Staff Writer| Florida Times-Union
By Teresa Stepzinski
Racing greyhounds died at the Orange Park Kennel Club at the second highest rate in Florida over a 19-month period from June 2013 though December 2014, state data show.
Twenty-three dogs died at the track, making it two deaths shy of Derby Lane in St. Petersburg, which reported 25 dog deaths and topped the state during that period. A total of 192 greyhounds statewide died during that time, according to an analysis of the deaths by The News-Press in Fort Myers.
The Orange Park Kennel Club is among 13 dog racing tracks in Florida. Under a rule enacted in 2013, Florida requires dog track operators to notify the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, which regulates the industry, within 18 hours of a greyhound's death at the track. The division is part of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Many racing greyhounds die as the result of broken legs from collisions or falls on the track, some die from natural causes and others die of unknown causes, said Carey Theil, executive director of GREY2K USA, a nonprofit nationwide greyhound protection organization. The advocacy group monitors greyhound racing deaths in Florida and other states where it's legal.
"The vast majority of these dogs are young healthy dogs," Theil said of the deaths the organization has seen. "The most common injury we see is broken legs."
Similar fatalities have occurred at the Orange Park Kennel Club, which is part of bestbet, which also operates a poker room at its 455 Park Ave. gambling facility.
¦ Flying Mathena, a 2-year-old female euthanized July 13, 2013 after "breaking a hock." The dog was raced on the day it died.
¦ Hallo Spice Kay, a 2-year-old female found dead with blood around her mouth Sept. 3, 2013 after being sprinted in the dark at the club's sprint path. Investigation indicated the dog might have hit its head while sprintingk.
¦ Leroyjethrogibbs, a 3-year-old male euthanized Aug. 15, 2014 after being bumped, falling and breaking a leg during a race.
¦ AMF Love Boat, a 1-year-old female euthanized Nov. 24, 2014 at a veterinarian's office after chronic weight loss. The dog's blood work was inconclusive and it was unresponsive to treatment. It wasn't raced that day.
Over the club's 83 days of racing, purses totaled $985,449, according to the fiscal year 2013-14 annual report issued by the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.
Neither bestbet executives nor its spokesman Michael Munz responded to Times-Union telephone and email messages seeking comment Wednesday.
Officials with nonprofit Greyhounds as Pets of Northeast Florida, which according to its website is funded primarily by the Jacksonville-area racing circuit and kennels, also didn't respond to telephone and email messages seeking their perspective about the situation.
Those and other racing dogs died needlessly, said Theil, who was at the Orange Park Kennel Club a couple of months ago.
"The thing that is frustrating for us is they are literally dying for an industry that is not economically viable," said Theil, adding that annual financial profit-and-loss statements that dog tracks must submit to the state show "every dog track in the state is losing money on racing."
"The collective loss by all 12 [active] dog tracks statewide is more than $40 million a year, and the only reason they are staying open is because they are making millions of dollars on their poker rooms," Theil said.
Florida law couples poker rooms and other legal gambling parlors to greyhound tracks. Track owners, in order to keep their licenses for those other types of gambling, must also race dogs, according to the law.
The tracks aren't worth the price the dogs are paying, Theil said.
"A dog is dying every three days for nothing. For something that is losing money," Theil said.
Theil also said a track's schedule might impact the dogs' well-being.
"Orange Park is a year-round facility, which of course means there will be more races, more injuries and more potential deaths. … That raises questions. I think all of the tracks that had a significant number of deaths need to look at their policies," Theil said.
Florida lawmakers - when the regular 60-day session convenes March 3 - will take up proposed bills intended to better protect racing greyhounds. At least five bills relating to greyhound racing are filed; two have gained the most attention:
¦ Greyhound Safety Act - Requires any injuries to racing greyhounds be reported to the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. Current law only requires deaths be reported. The bill would increase the penalties for using "impermissible" drugs to boost a dog's performance. The division would be forbidden to grant a license or permit to race dogs to applicants with a prior conviction on animal cruelty, child abuse or felony assault charges. In addition, tracks would be required to maintain safe conditions for the dogs.
The bill would establish a fine for people making false statements on greyhound injury records. State Sen. Christopher Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, introduced the measure.
¦ Victoria Q. Gaetz Racing Greyhound Protection Act - Requires injuries to racing greyhounds be reported to the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering within seven days by track veterinarians or owners, trainers or kennel operators, depending on where the injury occurs. The measure would impose a fine on track veterinarians who fail to report the injuries. It was introduced by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood.
Jack Cory, spokesman for the Florida Greyhound Association, wrote on its website Tuesday that the Greyhound Safety Act would do more to protect dogs' well-being than the Victoria Q. Gaetz Racing Greyhound Protection Act.
"His [Smith] bill … stops injuries, provides immediate protection for the greyhounds and modernizes a form of entertainment that dates back to Florida for more than a century," wrote Cory, adding Sobel's bill "begins the slippery slope of ending Live Greyhound racing in Florida and converting those 13 facilities across the state into casinos."
GREY2K USA and other dog racing opponents want the law changed to "decouple" dog racing from the other types of gambling. The greyhound association, which represents the greyhound racing owners, opposes decoupling.
"So-called 'decoupling' subverts the will of Florida voters by not giving them the right to decide if casinos should be expanded statewide," Cory wrote.
Theil said another issue that needs to be examined is how many of the dogs that died might otherwise have survived their injuries if treated.
Teresa Stepzinski: (904) 359-4075
