AGC BLASTS NGAP'S WOLF FOR ADVOCATING EUTHANASIA OVER ADOPTION

August 15, 2005

ABILENE, KS - Officials of the American Greyhound Council (AGC) today blasted the director of a national greyhound adoption program for saying that it would be more humane to euthanize greyhounds than to send them to a track in Juarez, Mexico to continue their racing careers.

AGC Communications Coordinator Gary Guccione said the statement was made by David Wolf, director of the National Greyhound Adoption Program, a Philadelphia-based organization. It was contained in a letter Wolf sent to other adoption groups around the country.

"We've always known that Wolf was quite extreme in his opposition to greyhound racing," Guccione said, "but we believed he would usually put the welfare of the animals ahead of his own political views. We were shocked to see him abandon that position."

Wolf's letter criticized Greyhound Pets of America (GPA), the nation's largest independent greyhound adoption organization, for establishing a chapter in Juarez to ensure that greyhounds racing there are returned to the U.S. for adoption when they retire. Wolf said his organization will no longer work with GPA chapters to find adoptive homes for greyhounds.

"Mexico is not an acceptable solution to excess greyhounds," Wolf wrote. "Euthanasia would be more humane."

The Wolf letter contained two enclosures from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), an animal rights organization that strongly opposes greyhound racing and participates with Grey2K USA in a campaign to ban greyhound racing nationwide.

"The most effective adoption groups take a neutral stance on greyhound racing," Guccione said, "so that they can work constructively with the industry for the good of the dogs. By aligning himself with the HSUS and taking such a bizarre pro-euthanasia position, Wolf has seriously compromised his ability to continue working in greyhound adoption."

In July, the National Greyhound Association (NGA) urged its members to avoid shipping greyhounds to the Juarez track until some "important animal welfare issues" were addressed. GPA President Rory Goree later visited Juarez at NGA's request to get a first-hand look at the track and meet with officials there. NGA officials are now awaiting written confirmation of the track's plan to address the issues raised. Until that plan is received and tested, Guccione said, the NGA recommendation against shipping greyhounds to Juarez will remain in effect.

"They are going to race greyhounds at Juarez one way or the other," Guccione said. "It's kind of ironic that David Wolf seems to think working with Juarez on adoption translates into support for greyhound racing. If that's the case, then Wolf himself has been supporting greyhound racing for years by providing greyhound adoption services."