CAST THE VOEFT.
WE'RE GOING TO EXAMINE THE MASS
SHOOTINGS IN PARKLAND AND OTHER
PARTS IN THE STATES HAVE ON
RACES UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT AND
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.
LET'S LOOK AT AMENDMENT 13,
WHICH WOULD BAN GREYHOUND RACING
IN FLORIDA BY 2020.
ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST SAY
GREYHOUND RACING IS A LITTLE
MORE THAN ANIMAL AS A RESULT AND
CLAIM NEARLY 500 DOGS HAVE BEEN
KILLED AT FLORIDA RACETRACKS
SINCE 2013 SUFFERING BROKEN
LEGS, BACKS AND NECKS.
THOUSANDS MORE ARE BELIEVED TO
HAVE BEEN INJURED.
ADVOCATES FOR GREYHOUND RACING
COUNTERED AS A STORIED PART OF
THE STATE'S HISTORY AND MANY OF
THOSE INVOLVED IN GREY ROUND
RACING GO BACK GENERATIONS.
OWNERS CLAIM THEY LOVE AND CARE
FOR THEIR DOGS AND DON'T ALLOW
THEM TO BE MISTREATED.
MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE ARE
EMPLOYED THROUGH GREYHOUND
RACING AND GENERATES MORE THAN
$11 MILLION A YEAR TO THE STATE
OF FLORIDA.
WE HAVE A LOT TO COVER ON
THIS AMENDMENT.
JOINING ME IS THE FOUNDER OF
ELITE GREYHOUND ADOPTIONS.
SHE'S BEEN SEEN FIRSTHAND THE
CRUELTY AND MISTREATMENT AT
RACETRACKS AND BELIEVES THE
SPORT NEEDS TO END.
AND A TRAINER AT THE PALM BEACH
KENNEL CLUB, HIS FAMILY HAS BEEN
TRAINING GREYHOUNDS AND TRAINING
THEM FOR YEARS AND OPPOSES THE
AMENDMENT.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR COMING IN.
THANK YOU.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE
AMENDMENTS THAT FLY UNDER THE
RADAR FOR FOLKS THAT CONTINUE TO
WORRY ABOUT THE SENATE RACE AND
THE GOVERNOR'S RACE AND SOME OF
THOSE OTHER THINGS.
SONYA, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
TALK TO ME ABOUT WHY YOU BELIEVE
GREYHOUND RACING IN THE STATE OF
FLORIDA NEEDS TO BE BEEN.
I STARTED A RESCUE 15 YEARS
AGO.
WE'VE TAKEN IN OVER 2,300
GREYHOUNDS, MY FAMILY AND I, AND
WE'VE JUST SEEN IT FOR YEARS.
SO MANY OWNERS DON'T WANT THEIR
ANIMALS ONCE THEY'RE NOT
PROFITABLE.
SO MANY HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO VETS
TO BE EUTHANIZED FOR INJURIES.
WE'VE ACCEPTED SO MANY DOGS INTO
OUR PROGRAM THAT WERE IN REALLY
HORRIBLE CONDITION AND
DEFINITELY THINK IT'S TIME FOR
IT TO END.
HOW DID THIS AMENDMENT GET ON
THE BALLOT?
WAS IT THROUGH INITIATIVE
PROCESS?
THROUGH CRC.
THE STULGZ REVISION
COMMISSION.
U HUH-HUH.
I ATTENDED EVERY MEETING FOR
THE CRC AND THE PUBLIC
DEFINITELY WANTED THIS ON THE
BALLOT.
IT NEEDED 60% TO PASS.
PAUL, YOU OPPOSE THIS, TELL ME
WHY.
BECAUSE I WORK IN THE
INDUSTRY, I HAVEN'T SEEN THE
ABUSE THAT SHE ALLEGES HAPPENED.
I TAKE IN MY OPINION, EXEMPLARY
CARE OF THING DOS THAT I HAVE IN
MY CARE.
