Allegations of animal cruelty on a massive scale have arisen in Baldwin
County, Alabama, and have underscored what opponents of the greyhound
racing industry have long contended: that the industry is responsible for
the brutal, inhumane deaths of thousands of dogs every year. State animal
cruelty charges have been filed against Robert Rhodes following the
discovery of the remains of thousands of dogs on his property in South
Alabama, just over the border from greyhound tracks in Pensacola, Florida.
Necropsies performed on four of the skeletons revealed that three of the
four dogs had been shot in the neck, indicating that their deaths were
neither instantaneous nor, by any reasonable interpretation, humane.
When
questioned by investigators, Rhodes, a retired greyhound race track
security guard, admitted to having shot between two and three thousand
greyhounds who were too slow or old to race in the last 30 years.
Although Florida has strict laws stipulating that such dogs be euthanized
by lethal injection, Florida kennel owners allegedly paid Rhodes $10 per
dog to drive them over the state line and dispose of them, rather than
paying the $35-$40 veterinary fee to euthanize them.
Both the Baldwin
County, Georgia District Attorney and the Florida State's Attorney have
become involved in this massive cruelty case and are investigating both
Mr. Rhodes and members of the greyhound racing industry who may have been
complicit.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Contact the Baldwin County DA, thanking him for his ongoing efforts and
strong public statements.
David Whetstone
Baldwin County District Attorney
1 Courthouse Square
Bay Minette, AL 36507.
Phone: 251-937-0274 / Fax: 251-937-4385
2. Contact the Florida State's Attorney office and urge them to
investigate and prosecute this case with the seriousness it deserves. Let
them know that all members of the greyhound racing industry who were
involved in this shockingly cruel dog disposal scheme must be charged and
fully prosecuted:
Curtis Golden
State Attorney
Escambia County
190 Governmental Center
Pensacola, Florida 32501
850-595-4200 / fax: 850-595-4212
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