Proposition 401- Tucson Greyhound Park.

This is really mostly a polemic about the fuckers who live in my neighborhood.

I live in the City of South Tucson, a square mile of Tucson that seceded, essentially, from Tucson when the population (then as now, primarily Hispanic) determined that greater Tucson was failing to serve their needs.

On our ballots, but not on the ballots of any other Tucson residents, is an almost outrageously benign proposition, dealing with the proper treatment of dogs- and, aimed at the Tucson Greyhound Park. There aren't many greyhound parks left in Arizona. There aren't many left nationally. Ours is pretty much the last stop on the way to Mexico for racing greyhounds. It's not nice. It isn't. Check out http://www.endtucsongreyhoundracing.com/ for more details.
The ballot proposition is simple. Taken from the Pima County website, it reads:

Should South Tucson amend its animal ordinance to prohibit people from knowingly feeding uncooked meat to dogs; from giving dangerous anabolic steroids to dogs to enhance performance or prevent them from going into heat; from keeping dogs in cages for more than 18 hours in any 24 hour period?

A YES vote would make it illegal to: (1) feed dogs raw or uncooked meat from diseased, dying, disabled animals or animals already dead upon arrival at the slaughterhouse; (2) give dogs anabolic steroids to enhance performance or suppress estrus; and (3) confine dogs in crates or cages smaller than 35 inches high by 45 inches long by 35 inches wide for more than 18 hours in any 24 hour period.

A NO vote would keep the City Animal Ordinance as it now exists.


The propaganda we've been delivered is insane. I called the Greyhound Park to ask them who their vet is (in order to look up complaints about him or her on the State Licensing Board website), among other questions, and I was unable to get a single person who was able/willing to talk to me. I wanted to know, once we got their crap about how the Park employs so many people and so many residents of South Tucson, how many they employed? Full-time? Union? Health benefits? Nothing.

It angers me.

It infuriates me. The propaganda also had allegations like, "Only rich people want to save the dogs! Tell the rich people we do what we want!"

My real fear is that the proposition will be defeated because of the attitude of acceptance of casual animal cruelty down here. One neighbor introduced himself as "the guy who got arrested for dogfighting a couple weeks back"- not exactly the man I expect to vote yes. I see dogs treated shamefully all around us, and that makes me worry for the dogs at the park. If people are unwilling to be kind to their pets (because I may call the kitties companions but this demographic sure as shit doesn't), why would they care about the health and wellbeing of dogs being used for sport?

I feel sad for its prospects and sadder still for the hounds.