From: dgm@garnet.berkeley.edu (D.G. Meads)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Stopping greyhound track
Date: 11 Nov 1992 01:04:16 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: garnet.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Nov10.201940.25720@newshost.lanl.gov> crs@beta.lanl.gov (Charlie Sorsby) writes:
>OK, That's two posts that consider dog racing to be disgusting or
>words to that effect.  I'm unfamiliar with the sport.  Educate me.
>
>What is disgusting or undesirable about it?  Are the dogs
>mistreated?  If not, what is the problem with permitting a dog to
>do what it was bred for?  Granted, that, in a sense, this is an
>artificial version of what they were bred for, of what the breed
>was developed for, but not much more so than field trials for bird
>dogs.
>
>Let's have some specifics from those of you who are saying that
>there's something wrong with dog racing.  Tell those of us who
>don't know specifically what it is.  Thank you for your
>indulgence.
>
>
>-- 
>Best,
>
>Charlie "Older than dirt" Sorsby				"I'm the NRA!"
>	  crs@lanl.gov


Ok Charlie,  I'll give you a few words. 

Before I begin though, I've often read your posts and have to admit I'm a bit 
nervous as this is my first reply to you.  And honestly, I can't decide if 
I believe you to be a total lunatic or an interesting "older than dirt" 
kind of guy; guess it is sort of a fine line...maybe it would be safer to say 
that you are,  ummm, usually VERY clear about your opinions....  

:)

I don't have the various articles about the racing here at work but here
is the little picture that I live with...

	As as owner of 2 "never really made it to the track but would have
	been killed anyway" greyhounds I have a really hard time telling
	Jane and Joe dog owner that these aren't REGULAR dogs.  Sure that
	sounds simple enough!  But think about it.  They are like disfunctional
	children; just think about all the things a puppy learns from living
	in your home during just the first year of its life...(all the noises,
	they learn agility, they learn about obstacles in general, about people
	and the general love and caring you give a puppy....and the list goes 
	on and on) 

	Now think about dogs raised in kennels, this 3x3 foot wire cage,
	might get a newspaper to shred for a bed,  always wears a muzzle
	(no barking here!) and just forget about "playing" with the other 
	dogs ( read socialization;  well can it be CALLED socialization if 
	everyone is wearing a muzzle?) and you can add a horrible diet 
	(alot of dogs die from the diahhrea (spelling?) and now you have 
	some lovely canines 

	oh and don't forget these humans actively emphasize the existing kill
	instinct... so now add to the disfunctionality list the strong
	desire (guess it varies dog to dog) to kill small fast moving objects.


	Ahhhh.  And it is all for money.  Don't forget that plenty of "slow"
	dogs are used in research (read "You mean you will PAY ME for these
	dogs....")

	I can't tell you how many paragraphs I've typed and erased.  I 
	really don't do well typing when there seems to be a flood of
	information coming out of my brain.

	Tomorrow will bring in some of my favorite ariticles and type those in
	for you Charlie because I can see that you are genuinely searching
	for more information.

	What really bugs me is that the poor ignorant sod who believed he had 
	a winning litter when my boys were born in '89 is still probably
	saying that...
		over and over again.

	Actually alot of things bug me and after a couple of hours of trying
	to figure out how to say and explain them to you...I've given up
	and decided to call it a day...

	More tomorrow Charlie.  I'm to lazy to even check for spelling errors...	everyone say OOOOOOHHHHHH!

	  
Debbie Meads and
Tyre & Sidon