IT'S MY PRIDE AND JOY TO GET UP
EVERY MORNING AND GO INTO THAT
KENNEL AND TAKE CARE OF THESE
DOGS AND TO A MAN, I THINK --
AND WOMAN IN THESE KENNELS,
EVERYBODY SHOULD BE DOING THAT
AND HONESTLY, IF SHE EVER
SUSPECTED THAT THERE WAS A
PROBLEM, SHE SHOULD HAVE TURNED
SOMEBODY IN TO AUTHORITIES
BECAUSE I WOULD DO THAT IF I SAW
IT AND I HAVE NOT SEEN THE
ALLEGED INSTANCES THAT SHE
SPEAKS OF.
SONYA?
ACTUALLY, I DID TRY.
I HAVE GONE TO THE FGA AND ONE
OF --
FGA IS THE FLORIDA GREYHOUND
ASSOCIATION.
YES, THE FLORIDA GREYHOUND
ASSOCIATION, A FEW YEARS AGO,
TOOK IN A GREYHOUND THAT WAS
UNTREATED FOR A HORRIBLY BROKEN
LEG.
THAT DOG WAS OWNED BY THE
PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL
GREYHOUND ASSOCIATION, JULIA
WARD.
I HAD TWO DOGS COME IN -- THREE
DOGS ACTUALLY, BUT TWO WERE FROM
HERE.
I HEARD NOTHING FROM HERE AND
TAKE DOGS FROM THE PALM BEACH
KENNEL CLUB.
I HAVE GONE TO PALM BEACH KENNEL
CLUB FOR YEAR ARES SINCE I
STARTED THIS.
IT'S NOT ILLEGAL FOR YOU TO TAKE
DOGS -- NOT YOU PERSONALLY BUT
IT'S NOT ILLEGAL FOR THESE OTHER
TRAINERS AND HAVE THEM DESTROYED
FOR THEIR INJURIES.
IT'S NOT ILLEGAL FOR THEM TO BE
COVERED IN FLEES AND TICKS.
THIS IS NOTHING THE NORTHS --
LET ME ANSWER THAT.
BY THE AUTHORITIES, I MEAN THE
PRESIDENT DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS
AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION.
THAT'S WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN
CONTACTED.
THEY ARE THE GOVERNING BODY AND
HAVE THE INVESTIGATORS WHO WILL
GO OUT AND LOOK AND THEY SEND
INSPECTORS TO THE KENNELS
UNANNOUNCED TO LOOK AT THE
CONDITIONS IN THE CONDITIONELS
WITH THE DOGS AND EVERYTHING
ELSE -- IN THE KENNELS WITH THE
DOGS EVERYTHING AND ELSE.
YOU SAID YOU'RE NOT AWARE OF
ANY INSTANCES OF ABUSE.
I KNOW FROM REPORTING OVER THE
YEARS ON THIS INDUSTRY THERE
HAVE BEEN SOME EGREGIOUS --
UPWARDS OF 30 ANIMALS WERE
FOUND DEAD BECAUSE THE TRAINER
THERE ARE -- I DON'T THINK THE
TRAINER WAS NECESSARILY EVIL, AS
MUCH AS HE WAS NO LONGER
PROFITABLE.
I WOULD SAY HE WAS EVIL, I
WILL SAY THAT.
AND MALNUTRITIONED.
HE WENT TO PRISON.
HE SHOULD HAVE GONE LONGER
THAN THAT.
DOGS OFTEN ARE FOUND TO TEST
POSITIVE FOR COCAINE AND ALSO
THE STEROIDS ARE USED.
IT'S ACCEPTED AS A WAY TO
KEEP FEMALES FROM COMING IN TO
HEAT BECAUSE A FEMALE THAT COMES
IN TO HEAT IN A KENNEL IN A
BUNCH OF MALES THEY GET
EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE.
IT'S BEEN ACCEPTED BY
VETERINARIANS TO GIVE
TESTOSTERONE TO FEMALES, WHAT
YOU HAVE.
THERE IS A DEBATE BACK AND FORTH
BUT NOTHING HAS BEEN PROVEN
EITHER WAY.
I'LL TELL THANK YOU IT HASN'T
SHOWN WHERE FEMALES ARE
PERFORMANCE ENHANCING WHICH THEY
TALK ABOUT, OR SONYA AND HER
GROUP SHOW.
