Last summer, Tucson Greyhound Park had issues with conditions at its track. Some kennel owners complained to the Arizona Department of Racing the track's surface caused an overabundance of injuries. Since then, Tucson Greyhound Park has improved its track surface, and a recent soil sample shows the track has an acceptable surface, according to a March 7 memo from the Department of Racing.
Tucson Greyhound Park has also bought new equipment to maintain the track and employs a full-time track superintendent. In February, four dogs suffered injuries while either racing or training at Tucson Greyhound Park, according to track figures.
The park made headlines last summer after the disappearance of more than 140 retired greyhounds that were supposed to have been taken to adoption groups across the country by Richard Favreau, a Colorado-based dog trainer.
Those dogs have not been found, and Department of Racing Director Geoffrey Gonsher said he fears they are dead.
Tucson Greyhound Park has since hired a new general manager, Tom Taylor, who replaced Chris McConnell. To avoid any more dog disappearances, Taylor said the park is in the process of starting a Greyhound Pets of America chapter. The chapter should begin in the next few months, he said.
Greyhound Pets of America is the largest adoption group in the nation, but it is often criticized by animal-rights activists as being an extension of the racing industry.
Taylor said GPA does work closely with a number of tracks, and it does so because it connects retired racers with adoption groups. "The groups here in Tucson aren't moving many dogs," Taylor said.
Since January, the Department of Racing has instituted a database to track the movements to and from the state's three tracks. The goal of the database is to avoid more disappearances of dogs. Because of its relatively low purses, Tucson Greyhound Park is considered an "end-of-the-line" track where many greyhounds finish their careers.