Kennel Owners Sue Massachusetts for $1M over Dog Racing Ban

The owners of a Massachusetts kennel that trained greyhounds to race claim in a lawsuit against the state that their constitutional rights were violated when Massachusetts banned dog racing.

The owners of North Shore Kennel in Lynn are seeking more than $1 million in damages.

Massachusetts barred greyhound racing effective Jan. 1 following a 2008 statewide referendum on the issue.

The kennel owners say in the suit that the law violates their equal protection rights under the Constitution because it singles out dog racing while allowing horse racing to continue.

Doug Pizzi, a spokesman for the kennel owners, tells The Boston Globe that the referendum “took people’s property away without any compensation.”

State officials refused comment.

The state had two dog tracks when the ban took effect.