This past Election Day, history was made on more than one front. Not only did America vote into office the first African American president, but also Californians overwhelmingly passed Proposition 2, a measure to end the inhumane confinement of animals on factory farms. And, in Massachusetts, voters approved a measure to shut down dog racetracks throughout the state by 2010.
Many people who are passionate about the mistreatment of animals in our country have spoken and by the looks of things, America is listening.
“Cruelty is cruelty,” says Jennifer Fearing, chief economist for The Humane Society of the United States and campaign manager for the Yes on Prop 2 campaign. “And there is nothing trivial about the suffering of animals. How they live matters. And, as of this election, it’s clear that how farm animals live matters to the people of California.”
When Fearing received the call to duty, she packed up her dog, Yoda, and cat, Kennedy, putting her life in Washington D.C. on hold to return to Sacramento to fight a fight she believes in passionately. It was her tireless dedication and belief in a very straightforward notion that helped guide this proposition to victory. “It is a simple and yet profound principle we have advanced: that ALL animals including those raised for food, deserve humane treatment,” says Fearing.
Fearing got a lot of help – from the grassroots to the divas of daytime television. Prop 2 would never have been on the ballot were it not for the nearly 4,000 volunteers statewide who collected almost 800,000 signatures from fellow California voters through the winter months. This “army of the kind” was aided by such notable celebrity animal lovers as Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, both of whom helped to raise considerable awareness about the suffering of farm animals. DeGeneres, joined by her partner Portia de Rossi, hosted a star-studded gala at a Bel Air mansion in September where more than $1 million was raised for the YES! on Prop 2 campaign. Among the guests were Prop 2 supporters Tobey Maguire, Jared Leto, Carole King, James Cromwell, Heather Graham, Kelly Lynch and many others.
In the Massachusetts election, GREY2K USA, a national non-profit group dedicated to passing stronger Greyhound protection laws and ending the cruelty of dog racing, led the pack to stomp out dog racing in the state. “We are grateful that Massachusetts citizens chose compassion over cruelty on Election Day. Once people in other states learn about the animal suffering caused by dog racing, they will make Greyhound gambling illegal in their own states as well,” said Christine Dorchak, President and General Counsel for GREY2K USA and co-Chairperson on the Committee to Protect Dogs.
Dorchak was so passionate about this issue that she became a Greyhound lawyer so she could author the ballot question and end dog racing in her home state. GREY2K USA is now supported by more than 30,000 members nationwide, from schoolteachers to dog walkers, veterinarians to accountants, physicists to florists all working together to end dog racing in this country. “The victory in Massachusetts was truly won by everyday people working on the ground level, speaking to their neighbors, hosting outreach events, and providing facts to their fellow voters about dog racing at Wonderland and Raynham Greyhound Parks. That was the key: people delivering information to other people, and asking them to please help the Greyhounds,” said Dorchak.
What’s next on the agenda for GREY2K USA? The group will be working to find loving “forever” homes for Greyhounds exiting the Massachusetts dog tracks. But no matter where people live, Greyhounds are available for adoption and GREY2K USA offers a rescue referral on its web site at grey2kusa.org/adoption/links.html.
Massachusetts is not the only state in this country that was involved in the business of dog racing. In the last 15 years, nine states have outlawed the sport and, thanks in part to the work of GREY2K USA, the last two tracks in both Colorado and Kansas closed this year as well. Ten states, however, still legally race dogs for profit: Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Alabama, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Arkansas, New Hampshire and the heart of Greyhound racing, Florida. Therefore, GREY2K USA will be uniting with various communities across those states to work toward replicating the win in Massachusetts.
