daily Journal/ M.G. Morris, February 8, 1997, Legal Records