HSUS AFFILIATE AMONG GROUPS ORDERED TO PAY FELD ATTORNEY FEES

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The Fund for Animals, which merged with HSUS in 2005, was one of the plaintiffs in the 2006 case against Feld Entertainment. Although the HSUS itself was not a party to the lawsuit, the animal rights giant still could be held responsible for the costs under the terms of the merger agreement between HSUS and the Fund. The parties have been fighting over court costs since the animal rights case against Feld was dismissed by a federal judge in 2009 after evidence surfaced that the plaintiffs’ key witness had been paid for his testimony.

Humanewatch.org has reported that court documents suggest HSUS may have been involved in paying the witness. A request by Feld that HSUS be held liable for attorney fees was denied without prejudice, meaning that Feld is free to pursue recovery of costs from HSUS in a separate proceeding.

Feld reports that court costs and attorney fees in the case have exceeded $20 million. After reviewing documents to be submitted by April 15, the court will decide on the amount to be recovered by Feld.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which also was a party to the lawsuit, is not included in the latest order for cost recovery because it agreed to pay Feld $9.3 million in a separate settlement last December.

 

LONG-TIME NGA LEADER DUTCH KOERNER LAID TO REST

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Former National Greyhound Association (NGA) President Herb "Dutch" Koerner was laid to rest today in his hometown of Hays, KS. Koerner died March 27 after a lengthy illness. A member of the Greyhound Hall of Fame and a winner of the NGA’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award, Koerner served the NGA as a Board Member from 1982 to 2000, and as President from 1990 to 2000.  

During his tenure on the board, Dutch Koerner participated in the creation of the American Greyhound Council (AGC), an organization formed jointly by the NGA and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA) in 1987 to fund and oversee greyhound health, welfare and adoption programs.

 

Koerner raised greyhounds on his Hays farm for more than fifty years, first joining the NGA (then the NCA) in 1963. His “Dutch” greyhounds were familiar on the racing scene throughout the decades, and his most noted greyhound, Dutch Bahama—twice winner of the American Derby—preceded him into the Hall of Fame.

AGC spokesperson Gary Guccione said Koerner was a strong advocate for holding greyhound owners and kennel operators accountable for responsible animal care. Under his leadership at NGA, the organization adopted stringent rules allowing for lifetime expulsion of members found guilty of failing to provide proper care and treatment for greyhounds. He was also an ardent supporter of greyhound adoption initiatives.

Survivors include his wife JoAnn; sisters Jean Karlin of Des Moines, Ia., and Wilma Clark of Louisville, Ky.; a sister-in-law, Betty Bunker of Greeley, Co.; longtime employee and special son Grady William and wife Tavia of Hays; special granddaughters Sarah Gottschalk, and Madalyn and Monique William; and several nieces and nephews.

 

 

 

 

TRACK EXEC RESPONDS TO GALVESTON DAILY NEWS ARTICLE

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UPDATE: The Briggs letter was published in the March 27 edition of the newspaper.
 
A March 17 Galveston Daily News story about greyhound racing in Texas has been answered by Gulf Greyhound Park General Manager Sally Briggs. In a letter to the publication’s editor, Briggs said the story showed “how animal rights activists present their propaganda claims as fact, even when those claims defy logic and common sense.”
 

 
The story highlighted a report released to Texas media a few days earlier by Grey2K USA and the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Recent proposals to authorize slot machines at Texas tracks apparently provided the impetus for the report, which was nothing more than a rehash of Grey2K’s standard attacks against greyhound racing.
 
