Dog racing ban again headed to voters

Massachusetts voters will probably have a second chance next fall to decide the future of greyhound racing in the Bay State.

Backers of an initiative petition to ban greyhound racing told the Globe yesterday that they have collected nearly double the number of signatures necessary to put their measure on the November 2006 ballot. A similar proposal lost by a 51 percent to 49 percent margin in 2000.

To get a question on the ballot, committees must obtain the signatures of at least 65,825 registered voters and get them certified by municipal clerks where those voters live. The process began Sept. 21, and signatures are due at municipal clerks' offices tomorrow evening.

Christine Dorchak, chairwoman of the ballot committee, said that, as of yesterday, campaign workers had gathered more than 110,000 signatures to ban a sport they consider cruel and inhumane.

''For the pure joy of it, I am personally going to the Revere town clerk tomorrow," said Dorchak, noting that Revere is home to Wonderland Greyhound Park, one of two dog tracks in the state.

The initiative -- backed by the Humane Society of the United States, the Massachsuetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the greyhound protection group GREY2K, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston -- would phase out greyhound racing altogether by Jan. 1, 2008. Supporters of the racing industry have been lobbying lawmakers to allow slot machine gambling at the tracks, which are suffering a dramatic decline in revenues. The slot machine measure passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate this fall, but House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi has refused to let the bill reach the House floor for a vote.

Gary Guccione, executive director of the Kansas-based National Greyhound Association, said opponents of dog racing were making ''ludicrous and exagerated" claims about the well-being of the dogs.

''I don't know of any sport that has done as much as greyhound racing has to address welfare issues," Guccione said. ''We promote pet adoption, and there are now more than 300 adoption groups in the country adopting more than 20,000 dogs nationally. The industry wholeheartedly supports that and helps with funding."

In 2000, racing proponents outspent the ballot committee, 10 to 1, running advertisements that warned of thousands of lost jobs if the measure passed. GREY2K, meanwhile, accused track owners of maltreating racing dogs.

This time, backers of a ban are taking a different strategy to appeal to all dog lovers. In addition to outlawing greyhound racing, the proposal would strengthen laws against dog fighting and increase penalties for harming police and guide dogs.

''Last time, the Humane Society and MSPCA were only nominally involved," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. ''But this time, we are in on the ground floor and bringing the weight of organizations into this fight. It means money, membership, expertise, campaign experience."