10 December—The good news is that New Zealand has finally banned greyhound racing, starting in 2026. Back in Connecticut, although the last greyhound track in the state—the one in Plainfield, which had also been the first, opening in 1976—closed in 2006, the General Assembly finally got around to banning the cruel sport only as of 1 October, by repealing statutes authorizing dog tracks, thus bringing the state in line with all but seven of the other states.

I vaguely recall that back in 1974, when Gordie Vaill, the Republican at the time representing the newly redistricted 64^th Assembly District in the General Assembly, wanted to put a greyhound track on his farm in Goshen, I was in the vanguard of the charge against it. Even though he gave up on the dog track, Gordie lost the 1974 election to Democrat James Metro.

Metro served one term, being defeated by M. Adela “Dell” Eads in 1976. At the 30^th District GOP convention in 1980, being a male chauvinist pig and knowing Gordie Vaill, I supported him against little old Dell, whom I didn’t know, to run against my incumbent Democrat friend Joe Ruggiero for the 30^th Senatorial District seat. Among the things I didn’t know at the time was that Dell was a fellow Brooklynite. Means a lot.

Dell won the convention and my apology for not supporting her (because she was really very impressive; and we became good friends) and went on to win the seat and to become the majority leader and therefore President pro tem of the State Senate from 1995 to 1997, the only biennium the Republicans have held that majority since God knows when. Dell retired in 2000, at 80.

But I digress. The proximate inspiration for Connecticut’s official ban of greyhound racing was a retired racing greyhound rescued by 91^st District Democratic state representative Michael D’Agostino. Her name was Veloce, Italian for “fast.” Unhappily, ten-year-old Veloce died of cancer quite possibly the result of racing trauma shortly before Rep. D’Agostino’s bill became law.

Given the workings and often cockeyed priorities of both parties in the Connecticut General Assembly, it wasn’t easy for Rep. D’Agostino to get the humane legislation passed. Humane legislation never is easy, truth be told. But he persisted and the bill was passed with only one NAY vote in the Senate, not surprisingly GOP kvetch Rob Sampson’s. Only 17 House members voted against it, two Democrats and 15 Republicans, including local seat fillers John Piscopo and Karen Reddington-Hughes.

(Incidentally, I’m still waiting to hear from Karen and/or her aide from way back in early October, after I lost count of how many emails and phone calls. Doesn’t speak at all highly—make that satisfactorily—of her or her aide.)

After Gov. Lamont signed the legislation, he commented in a news release, “Dog racing is a cruel activity and it has no place in Connecticut. It’s mind-boggling to think that at one time people considered this a legitimate sport.” But Ned knows better . . .