Here’s the full text of Ms. Briggs’ letter:
 
Dear Editor:
 
The March 17 story on Texas greyhound racing shows how animal rights activists present their propaganda claims as fact, even when those claims defy logic and common sense.
Racing greyhounds must be well cared for in order to perform at their best. Industry regulations require that they be housed in comfortable crates large enough to permit the greyhounds to stand, sit, lie down and turn around comfortably. Anything less would cause stiff and sore muscles, making it much more difficult for the dogs to compete.
Similarly, greyhounds are turned out for exercise 4-5 times daily in order to ensure that they remain in top condition. When they’re not racing or exercising, they prefer to rest, which is why adoptive greyhound owners often refer to their retired racers as “40 mile an hour couch potatoes.” Exercise and rest are both essential for healthy racers.
Good nutrition is another key to the health of racing greyhounds. The meat they consume is the same highly nutritious meat used in the commercial pet foods most of us give our pets every day. If this diet weren’t suitable for greyhounds, they wouldn’t grow, thrive and perform as well as they do.
Grey2K distorts the facts on greyhound injuries, too. Veterinary records show that injuries occur in fewer than one-quarter of one percent per 1,000 racing starts. The vast majority of those injuries are relatively minor, allowing the dogs to return to racing after a week or two. When a return to racing is not possible, the greyhounds transition successfully to life in an adoptive home.
Whether Texas experiences an expansion of gaming or not, we will continue to take our responsibilities very seriously when it comes to the health and welfare of the greyhounds at our track. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Sally Briggs, General Manager
Gulf Greyhound Park
 
 
 

NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR 2013 GREYHOUND ADOPTION AWARD

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The American Greyhound Council (AGC) is now accepting nominations for the 2013 Greyhound Adoption Person of the Year (GAPY) Award. In 2012, seventeen exceptional adoption leaders were nominated. Lesley Ezkovich of It’s a Grey Area, Inc., a Louisiana adoption group, won the award.

The award was established in 2007 by the American Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA) to recognize outstanding contributions by adoption volunteers or paid staff. It is presented at the annual spring meeting of the AGC/AGTOA. The winner is the guest of the AGC at that meeting, and receives a $500 check for the adoption group of his/her choice.

For more information on the GAPY award, click on the "Adoption Person of the Year" button on our home page.

EZKOVICH RECEIVES GAPY AWARD, AGC RENEWS ADOPTION GRANTS

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At meetings in Las Vegas last week, officials of the American Greyhound Council (AGC) presented the 2012 Greyhound Adoption Person of the Year (GAPY) Award to Lesley Ezkovich, the founder of It’s a Grey Area, Inc., an adoption group based in Pearl River, LA.
 
 
 

Ezkovich received her wood and bronze plaque, a complimentary copy of “Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound,” and a check for $500 from AGC President Hall Gill, an NGA Board member. Her husband, Glen, looked on proudly, as did Lesley’s mother, other family members and fellow adoption volunteers.
 
“This has been anything but a one-person show,” Ezkovich said. “This award is really for all the people in our group who have worked so hard and done so much to make sure that every greyhound in our program finds the perfect home.”
 
The AGC board reauthorized funding for the farm inspection program, adoption hauls, the greyhound health research database, a canine veterinary medicine symposium, and the Greyhound Hall of Fame in Abilene KS.
 
In other action, the AGC renewed its commitment to the adoption grant program, appropriating $70,000 to help local greyhound groups pay for feed, supplies, veterinary care and other expenses. The maximum grant amount remains $1,250. An additional $7,500 was earmarked for the national adoption organization, Greyhound Pets of America, which operates a national adoption hotline and has 39 chapters across the nation.
 
The AGC is a joint effort of the American Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA) and the National Greyhound Association (NGA). Officers for the new, fiscal year beginning April 1, 2013 are Bill Lee, President (AGTOA); Fred Fulchino, Vice President (NGA); Tim Leuschner, Secretary (AGTOA); and Steve Gilster, Treasurer (NGA).

 

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GREY2K TRIES BACK-DOOR SCHEME TO END SIMULCASTING AT NEW HAMPSHIRE TRACKS

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UPDATE: On March 13, New Hampshire legislators rejected Grey2K’s bill by a two-to-one margin. 
 
A bill now under consideration by the New Hampshire (NH) legislature would make it illegal for the state’s racetracks to simulcast greyhound racing signals from states that do not require public reporting of injuries. While the bill, a Grey2K initiative, has been defeated in a House committee, it will be debated on the House floor on March 6.
 

