Page 13 - 27 April 2012

activists, of course), is the same shock, horror and disbelief the general public experiences when they read about racehorses dying, being drugged and abused, and finally slaughtered.
The sad truth is that the general public believes the horrible things they read about horse racing. It’s not that they haven’t been to the races; it’s not because they don’t like horse racing. It’s because they just don’t know about horse racing, and our opposition makes a more compelling argument than we do.
When it comes to greyhound racing, I just don’t know. And I am sure if I had voiced my “educated” opinion to someone in the dog racing industry, they would have had the same knee-jerk reaction that those of us in the horse racing industry have when we come under attack from outsiders. We lash back. We dispute their facts, their figures, and their methods. And where does that get us? Nowhere. They dig in their heels, we dig in ours. Nobody wins.
So I continued my greyhound research, and learned that most dogs, if injured, are not cata- strophically injured. Most dogs, when finished racing, can be adopted as pets. And most dogs, contrary to activists’ opinions, just love to run.
Having seen Gypsy take off across my back- yard at full speed for no apparent reason, I can wholeheartedly agree with that last statement. But most people don’t have a Gypsy. And most people won’t look past the first page of Google results to find the truth, because most people just don’t know.
So what if we took my friend’s advice? What if we opened our minds and considered where the other side is coming from? Perhaps we would be able to impart our opinions in a better way. Perhaps if we put ourselves in their shoes, we might understand why they believe what they do, which would help us figure out a better way to educate them and teach them the truth.
Because I’ve been there. I know Gypsy is only alive because of an industry that wanted to kill her because she couldn’t compete. And I could have easily become one of the staunch- est, most vocal opponents of greyhound racing ever. But I don’t hate the greyhound racing industry, because I made the decision to open my mind, act with respect, and consider another point of view. In doing so, I was able to find the truth, thanks to a greyhound named Gypsy.
Gypsy
SPEEDHORSE, April 27, 2012 11
UNDER WRAPS
Stacy PIgott