IN THE LEVELS THEY GIVE
GREYHOUNDS IS ILLEGAL IN THE
U.K.
AND AUSTRALIA.
FLORIDA ALLOWS FEMALE GREYHOUND
IT'S AND HONESTLY IT'S NOT
TESTED, AND I HAVE HEARD FROM
TRAINERS BUT MALES DO GET THE
TESTOSTERONE BECAUSE IT IS
LEGAL, SO --
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
I WANT TO TOUCH ON COCAINE
POSITIVES, WHICH WERE MINUTE
AMOUNTS.
NO TRAINER IN THEIR RIGHT MIND
WOULD GIVE COCAINE TO A
GREYHOUND KNOWING THEY HAVE
TESTING PROCEDURES THAT ARE SO
STRINGENT THAT WOULD HAPPEN.
WHAT I WOULD ASSUME IS THAT --
TO BE QUITE HONEST, SOMEBODY WHO
HAD CONTACT WITH THOSE
GREYHOUNDS HAD A DRUG PROBLEM.
SHE'S DOGS CAN GO
40-MILES-AN-HOUR.
THEY HIT THOSE TURNS.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR THEM TO
TUMBLE, SPIN OUT OF CONTROL,
HAVE SERIOUS INJURIES AND ONE OF
THE PROBLEMS IS WE DON'T KNOW
THE EXTENT OF THE INJURIES
BECAUSE THE GREYHOUND
ASSOCIATION IN FLORIDA HAS LONG
OPPOSED TOUCHING ON THAT.
IN 2016 THEY WERE TRYING TO
TOUCH THE INJURY REPORTING BILL
WHICH WAS SPONSORED BY
ANTIRACING ACTIVISTS.
WE HAD OUR OWN INJURY REPORTING
AND NEW SAFETY PROCEDURES THAT
WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEN AT THE
TRACKS AND THE ANTIRACING
ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSED IT BECAUSE
THEY JUST WANT THE INJURY
REPORTING.
NOW, SOME TRACKS LIKE PALM BEACH
KEN WILL CLUB INSTITUTED SOME OF
THE SAFETY PROCEDURES IN WHICH
WE TALK ABOUT.
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING
ABOUT.
HAVE YOU READ THE DEATH REPORTS?
HAVE YOU GONE OVER ALL THE
CAUSES OF DEATH FOR THE 492
GREYHOUNDS WHO HAVE DIED SINCE
2013?
2013, AND HOW MANY GREYHOUND
IT'S.
493 DOGS AND MANY DOESN'T
LIST A CAUSE BUT MAJORITY OF THE
DOGS, THERE WERE ONLY FOUR THAT
DIED FROM ELECTRICITICUTION.
THAT IS HORRIFIC.
THAT IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF
DEATH, THE BROKEN BACKS, THE
LEGS, THE NECKS.
THERE IS ABOUT 10% OF THE DOGS
THAT DIED IN THE CRATES ALONE AT
NIGHT.
I LOOKED AT THIS, THE CAUSE OF
DEATH FOUND DEAD IN ITS CRATE.
THAT IS HORRIFIC AND --
COULDN'T YOUR PET AT HOME DIE
ON THE TOUCH?
BUT THESE DOGS ARE TWO OR
THREE YEARS OLD.
I HAD A DOG WHO HAD CANCER ON
ITS LIVER.
WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT
20 SECONDS.
WITH YOU AND YOUR HOME WITH A
FAMILY.
THESE DOGS ARE LIVING IF A
BUILDING STACKED WITH CAGES AND
ALONE IN THERE.
AND I'M WITH THEM 14,
15 HOURS A DAY.
AND THEY'RE DYING ALONE AT
NIGHT.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD.
15 SECONDS.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SPORT.
IT'S BEEN BLOWN OUT OF
PROPORTION WHAT PEOPLE ARE
ACCUSING US OF AND SAYING.
THESE DOGS ARE LOVED AND
HANDLED.
OVER 90 ADOPTION GROUPS IN NORTH
AMERICA ARE OPPOSED TO THIS.