The American Greyhound Council (AGC) and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association (AGTOA) have joined forces to defeat the proposal, which is a clear violation of federal interstate commerce laws.
 
If passed, the bill would prohibit Seabrook Park and Rockingham Park from simulcasting signals from tracks in Florida and other states where injury reports are not made public. Grey2K officials claim the bill will result in changes to Florida injury reporting rules, but AGC spokesperson Gary Guccione dismissed that argument as ludicrous. 
 
"New Hampshire can’t dictate how Florida regulates racing," said Guccione. "This bill isn’t about injury reporting in Florida; it’s about forcing Seabrook Park to close for good."
 
Karen Keelan, President of Seabrook Park, confirmed that passage of the bill would force Seabrook to close its doors permanently, since signals from Florida comprise about 85 percent of her simulcast business. New Hampshire prohibited live greyhound racing in the state two years ago.
 
In testimony delivered before the House Ways and Means Committee, Keelan testified, "I have sent a letter to the 150 employees of Seabrook Park and its operating entities, many of whom have worked at Seabrook for almost 40 years, that our facility will have to close its doors forever, effective July 1, 2013, if this bill passes."
 
Attorneys have advised AGTOA and AGC that HB564 would likely face an immediate court challenge if passed. Under federal law, state laws that would affect commerce between states must be applied even-handedly and without discrimination, and they must be proven to serve a compelling local interest.
 
The Grey2K bill, HB 564, fails to meet both tests. Since New Hampshire no longer allows live greyhound racing, the bill’s public reporting requirements would not apply to New Hampshire and would not serve any compelling local interest. 

FORMER EMPLOYEES QUESTION HSUS PRACTICES, MOTIVATIONS

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According to HumaneWatch.org, the online HSUS watchdog, two former employees of the Humane Society resigned their jobs with the organization’s animal rescue team over “questionable practices” that included HSUS personnel wearing badges to falsely suggest that they were law enforcement officers.
 

The information about these and other dubious practices is contained in court documents associated with an ongoing $5 million lawsuit against HSUS by a South Dakota hunting dog breeder. In 2009, the HSUS Emergency Services team participated in a “raid” on the breeder’s facility based on a search warrant that the court later determined was wrongfully obtained.
 
As a result of the raid, the breeder’s dogs were seized by HSUS, and animal cruelty charges filed. Later, all of the animal cruelty charges were dropped, but the dogs, which HSUS had “humanely removed” from the property, were never returned to their owner. Humanewatch reports that some dogs died (presumably while in HSUS custody); others may have been adopted out. The breeder was forced into bankruptcy.
 
The resignation emails sent to HSUS President Wayne Pacelle from the two employees reportedly went into depth about their concerns regarding HSUS handling of its “rescue” activities. According to Humanewatch, “The allegations range from poor management in transporting animals from a puppy mill seizure to illegal, unafe or unethical actions such as overloading vehicles and driving through floodwaters.”
 
One of the disgusted employees wrote, “When the motivation for the work done becomes the publicity and the accolades received, then we have lost sight of why we do what we do. I could no longer put my professional reputation on the line or risk being arrested or sued because you chose to bend of break the law and disregard response protocols.”
 
This isn’t the first time that a lawsuit against HSUS has revealed the organization’s propensity for unethical behavior. Earlier this year, Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, won a $9.3 million settlement against HSUS after it was discovered that the animal rights giant had participated in paying former circus employees to testify that performing elephants had been abused by their handlers. After the payments, which exceeded $150,000, came to light, the testimony was rejected as “not credible” by the judge. 

MR. QUIGGLY–GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

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Remember the great Skechers ad that ran in last year’s Super Bowl–the one that featured Mr. Quiggley, the sneaker-wearing feisty French bulldog, running a race against a field of lightning-fast greyhounds? If you do, you’re not alone. The 2012 Super Bowl spot was featured recently in a CBS TV special highlighting the favorite Super Bowl ads of all time. 

