With a majority of the nation's dog tracks slated to close by the end of 2020, young greyhounds that never make it to the track will need homes too.
"This will be a burden. We're mobilizing now," said Stumpf, whose group arranges 50 to 100 greyhound adoptions a year — but will now aim for an annual goal of 200. "We'll do the best we can. Some of these dogs might end up at shelters and they're not all no-kill. That's the scary part."
All of these Florida active-racing greyhounds won't be cut loose immediately, as dog racing won't be illegal in the Sunshine State for another 25 ½ months. Both sides expect a gradual shutdown of these tracks in the next two years.
The state is home to 11 of America's 17 dog tracks, with greyhounds also running in West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and Iowa.
Even before Tuesday's vote, dog racing in Florida has been losing business for years. Back in 1992, there were $1.5 billion in dog-racing bets, adjusted for inflation, compared to just $200 million in 2017, according to state records.
"This is a crushing blow to this industry," MacFall said. "This (vote) shows people care about dogs and people know this (dog racing) is cruel and inhumane."
MacFall admitted she and other supporters were surprised by the final margin of victory.
"We thought it'd be close, we didn't think it'd be that high. It turned out to be a landslide," MacFall said. "I mean we can't agree on anything here in Florida. But on this, we had bipartisan support."
Gartland also said Tuesday's final tally floored him.
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