Ryan Weld, WV State Legislature, Is Going to the Dogs!

Ryan Weld - WV State Legislature

06 Dec 2019·

Anyone who knows Alex and me knows that we're dog people - and that all the dogs we've had, Winston, Hank, Trudy, and Murray, have all come from local rescue organizations and been an important part of our family. So as talk to end greyhound racing has recently heated up in Charleston we visited the Beech Bottom kennel where the racers at Wheeling Island live to see firsthand what life is like for these dogs. We were very surprised by what we found.

All of the dogs we met there were playful, loved interacting with us (and the other dogs), showed no signs of aggression or mistreatment, or displayed any behavior that would indicate they were stressed or suffered from anxiety. Each dog lived in its own 3 x 5 cage that was lined front to back and side to side with carpeting and are well fed with a mixture of beef, dry dog food, and vitamins each day. Are there stories or examples out there in the larger greyhound racing community of a dog being mistreated or seriously injured during a race? I’m certain that there are. However, we didn’t see any examples of that kind during our visit.

I left the kennel with a positive feeling about how the dogs live and how they're cared for - and also with a sneaking suspicion that Alex will have us adopt one someday. I look forward to fighting for these four-legged constituents, the jobs of the people who care for them, and what it means for our area.