As Florida rids dog racing, RI could be at forefront of adoptions

A big blow was dealt to the dog racing industry this week as Florida voters agreed to ban it entirely by 2021, leaving advocates for the sport saying 8,000 dogs will be forced into adoption.

Of course, Rhode Island has its own history with greyhound racing, a staple at one point at Twin River Casino in Lincoln. The last race was run in 2009, but the state shut it down mostly due to financial issues.

Cranston resident June Bazar used to run an adoption agency out of the Twin River track to help find forever homes for retired racers.

She said even if all 8,000 of Florida’s racing dogs have to be adopted out, as is common with retired dogs, there is hope through other greyhound adoption agencies. she said these agencies have a fantastic track record.

Bazar dealt with a similar problem when Rhode Island ended dog racing, but she only had to find homes for a couple of hundred dogs.

“I adopted them all out and some of them went to other tracks across the country,” she said. “I’m worried [dog racing] is going to become extinct. I really am. It has just taken my life away from me.”

With Florida banning dog racing, 11 tracks will be forced to shut its doors, accounting for around 2/3 of races around the country.

Advocates for the sport estimate that 8,000 dogs might be forced into adoption, and in a crisis the RISPCA is usually at the top of the list when it comes to taking in unwanted or abused animals. It’s because of the organizations ‘disaster relief’ status.

Eric St. Peter with the RISPCA said it’s too soon to tell if Rhode Island will be needed, but they will be keeping a close eye on it and offer help if its needed.

“It’s hard to say that sounds like a lot of dogs to me,” he said. “Obviously if it’s something we can help out with and still keep Rhode Island as a priority, we’d be more than happy to do that.”

Once Florida is out, greyhound racing will only be open for business in five states.