#1 Testimony from a former employee of the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park in Massachusetts:

To all concerned about the matter of racing greyhounds in the Commonwealth [of Massachusetts]. I, Adam Paul of Taunton, MA, was an employee of Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park from November, 1999 to March 2000. While on staff, I worked under Robert Babeu, Paddock Judge, and Gary Walker, Racing Director, in the position of Leadout. The official duties of a leadout include but are not limited to accepting the dogs from the owners for weigh-in, getting the dogs inspected by the paddock judge, then storing the dogs in individual containers until their assigned race was due. During the race the leadout removes the dog from it's container, weighs the dog, then prepares the dog for racing, placing the appropriate blanket and muzzle on it. The dog is then walked out to the starting box, placed in it, then, when the race is over, the lead-out catches the dog and returns it to the owner. This process is repeated until all the dogs are raced.

In my short time at the track, I have witnessed many cruel and unwarranted acts of violence against the dogs. The primary abuse at the tracks, in my experience, comes from the people in the position of lead-out. The average age of the lead-outs in Taunton are 17. Most are high school students, none are filtered for the work. When I started working there in November I came in and was hired on the spot, no application, and no background check. I was later told to fill the application for filing purposes, but they only wanted my personal info, nothing more.

The abuse that I witnessed came in many forms. Some more severe than others. The most common abuse that I witnessed was the strangulation of the dog. When the dog pulled the lead-out, it was common practice to strangle the dog to suppress it. This practice has also been used by Mr. Babeu on at least two occasions that I have personally witnessed. Though many others have been reported to me by my contacts. Another common form is physically punching or whipping the dog in the head. Fortunately this happens only a couple of times a week by a small number of lead-outs. The more extreme form of abuse comes when the dogs refuse to enter their containers or the starting box. The lead-out, or the paddock judge when shorthanded, physically throw the dogs into the starting box. It is common practice to pick the up and launch it into the box, then slam door down, many times hitting the dog in the back as it tries to back out. If the dogs hindquarters are sticking out at all, I have witnessed the track employees kick it into the box. The most general form of abuse is the lack of warm up of the dogs in the winter. Many times I have witnessed a dog, at the end of the race, fall because it is all cramped up. Unfortunately, this cramping also occurs during the race and causes the dog to get hurt, ultimately resulting in the dog to be put down.

In closing, I hope the decision will be in favor of the Grey2k committee; and if they are put up against a wall, another Pro-Greyhound group will plow through that wall. This movement is not going to stop with me. It is going to keep going. Greyhound racing is an abomination and will soon come to an end. It is only a matter of time now. Hopefully Massachusetts will follow suit with the many other states that have banned racing, and if they don't it would a wise idea for them to consider revising the laws to provide a safer environment for the dogs.

Extra note: I was also able to find a job without any problem when I left so the current track employees, if it is shut down will not have any problem finding work.
Adam F. Paul, 4/18/00

 

#2 Testimony from another former employee of the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park in Massachusetts:

As an assistant trainer at the Raynham Taunton Greyhound Park I walked into a racing dog kennel for the first time, stunned by over 90 wire cages that lay tucked inside one of the many buildings on the compound. I had not expected this many dogs to be partly my responsibility. I wondered how one or two trainers could possibly care for all these dogs. I soon found out the answer; they couldn't.

I would sweep the kennel, feed the dogs, turn them out, take them to get weighed-in, and clean them up after they raced. I frequently found myself rushing to finish with a dog's feet so as to be able to get the next dog in time after a race. After racing, the Greyhound's feet need rinsing and even scrubbing to get the dirt out. Often times, however, because it is too time-consuming to individually clean out the nail bed of each toe, dirt, blood and grime are left behind causing infections. Even though some trainers explained to me that the dog's feet are taken care of when there is more time, perhaps the next day, I would often notice dogs with removed toenails, "cuticles" that were a quarter inch away from the nail because of blood and dirt that were left behind, and even in cases where the web between the dog's toes was so neglected and infected that one could not separate the toes without the heart wrenching yelp. I soon found this to be commonplace here.

