|
Cover Stories Spring 2005 Sudden Closure of Connecticut Racetrack Imperils 1,000 Racing Greyhounds Plainfield: Plainfield Greyhound Park officials announced April 27 that greyhound racing would cease May 14, placing the fate of 1,000 to 1,500 greyhounds in jeopardy. The announcement surprised state and town officials, shocked track employees and kennel operators, and galvanized greyhound advocacy and adoption groups into action to ensure the dogs' safety. The announcement came just two days after the town's planning commission approved the application of New England Raceway developer Gene Arganese and the Keelan Family, who owns the track, to rezone 950 acres of land for Arganese's $353 million project that would include a 140,000-square-foot domed auto racetrack and other large projects. The rezoning decision is being challenged in court. Arganese said the decision to suspend live racing was a mutual decision reached with the current ownership. Arganese said dog racing could return in 2006, but employees and kennel operators were skeptical that dog racing would return. Track employees and kennel operators who supported the zoning change because they were led to believe it would mean the salvation of the struggling dog track, felt betrayed. "He lied to us straight out," said Tom Howard, who operates HMS Kennels. Howard estimates there are 1,000 greyhounds housed at the track kennel. In an April 28 press release, Greyhound Protection League president Susan Netboy said, "The track owner and the State of Connecticut have made millions of dollars off the backs of Plainfield race dogs for decades. They have a moral and ethical obligation to ensure that these dogs find loving homes, regardless of the cost." Netboy said approximately 1,200 dogs are housed in the kennel compound, in-cluding active and inactive dogs. Plainfield only attracts kennels whose racing dogs are nearing the end of their careers. As of early May several kennels had obtained bookings elsewhere . An estimated 450 dogs will be sent to other East Coast tracks. Netboy said she is concerned that the cost of feeding and caring for the dogs until they can be adopted out may be more than the dogs' owners or the track is willing to pay. "There's a large number of unprofitable dogs on the property," she said. "One of the things that frequently happens when a track closes is that the dogs go out the back door. They're likely to be disposed of and no one will know the difference." Melani Nardone, director of GPL's New York-Connecticut chapter, outlined the measures that should be taken to ensure the animals' safety in a memo toWilliam Ryan, assistant unit chief of the state's Division of Special Revenue. The recommendations include an immediate and accurate count of every dog in the kennel compound, and a lockdown to prevent improper disposal of any greyhound. "Racing greyhounds, unfortunately, often slip through the cracks," Nardone said. Plainfield opened in 1976 and
within one year of operation the wagering handle had reached $125.2 million.
By 1990, the track began its slow decline until 2004, when the handle
fell to $9.4 million. In 29 years, the State of Connecticut has reaped
$141.9 million in pari-mutuel taxes from the track. Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi
Rell issued a press release May 3, calling for the protection of the 1,000
greyhounds at risk due to the impending closure of Plainfield Greyhound
Park. "It would be completely indefensible if these noble dogs -
having served a strictly human purpose - were just dumped somewhere when,
through no fault of their own, they could no longer serve that purpose." |