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Before Floridians vote Tuesday to end greyhound racing by 2021, Maryann Tolliver would answer three inquiries a week from people looking to adopt a retired dog from Derby Lane in St. Petersburg.
But less than a week after voters dealt a fatal blow to the sport, which was already declining in Florida, Tolliver said he heard of more than two dozen candidates who were waiting to immediate benefits.
Despite the impending deadline and the reaction of consenting adopters, nothing has yet rushed to place greyhounds racing on the sidelines of the industry.
Derby Lane, like many of the state's 11 runways, has committed to keep running until its deadline in 26 months. At the same time, a national coalition of 100 adoption groups, host families and drivers gathered to help absorb the thousands of canine refugees flowing in Florida's footsteps. – dogs that do not continue to run on the last six tracks of the country in five states.
"We are not panicked, we will not change the way we do adoptions," said Tolliver, president of the Greyhound Pets of America in Tampa Bay, adoption branch of Derby Lane. "We will not just distribute dogs."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Derby Lane must determine what is the next step now that voters have approved the ban on greyhound racing.
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Throughout the debate on Amendment 13, which was passed with 69% of the vote, the supporters of the race warned that the ban would trigger a massive flood of dogs in need of a home. .
The Florida Greyhound Association estimates that there are 8,000 Florida racing dogs and 7,000 puppies on farm farms on the bridge to enter the industry, the same statistic as the one used there five years ago. But as the state does not track the number of greyhounds in the sport it regulates, there are no independent estimates.
And data from the industry indicate that actual populations could be much lower. According to an analysis by Grey2K USA, the National Greyhound Association had a total of 9,488 dogs registered in the six race states in 2016, down 25% from 2009. Last month, there were only 3,700 greyhounds in Florida. , the architect of Amendment 13 and initiatives that have led to the closure of 30 routes since 2001.
"It's an ever-changing number," said Carey Theil, Managing Director of Grey2k. "The dog population on Florida's runways today is different from the population of yesterday because a lot of dogs come in and out."
At Derby Lane, which opened in 1925 and is owned by the founder's great-grandson, between 900 and 1,000 dogs live in the kennel year-round, Tolliver said.
She stated that her organization adopted between 200 and 250 greyhounds a year in retirement due to her age or injuries.
Although the exact numbers are not known, the number of greyhounds raised each year has declined over the past decade due to the decrease in public enthusiasm for the sport. Since 1990, the amount of bets on greyhound racing in Florida has decreased by 74%, according to state figures.
The total amount bet on Derby Lane alone dropped to less than $ 21 million from $ 80 million in 2006.
As trainers and owners prepare for the deadline, Tolliver said fewer dogs would be introduced into the state, which would allow for natural elimination.
"They know that the end is coming in 2020, so they will not continue to have full kennels with respect to runners," said Tolliver, who has led the Derby Lane adoptions for 20 years.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: The passage of amendment 13 means the end of dog racing in Derby Lane, Florida, by 2020
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When the 100 Greyhound Adopters for Racing groups and private greyhound volunteers started early this year, it was to oppose the efforts to end Florida racing. With the adoption of Amendment 13, coalition vice-president John Parker said the group's mission was to help trainers, owners and tours to adopt every last dog leaving the area.
"I am very confident that the adoptive community will not let any greyhounds be left behind," said Atlanta attorney Parker. "We do not want them to go to animal shelters in general, we do not want them with groups that have no experience of greyhounds." They belong to a specific breed and need to be in good health. a specific type of focus. "
Parker said this massive relocation would be done gradually, mainly via coordination via the Facebook network, where hundreds of volunteers coordinate information.
But a long and long division in the adoptive community also complicates some efforts.
Kelly Faircloth, president of Greyhound Rescue and Adoptions of Tampa Bay, said those who protested what they view as blatant abuses in the races were blacklisted after receiving retired greyhounds on tracks across the country.
Since its founding in 1993, Faircloth has stated that its organization has treated greyhounds with a serious dental disease, that they could barely open their mouths, dogs whose bones were broken and that did not heal correctly, chemical burns caused by trainers using pesticides to treat fleas and dogs suffering from burns. untreated tumors or lymphomas.
While efforts to end dog racing in Florida have intensified over the past five years, Faircloth said groups like her, who were not obviously pro-racing, or neutral from sport, were banned.
At the same time, the alleged abuses continued to be brought to the attention of the public. The state began requiring channels only to report dog deaths in 2013. Since then, 483 deaths have been reported from fractures, heart failure and electrocution in the middle of the race because of the lure in motion. high voltage that dogs hunt around the track.
"I firmly believe that the race is inhumane and cruel and that's why we did what we did," Faircloth said. "When we objected to that, they immediately called us extremists, ruining livelihoods and wanting to destroy the race, we actually wanted the race to be non-existent, which is completely ridiculous."
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For Cal Holland Sr., coach of Derby Lane, the adoption of Amendment 13 marks the heartbreaking end of his family's five generations in sport.
He emphasizes his 50 years of dedication to his animals to counter allegations on the other side that races are inherently inhumane. Holland, 74, explains that greyhounds usually spend up to 23 hours a day in their cage are exaggerated, although he acknowledges that the 64 dogs from his kennel come out "a few hours a day" between their four twice a week runs that last about 30 seconds.
"They love running," Holland said.
From here on January 1, 2021, Holland announced that he was hoping to be retired to Hernando Beach, where his boat is waiting at his dock. The handful of customers who own the 64 dogs in his care will be shared between those who decide to gradually adopt their greyhounds and those who go to other states.
Even with the end in sight, he said he would stay as long as he could.
"As long as they continue to train and work, we will continue to run," Holland said.
Contact Tracey McManus at [email protected] or (727) 445-4151. Follow @TroMcManus.
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