# Sadness grips Raynham Park as dog track workers vow to stick by ‘family’



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Marc Vasconcellos/ THE ENTERPRISE
Raynham Park owner George Carney speaks to his supporters after Question 3 passed, abolishing greyhound racing in Massachusetts. David Flynn, Bridgewater, holds the hand of Maura Carney daughter of George Carney.

By Jessica Scarpati
*ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER*
Posted Nov 05, 2008 @ 01:51 AM
RAYNHAM - 
Leo Cahill is not giving up on the dog track, even if most of Massachusetts has.
The Bridgewater father has given most of his life to Raynham Park as an employee - 30 years of his 47 - but voters who elected to end dog racing Tuesday also put him and hundreds of others out of work.
Cahill has more than a year to look for another job, as the law takes effect in 2010, but he and other employees vowed to stand by the business that has employed them for decades, even as its earnings withered.
"I'm going to do whatever the company needs me to do," Cahill said. "They've been there for me in good times and bad times, so I'll be there for them - in good times and bad." 
Despite predictions Question 3 would be a close race, it was far from a photo finish. 
Even though most of southeastern Massachusetts voted to keep dog racing intact by steep margins, 56 percent of voters elected to end it.

 Raynham voters opposed the question 5,409 to 1,406.
 Brockton rejected it 19,833 to 11,323.
 Bridgewater turned it down 8,135 to 3,649.
 Taunton opposed it 14,758 to 6,850.
 Easton rejected it 7,565 to 4,170.
 Middleboro turned it down 6,989 to 3,935.
Carey Theil, executive director for the Committee to Protect Dogs, the group that championed Question 3's passage, issued a statement calling the results "a victory for everyone in the Commonwealth who cares about dogs."
"For 75 years, greyhounds have suffered at local dog tracks. Tonight's vote means that this cruelty will finally come to an end," he said in the statement.
Throughout its campaign, the group alleged the standards for greyhound racing were inherently "cruel and inhumane," pointing to injury rates and boarding practices.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has pledged to take in and find homes for any adoptable greyhounds.
The greyhounds belong to kennel owners, many of whom are expected to race the dogs - worth thousands of dollars - in other states.
In addition to job loss, the closure of the track, along with Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, will also have repercussions for the town of Raynham and the state.
The track has contributed an average of $440,000 annually to Raynham for 25 years because it has been its host community. Lottery ticket sales at the track over the past decade have lined state coffers with $67.6 million. 
Addressing a dwindling crowd of dejected faces and damp eyes in the track's lounge, Raynham Park owner George Carney told his workers late Tuesday he would try to "take care of" them.
"We're going to see if we can find worker for them in other places," Carney said later. "Right now, I can't say what it is."
As track workers filed out of the lounge after the concession speech, Carney embraced them with hugs.
"Don't worry. We'll do something," he told one woman.
Mona Stuber-Case of Taunton, who works in the accounting department, was red-eyed and dazed after the speech.
"When you work here, it's like a family," she said.
"We're going to stay here as long as we can," added coworker Lilly Remple-Elliot of Abington.
Carney said it was too early to say what the long-term plans would be for the property, but said the track would continue to operate as usual. 
He said it was uncertain, however, if there would be enough employees and dog kennel owners to keep it functional through 2009.
"I don't know, it all depends," Carney said. "A lot of these people are going to have to start looking for work. They have families to take care of, and I understand that."
When asked if he would push the Legislature to overturn the initiative ballot, Carney dismissed the idea as "a waste of time."
The track's only hope, he said, is slot machines. State Rep. David L. Flynn, D-Bridgewater, promised the crowd he would push to have the track licensed to host slot machines.
"Don't count me out for continuing the fight and don't count the Carneys out," Flynn said. 
Laraine Nickerson of Raynham, who has earned $12.50 an hour at the track as a betting clerk, said she found it "demeaning" when a Question 3 supporter suggested people in her position could work as movie ticket seller.
"I need a serious reality check, I guess. I gave people a lot more credit," said Nickerson, 58. "It's an injustice."
Anger and sadness gripped the room as defeat inched closer. Track supporters and employees huddled at tables, wondering aloud how voters could eliminate dog racing.
"It seems unfair you could legislate an industry out of business," said betting clerk Dan Keleher, 66, of North Easton. "It's not fair, and a lot of little people are going to get hurt."


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## dcs2244 (Jan 29, 2004)

“I need a serious reality check, I guess. I gave people a lot more credit,” said Nickerson, 58. “It’s an injustice.”

Gee, could she be talking about the general election for president, too?


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2008)

What a joke this state is.....................


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## Guest (Nov 5, 2008)

What a joke this state is (has become).....................


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## DodgeRam (May 3, 2006)

The track is still there, just grab some pony's and they'll be set


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

DodgeRam said:


> The track is still there, just grab some pony's and they'll be set


The pony's will be next,the sheeple will be screaming that they are sold
for dog food when they are used up.


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## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

I was thinking the same thing Harry...first dogs, then ponys....next they will stop tapping maple trees for syrup because the trees dont deserve that kind of pain so we can enjoy our shortstacks in the morning..


