Stop Mega-Casino Horseracing Cruelty in Dixon!

Here is where animal rights activists and community groups can join together in preventing MEC from bringing their horseracing casino to delta town Dixon. Tight quarters, broken bones and steroid injections for horses are violations of animal rights law, ammonia/nitrate run-off (from horseshit ponds) into Putah Creek watershed (eutrophication) negatively impacts riparian ecosystems, and noise/lights/traffic smog are violations of air/quality of life for Dixon residents. Other people living downwind of the proposed Dixon Downs (ie., inland) would also get additional smog burdens in the already toxic soup of Sacto/San Joaqiun Valley air..

Even if you don't live in Dixon, the proposed Dixon Downs horseracing casino from MEC will likely effect your quality of life. If you care about the welfare of the horses held in captivity at the racetrack, they need an extra voice! Everyone from near and far is encouraged to attend the Dixon City Council meeting on Sept. 13th and voice their opposition to Dixon Downs..

This from the Dixon Citizens for Quality Growth;

"And so it begins, the final steps for the Canadian company to bring a horseracetrack/gambling facility ( with 5,000 indoor bar-stools) to Dixon. Unless we stop it!

Please remember, there are 4,000 plus residents who have signed a letter to city officials stating that they are opposed to this project. (That would fill the audience seats of Dixon City Hall 200 times!)

An important date to remember:

September 13, 2006
7:00 pm

Dixon City Hall
600 East A Street
Dixon, CA

This will be the first day of public hearings held by the Planning Commission. I will send reminders of the meetings so that we can all make plans to attend them if possible.

In a mailing that was received from the City of Dixon,
it states:

Any persons interested in the proposed Dixon Downs project are invited to attend the hearing.

Alternatively, written comments may be submitted at any time prior to the hearing date and those comments will be forwarded to the Planning Commission.

Mailing address:

City of Dixon
600 East A Street
Dixon, CA 95620

Below, you may find an article from today's The Reporter about these meetings. There should be a link so that you may view the Development Agreement too.

One last reminder:

Tonight at 7:00, there will be a Candidates' Forum with the Dixon City Council candidates at the Dixon City Hall. One of our DCQG members is a candidate! Kay Fulfs Cayler! Good Luck Kay!

Sincerely,
Cissie Perkins
Dixon Citizens for Quality Growth member
707-628-9211
"

contact DCQG @;
http://www.dumpthedowns.org/

other animal rights info on horseracing/MEC;

Similar to greyhound racing (which MEC is/was also involved in, closed down Multnomah Kennel Club), horse racing also views the animals as expendable following any injuries. An injured horse will always be a liability and are usually put to sleep. Steroids and other performance enhancing drugs also contribute to long term health problems in horses. If the corporation discovers that turnout isn't profitable when compared to the expense of operations, they will close their facility and leave the local taxpayers with clean-up costs. Race horses are also considered damaged goods and will be killed via mass euthanasia if they cannot be sold..

"Kennel operators are constantly squeezed by the need to get the losers and injured out of the cages, the need to make money by filling the cages with fresh stock and the need to keep their breeder-clients happy by opening up cage space for new dogs off the farm. It is the greyhounds that pay the ultimate price for this disastrous system. While some kennel operators and trainers fight the system and try to do the best they can for the dogs, others take the easy way out and load up the kill trucks."

more on exploitation of greyhounds @;
http://www.greyhounds.org/gpl/contents/exploit.html

Horse racing is also ALL about profits for the corporation. Drugs, abuse and cruelty are everyday facts of life for the animals when compassion is measured by monetary standards..

"To keep horses racing through pain, handlers administer Lasix and Bute. These pain relievers numb pain, but do not treat the injuries that cause pain. Consequently, these injuries get worse. Horses that suffer severe injuries as a result of drug induced racing get sold to slaughterhouses, a more profitable venture for breeders than euthanization. These horses suffer long cramped rides to the slaughterhouse without painkillers, in unfit trailers. Handlers also use Lasix to mask the presence of illegal substances such as steroids.

A horse that fails to win also faces death in a slaughterhouse, where operators sell the horse's flesh overseas for human consumption, or provide horsemeat to glue factories."

more on horse racing cruelty @;
http://www.idausa.org/facts/racing.html

This from the UK, another country notorious for promoting corporate abuse of racing horses..

"The survivors are denied their freedom and pushed to their limits to serve the financial interests of trainers, owners and bookies. Of those horses who do go on to race, around 375 are raced to death every year. Because they are bred for speed, not strength, many sustain irreparable breaks to their bones and are shot."

more @;
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/racing/intro.htm

The abuse begins at adolescence when the horses are still growing in captivity. This from PETA;

"Racing to the Grave

Horses begin training or are already racing when their skeletal systems are still growing and are unprepared to handle the pressures of running on a hard track at high speeds.(5) Improved medical treatment and technological advancements have done little to remedy the plight of the racehorse. One study on injuries at racetracks concluded that one horse in every 22 races suffered an injury that prevented him or her from finishing a race, while another estimates that 800 thoroughbreds die each year in North America because of injuries.(6) Strained tendons or hairline fractures can be tough for veterinarians to diagnose, and the damage may go from minor to irreversible at the next race or workout. Horses do not handle surgery well, as they tend to be disoriented when coming out of anesthesia, and they may fight casts or slings, possibly causing further injury. Many are euthanized in order to save the owners further veterinary fees and other expenses on horses who can’t race again."

more PETA horseracing factsheet @;
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=65

Magna Entertainment Corp. closed their Multanomah greyhound racing facility in Oregon on Dec 31, 2004. MEC's media PR statement claims that the retired greyhounds were given away to adoption agencies. Proof exists where? MEC's Multanomah manager Chris Dragone scapegoats nearby Native American casinos for MEC's economic loss and racetrack closure. Or could it be that watching greyhound racing isn't really that popular? Are enough people aware of animal cruelty at racetracks (greyhound or horse) that business would decline at Dixon Downs also??

"Chris Dragone, general manager of Multnomah stated, "We are disappointed to shut down Multnomah Greyhound Park, but have no alternative given the competitive pressure we face from the state lottery, Indian casinos, and other forms of wagering available to Oregon residents. We are committed, however, to acting in a responsible manner as we phase out greyhound racing. We will continue to work with the Oregon Greyhound Association to keep their adoption kennel open until all of the currently retired Oregon greyhounds have found a home."
"

entire article @;
http://www.doggienews.com/2004/12/greyhound-racing-ends-in-oregon.htm