Dear Friends,

We are excited to announce that Governor Jan Brewer has signed SB 1273, the greyhound bill, into law!

That's right, after three sessions of hard work and determination by advocates statewide, legislation to remove the year round mandate for live racing has finally passed. Special thanks are due to our newly-hired professional lobbyist Gretchen Jacobs of Arizona Governmental Affairs. Gretchen worked with leadership to help the greyhounds move through the process much faster this year.

Today truly marks the beginning of the end of dog racing in the Grand Canyon State!

Greyhound racing began in 1944, with the opening of Tucson Greyhound Park. By 1965, there were five operational dog tracks in the state. This resulted in the injury and death of hundreds of gentle greyhounds each year. They lived in small cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around, and were fed a diet based on raw, 4-D meat.

Between January 2007 and November 2009, there were nearly 1,000 injuries reported, including  broken legs, sprains, dislocations, muscle tears and strains, lacerations, a cracked skull, broken backs, heat stroke, puncture wounds and paralysis.  To learn more, see our full report and video on our Arizona campaign page.

A new day is dawning in Arizona, and we will keep you informed as the law goes into effect. During the initial phase, the track may reduce its racing to 100 days per year. Then, after February 2013, TGP will have the ability to further reduce this number to zero.

We will keep working until this day comes, and we are counting on your continued support to reach this goal. Please make a donation today so that the victories can keep coming!

Finally, if you are interested in adopting a greyhound, please consult our adoption referral page. At Tucson Greyhound Park and all around the country, greyhound racing is ending and thankfully, the dogs are coming home.