Though the canine's paws are often the most obvious signs of their suffering, there are other things that the industry considers insignificant which are blatantly unacceptable. Each dog races about every six days. It is true that the dogs spend approximately twenty-two hours a day in a small cage. Their raw meat mixed with kibble makes them sick with diarrhea and vomiting quite often. I was witness to dogs being dragged by the neck out of cages and trucks when they were too scared to make the four-foot jump. Tick-infested dogs were also common and what I found to be the most unbelievable were the trainers who considered themselves experts in the veterinary field. For instance, at one point I was made to hold a dog while a trainer gripped its paw and proceeded to tear out a wart of some kind that had gone unnoticed for a very long time. The dog's paw poured blood from the hole that was left when the roots of this thing were pried out. He put something on to stop the bleeding and wrapped the foot tightly in tape. I asked how he would be and was told he better be okay since he had to race the next night.

Blood on the kennel cement floor is also commonplace. It kind of let me know what I was in for with this job. I started driving home at night with the radio turned off. I had so much to think about. It seemed as though so much horror was not only being dismissed, but also considered acceptable in the first place!

None of it seemed acceptable to me, though. Even the dark yellow color of the water they often drink and the fact that so many of them are forced to wear their muzzles all night and day to prevent nipping at cage roofs was so obviously abuse to me. The muzzles would leave sores on their noses and their teeth become so grimy that one can see only too clearly how the industry's dogs are regarded as machines to be replaced when through working.

The day-to-day lives of these creatures are emotionally draining, physically unhealthy, and lack mental stimulation to say the least. I remember one of the trainers remarking that it was an especially sad existence as he caged the dog for the night.

E. Bastable

 

#3 The following testimony is from a Masachusetts dog track employee who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from his employer:

i have been working at a dog track for a few months now, and what i have seen in these few months is more than i ever want to see. i did hear bad stories about greyhound racing and some things that go on. but i thought that that was rare, or just hear say. i didn't believe that people could be so cruel to do what they are doing to these dogs. i took this job because it has great hours, great pay, and i love dogs. i thought that none of that stuff would go on here, but i was unfortunately wrong. i have witnessed, personally; leadouts punching dogs in the head to get them to stand still, i have seen dogs break their legs running (which normally happens a few times a week about). i have lead out dogs that have the tips of their tails missing bleeding not bandaged up, ears bitten off from other dogs still bleeding but forced to run, and when i gave one of the trainers the dog they would after being told that a chunk of the ear was missing would say "i know" and just rip the muzzle off with no mercy. the other day there was a dog with dirt, ear mites, and black earwax or something packed in the dogs ear, the trainer got a warning that next time it would be scratched and the dog still runs. there was a dog about a month ago that had a very deep gash on its rear right leg. the vet was called in the paddock to look at it, and stuck his finger inside the gash to feel if the bone was broken. he then walked the dog around the paddock for 5 minutes or so to make sure the dog wouldn't limp and look like it was hurt. the dog was limping but it wasn't very noticeable so he ran, during the race he ran on 3 legs and came in last.

a few weeks ago a leadout quit because of her conscience. she told me that she had seen a dog the night before she quit take a turn too wide and run head on into a pole, killed himself instantly. she saw a leadout run onto the track pick up the dog and walk it off. that leadout had one of his arms covered in blood, but refused to wash it off and made a comment on it was kinda cool. this was i think the 8th race out of 13, he ended up keeping the blood on his arm even when he went home. she confronted him about it and he just said "yeah, yeah ill do it later when i get home" even though he had plenty of time to wash it off after that race.

i also would like to say that this doesn't happen every race. maybe an incident that bad would happen once every few weeks. but stuff that the trainers do happens all the time. not all of them do it but one too many do. I've heard stories on how a dog got a heavy gage wire put in the shaft of his penis to stop him from gaining sexual arousal that very
very thought makes me nauseous. Saturday night, a dog was a pound overweight so they wouldn't let the dog race. but they gave the trainer 5 minutes and tried it again. in 5 minutes that dog lost 3/4 of a pound. i don't know how but i can only imagine, i heard that trainer talking about how dogs don't like tea and how it works.

i regret the fact that i have to write this anonymously, i am actually kind of nervous even writing this fearing that i will receive some sort of retaliation from gamblers or people at the track. after hearing this u are probably wondering why i am still working at a place with this horrible atmosphere. i am kind of tied into working here. i need a lot of money for school, insurance, etc. and this job is pretty much the most paying job i can find with these hours. the minute i can find a job with these hours and pay i'm quitting. the reason why i am participating in this with kitty is because of my conscience. i cannot just walk away or just sit there without saying anything. what is happening to these dogs is wrong. in my eyes just the very fact that these dogs are caged up most of their lives and forced to run, and then shot when cant perform is very wrong. i can talk for hours on things that I have seen. these things are just a few. thank u for your time, and im sorry i could not make it to this hearing.