Scramblin', one of 600 greyhounds who need to be adopted

Wisconsin’s last dog track will close on December 31, leaving 600 dogs — most young, some injured — in need of new homes.

Kari Swanson’s nonprofit Midwest Greyhound Adoption is helping to process the dogs as soon as they become available in advance of the final race to prevent an overwhelming crush of them. “We will be stuffed to the gills,” even so, said Swanson, who has been operating her rescue organization since 1991.

Swanson is taking the dogs to the vet for spaying or neutering, and then placing them in one of 25 foster homes prior to adoption. Though the track will cease operations at the end of the year, its executive vice president, Ron Berger, says that the kennels will remain open until all the dogs have been placed. Nonetheless, there is a sense of urgency among rescue groups to find them homes as quickly as possible.

Bill Brouillard with some of his greyhounds

In an attempt to deal with noise complaints, the New Jersey township of Piscataway has passed a law restricting the number of dogs people can have. But many feel the law is inappropriate and ill-advised.

The ordinance limits the number of dogs per household to three. Those who live on two acres can have as many as four; those on three acres or more, as many as five.

Councilmembers say the law is meant to prevent puppy mills. Anyone owning five dogs or more is considered to be running a kennel, and must be licensed accordingly.

Sheila Gross says the law is a infringement of her civil liberties. She also says it will encourage residents to avoid licensing their dogs, since “No one will know if you have 3 or 30.”

Barbara Wicklund, a member of the legislative committee for the New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs, says the law will encourage owners to take dogs to already overcrowded shelters — or worse. “Do you kill it?” she asked. “Do you abandon it?”

Wicklund would prefer that the township use existing noise and leash ordinances to deal with any problems.

Bill Brouilliard rescues greyhounds that are too old to run or aren’t winning races. He currently has six dogs, three who live with him and three he is caring for temporarily.

What does he think of the new law? “If I got a call tonight, I’d take in six more.”

The council has said it would consider amending the law to create an exemption for rescue operations.