Up to 3,000 greyhounds may have died on U.S. farm

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Up to 3,000 greyhounds may have died on U.S. farm

 

Thursday, May 23, 2002

By Reuters

 

 

LILLIAN, Ala. — The remains of up to 3,000 greyhound racing dogs may be buried

on an Alabama farm, and the property's owner has been charged with shooting them

for profit because they were too old or slow to race, an Alabama prosecutor said

Wednesday.

The dogs were shot and buried for $10 each over 40 years, Baldwin County

District Attorney David Whetstone said.

 

Robert Rhodes, 68, was arrested on Wednesday on three counts of animal cruelty,

which carry prison terms of 1 to 10 years and fines of up to $10,000 each.

 

" This was done for profit. He has made an open statement that he charges $10 a

dog, and it's only 4 cents a bullet, " Whetstone said. " He believes it's humane,

and we believe it's a violation of the law. "

 

Rhodes said he had been killing dogs for 40 years and believed there were

remains of 1,000 to 2,000 dogs on the property, but other evidence indicated up

to 3,000 dogs might have been buried there, Whetstone said.

 

Many of the dogs were taken across the state border from Florida, apparently to

circumvent a Florida law against killing them, and people in the dog-racing

industry may have been involved, he said. Investigators in both states were

looking into possible conspiracy law violations. Florida law allows only

veterinarians to put down pets.

 

Rhodes told the Pensacola News Journal> he had been raising and racing

greyhounds for decades and killed the dogs humanely. " You have to understand I

would not condone or use torture at any time. It was quick; they didn't feel a

thing, " he told the newspaper. " I guess now that there are laws against it, " he

said. " But I haven't read those books and so I don't know. But I'm learning....

I don't see how it's any crueler to shoot a dog with a gun than with a needle. "

 

Alabama investigators searched Rhodes' property on Tuesday after Florida

authorities told them dogs were possibly being slaughtered in Lillian, right

across the state border from the Florida Panhandle city of Pensacola.

 

Investigators took four dog carcasses from a pit on the property and found all

had been shot: one in the brain and three in the neck or other areas that

constituted animal abuse or torture, Whetstone said. " These dogs are killed

because they are slow. When you are no longer of value you are executed, " he

said.

 

The Humane Society of the United States called on Florida and Alabama to

investigate whether dog kennels and track operators were involved in the

disposal of the dogs. " The greyhound racing industry has vehemently denied its

involvement in the disposal of unwanted animals for years, " HSUS spokesman Brian

Sodergren said in a news release. " This case offers the best opportunity yet to

investigate potential ties between the industry and the cruel and illegal

killing of greyhound dogs. "

 

The Greyhound Protection League, an advocacy group, estimated that some 20,000

racing dogs are killed each year.

 

 

Copyright 2002, Reuters