From “Joe Exotic” to Wayne Pacelle WASHINGTON D.C.––Soon-to-be-former U.S. President Donald Trump and his die-hard defenders who are now facing criminal charges for storming the U.S. National Capitol building on January 6, 2021 were scarcely the only big losers from the events of the day. Former U.S. Air Force security dog handler Ashli Babbitt, […]
Noted in passing: Bryant, Paulsen, Carothers, Domingues, & Weingartner
Activist legends in U.K., New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, & California Recently deceased longtime animal advocates John Bryant of Dorset, U.K., Judy Paulsen of Corrales, New Mexico, Randy Carothers of Rockwell, Texas, Rae Nell Domingues of Lafayette, Louisiana, and Susan Weingartner of southern California most likely never crossed paths in person, and may never even have […]
Hen caging & greyhound racing go before voters in 2018 election
Animal advocates & agribusiness split over California Proposition 12; Republicans split over Florida Proposition 13 SACRAMENTO, California; ORLANDO, Florida––The axiom that animal politics cut diagonally across partisan divides could scarcely be better illustrated than by the alignments for and against the two major ballot initiatives on animal issues going before voters on November 6, […]
Humans snort coke 170 times more often than racing greyhounds
Studies exonerate more than 99.9% of racing greyhounds, but not necessarily their trainers GAINESVILLE, Florida––If dogs could do drugs unassisted, the hard-working, short, highly stressed life of a racing greyhound might drive many times more to substance abuse than just the 1,150 greyhounds among more than 700,000 known to have flunked race day urine […]
Greyhound Friends founder acquitted of felony neglect
Rescue legend allegedly no longer kept up with the pack FRAMINGHAM, Massachusetts–– Greyhound Friends founder Louise Coleman, 73, for nearly 35 years a pioneer of racing greyhound rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption, was on December 1, 2017 acquitted of felony neglect by Framingham District Court Judge David Cunis, after a four-day bench trial. Concluded […]
Greyhound racing goes to the dogs in Miami, Macau, & Australia
Magic City is allowed to replace greyhound racing with jai alai––a precedent for “decoupling” animal racing from gambling permits MIAMI, Florida––The Magic City casino in West Flagler, Florida, after more than 13 years of legal struggle, is soon to become the first Florida betting venue to be allowed to abandon animal racing while continuing […]
Greyhound racing in Macau, China runs toward oblivion
Greyhound Racing New South Wales charges 179 “industry participants” with illegally supplying the only track in China RHODES, New South Wales, Australia; MACAU, China––Charges brought against 179 Australian “industry participants” for allegedly illegally exporting greyhounds to Macau appear likely to hasten the anticipated imminent end of greyhound racing at the Macau Canidrome, the oldest […]
Greyhound racing & Custer’s Last Stand
Going to the Dogs: Greyhound Racing, Animal Activism and American Popular Culture by Gwyneth Anne Thayer University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, KS 66045), 2013.296 pages, hardcover. $34.95. Reviewed by Merritt Clifton George Armstrong Custer was a greyhound buff, who may have devoted more time and attention to the dogs than he did to fulfilling […]
Dogfight over HSI/HSUS dog rescues in South Korea
Did the dogs come from dog meat farms or from puppy millers, hoarders, & dogfighters? SEOUL, South Korea––Has Humane Society International thus far in 2015 bought out three South Korean breeders of dogs for meat, or several puppy millers breeding primarily for the pet trade, and/or unwittingly bought a dogfighter’s culls, and/or just bought some […]
Helen Banks, 87, founder of Second Chance for Greyhounds
Helen Banks, 87, founder of Second Chance for Greyhounds, died on March 14, 2015. “Her protective concern for animals of all kinds started early,” recalled William Ernest Waites in a November/December 2002 profile of Banks for The Times of the Islands, “with much of her childhood spent rescuing strays. As an attractive young woman in […]