The top ten all-time favorite ads, which included classics such as the Mean Joe Green ad for Coca-Cola and the first "Talking Baby" ad for ETrade, were chosen by viewers. The Mr. Quiggley spot didn’t make the top ten, but the ad was popular enough to win special mention as one of the all-time best Super Bowl commercials featuring animals.

We’re guessing this was not welcome news to Grey2K, which did its best to prevent the ad from airing in the first place. The radical animal rights group protested the ad because it "promoted" greyhound racing.

Fortunately, no one paid any attention to the killjoys at Grey2K. In fact, the Skechers ad was widely honored as one of the top spots to appear in the 2012 Super Bowl.

While Grey2K is probably trying to forget the Skechers ad, the CBS Special made it clear that millions of others still remember the indisputably unforgettable Mr. Quiggley.

FLORIDA NEWSPAPER HEARS FROM FGA PRESIDENT

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A January 27 letter to the Ocala (FL) Press Banner that showed "just how wrong people can be when they rely on outdated and biased information from unqualified sources" has elicited a strong response from Florida Greyhound Association (FGA) President Jim Blanchard. The offending letter appeared on the publication’s website, ocala.com.

Here’s the full text of Blanchard’s letter to the editor:

 "The January 27 letter from David Samek regarding greyhound racing showed just how wrong people can be when they rely on outdated and biased information from unqualified sources.
 
"First, the writer bases much of his letter on his own experience—in 1989. That was more than twenty years ago, when greyhound adoption programs were still in their infancy.
 
"Twenty-three years later, the vast majority of registered greyhounds—nearly 95 percent—are placed in loving homes when they retire. Hundreds of adoption groups around the country work constructively with greyhound racing every day to make sure that every retired greyhound finds a “forever” home.
 
"Contrary to the writer’s claim, people who breed and race greyhounds are in the business because they love the dogs. For every greyhound that wins a race, seven dogs lose. Relatively few greyhounds generate significant revenues for their owners over the course of their careers. Those owners remain in the sport for the simple joy of working with the dogs. Many have second jobs that pay the bills so they can afford to continue participating in racing.
 
"The most unfortunate thing about this writer’s letter was its endorsement of Grey2K USA, a radical animal rights group. Grey2K has become infamous for distorting the facts and promoting misinformation in order to raise money for its lobbying and political action programs.
 
"Grey2K provides no direct services to benefit greyhounds. It does not provide greyhound adoption services, and in fact has actively opposed some adoption groups in the past simply because those groups worked constructively with greyhound racing.
 
"For reliable, accurate information on greyhound racing, your readers may wish to visit the website of the American Greyhound Council, the greyhound welfare organization in racing, at www.agcouncil.com."
 
 

 
 

 

AGC HITS MISINFORMATION IN MICHIGAN NEWSPAPER

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AGC Spokesperson Gary Guccione has written to the Greenville (MI) Daily News, challenging misinformation presented in a recent story about a local family that adopted a retired greyhound.

"We always appreciate stories about retired racing greyhounds and the wonderful people who adopt them," Guccione wrote, "but it’s disappointing when those stories give a mistaken impression of greyhound racing and the dogs that retire from the sport."

 The letter continued, "The greyhound owner quoted in the story marveled at how well her adopted greyhounds adapted to family life.

"It should be obvious that this would not be the case if those greyhounds had not received proper treatment, care and exercise during their racing careers. Racing greyhounds love being around people, which certainly wouldn’t be the case if they had experienced mistreatment.

 "As anyone who has adopted a greyhound will tell you, greyhounds live to do two things: run and sleep. They are born racers, and they expend tremendous energy when they run. When they’re not running, they prefer to sleep, which is why greyhounds are often referred to as “40 mile per hour couch potatoes.” At the track, they sleep in their crates, which are generously sized so the dogs can sit, stand, lie down and turn around comfortably.
 
"We honor all those who adopt retired greyhounds, and ask only that they pass on accurate information about greyhound racing when they promote their adoption activities."