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

kwflatbed said:


> Carey Theil, executive director for the Committee to Protect Dogs, the group that championed Question 3's passage, issued a statement calling the results "a victory for everyone in the Commonwealth who cares about dogs."
> 
> "For 75 years, greyhounds have suffered at local dog tracks. Tonight's vote means that this cruelty will finally come to an end," he said in the statement.


What a load of shit.

If things were really that bad, why the year-plus delay for it to take effect? If it was really "for the dogs", why not implement it immediately or within 30 days like the Cheech & Chong ballot question?


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## 7costanza (Aug 29, 2006)

Yeah....Treebeards from The Lord of The Rings doesnt count....


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

mikemac64 said:


> Horses can still race but dogs cannot. This kind of discriminates against dogs.


Horse racing will be next. Then police mounted units, then police K-9's, and there will be no stopping until you can legally marry your pet in this farce of a state. Except the SJC will take care of that instead of needing a ballot question.

I can just picture the whackos screaming about Suffolk Downs; "It's so horrible.....it smells like a stable in the horses' living quarters!!"


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## jettsixx (Dec 10, 2005)

Boo Hoo, If the damn tracks took better care of the dogs, They would probably have been all set. If you live in some fantasy land and think that all the dogs are adopted then you obviously have never worked with any of the former racing dogs. These dogs do cost the animal shelters hundreds of dollars in medical care before they are adopted out.


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## Guest (Nov 6, 2008)

jettsixx said:


> Boo Hoo, If the damn tracks took better care of the dogs, They would probably have been all set. If you live in some fantasy land and think that all the dogs are adopted then you obviously have never worked with any of the former racing dogs. These dogs do cost the animal shelters hundreds of dollars in medical care before they are adopted out.


Did you know that "Grey2K" and the ASPCA actually helped design the kennels at MA dog tracks that are supposed to be inhumane? Then lied about it? Of course, lying is nothing new to these people. They're the same ones who showed pictures of dog kennels in South America and implied they were in Massachusetts.

Anyone with a room temperature IQ knows that if you want an athlete, be it human or animal, to perform at its peak potential then you don't abuse it. That's borne out by the fact there has never been a single sustained incident of abuse at any MA dog track.

Perhaps you'd like to explain why this is going to take over a year to go into effect? If the conditions at dog tracks were even half as bad as the whackos wanted us to believe, it would be cruelty on their part to not make the closure of the tracks immediate.

This ballot question was all about validating the whack jobs who want to put dogs on the same plateau as humans, and make them feel good about themselves.

And to answer the inevitable question, I've never wagered a single penny on a dog race anywhere.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

jettsixx said:


> Boo Hoo, If the damn tracks took better care of the dogs, They would probably have been all set. If you live in some fantasy land and think that all the dogs are adopted then you obviously have never worked with any of the former racing dogs. These dogs do cost the animal shelters hundreds of dollars in medical care before they are adopted out.


ALL shelter animals cost money to the shelters not just the dogs.
I am not going to get into it here but I am on the board of directors for
two animal shelters and it is a full time job raising money to support them.
Dog racing has been well monitored in MA for abuse and there has been little to none at the tracks.As with any other animals the place to start looking for abuse is with the breeders.We did a rescue this past year from a breeder involving over 800 animals and not one word of it in the media.
PETA and the groups like them that push theses issues are NO friends to
any animal they all need to clean their own houses first


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## HistoryHound (Aug 30, 2008)

Did anyone who supported this question think about what will happen to the dogs now? From a business perspective, these dogs were an asset to their owners. Just like any other business, it doesn't make sense that their owners would mistreat or injure them because; then, they wouldn't be profitable. Once this ban takes effect these dogs will no longer be an asset and they will be disposed of just like any other piece of equipment that no longer serves its purpose. Now even if every owner does the right thing and attempts to adopt out their dogs, there will still be a large number of dogs that will be killed. The reality is that the shelters will not be able to handle the large number of animals coming in, and with the economy the way it is a lot of families can not afford to take on the expense of a dog. I have adopted two dogs from shelters, one just hours before she was set to be euthanized. The reason this dog with a great temperment was to be put down was lack of space. She had simply been there too long and they needed the space. Thanks to the passage of this question a lot of dogs will meet that fate.


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

Curious About What Will Happen To Mass. Greyhounds










BOSTON (WBZ) ― Three days after Massachusetts voted to ban dog racing, many are now wondering what will happen to the greyhounds.

Voters passed Question 3 on Election Day, which would eliminate dog racing in the state by 2010.

There are currently 900 race dogs at *Raynham Park*. It's expected they will have much *fewer dogs *by the end of 2009.

The race track told WBZ many of the dogs will go to tracks in 12 other states that allow racing, while others will be adopted out.








*Adopt A Greyhound
*
Supporters of the ban said they'll reach out to the tracks to help with adoptions, but kennel owners will have the final say.

http://wbztv.com/local/question.3.greyhound.2.859370.html


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