Have We Done Enough on the Suffering of Discarded Greyhounds?
I’ve been keeping a watchful eye on a piece we published on this blog some weeks ago (Shock and Outrage as Dog Fatally Injured Live on TV) which has drawn over 120 comments.
I’ve been aware of the problems in and around the greyhound racing industry. I have used the platform of this very site to applaud (in particular) The Times newspaper for their continuing coverage of the issue as well as their high profile exposé’s of greyhound related scandals such as the selling of bodies and the ‘execution for hire’ of unawanted dogs.
We’ve given coverage to the issue but I can’t help feeling we simply haven’t done enough. I have a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach that the – now well known – welfare problems associated with greyhounds has almost become ‘background noise’ in a dog world which has a habit of moving from one scandal to another in relatively short order, whilst the suffering of unwanted greyhounds and other running dogs goes on, as ‘normal’.
So this is, I suppose, something of an appeal. I want to know what more we can do.
I know there are many people out there who care passionately about this issue, who live it and breath it. How can we help? Even if it’s just adding links to our sites or running more awareness articles, please tell me how we can get this issue to the top of the agenda again.
I’m convinced we haven’t done enough.
I am not talking specifically about the actual act of racing the dogs. I am talking very specifically about the welfare abuses that happen as a by-product. I’m not talking specifically about any individuals or organisations, again I want to know what we can do to make people aware of the issue of greyhound neglect and abandonment and how we can reach out to people to try and make things better for the dogs who become victims of neglect.
We want to do more, what should it be?
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The bookmakers make £millions out of greyhound racing; the track owners make £millions out of selling greyhound races to bookmakers to show in the betting shops and out of Sky TV coverage of particular meetings. The Government takes its cut of in betting duty and the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is happy for the greyhound industry (soon in the form of a newly created Greyhound Board of Great Britain) to be self-regulating and not to require any outside inspection or checking under the Animal Welfare Act. Essentially, the greyhound business can do what it likes. Of course they will say there are all sorts of rules in place – not enough – but they don’t enforce them. What people should do is write to their MPs saying that the regulations under the Animal Welfare Act which DEFRA is putting out next year should say that independent licensing and inspection of greyhound tracks should be written into those regulations and the protection of the animals (by not racing them too often for example) not left to the profit-making industry.
Only the Government can make any difference. Otherwise the greyhound industry just does what it likes.
Maureen Purvis
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With over 4 exposures by the Sunday Times regarding the disposing of unwanted greyhounds (from those younger than 18 months old to those leaving the industry aged between 2-5yrs and those waiting for homes into old age), it is surely time for the government to realise that with the greyhound industry running itself, this killing will continue. Pressure needs to e put on DEFRA to introduce independent regulation as a very minimum level of protection for these dogs. What more will it take?
The breeding of any dog and particularly greyhounds needs to be severely restricted so homes can be found for the thousands of dogs currently living in kennels.
It should be made absolutely clear that greyhounds are loving and gentle and completely different from the dogs seen racing. The common misconceptions that greyhounds are old and need lots of exercise do not help their plight. Once people know they can be as young as 18 months and only need 2 short walks a day, they are more keen to adopt.
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This industry must be regulated by an outside body and not by the BGRB. It is simply one coverup after another and still the murder of inocent Greyhounds goes on. I have spent many years rescuing these dogs and the state some are in is simply heart breaking. I firmly believe that the only answer is for the government to totaly ban betting on Greyhounds and to see the total colapse of this vile industry.
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Keep exposing the horrors of the dog racing industry in as many high profile media as possible. the more this is done, the more people will be aware of the fate of these great dogs. Thankfully here in the USA the state of Massachusetts just passed a measure to shut down the two tracks in that state. This was accomplished by getting thousands of signatures from a very diligent effort of a few Greyhound advocates.
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I agree pressure needs to be put on DEFRA to introduce independent regulation. The breeding of greyhounds needs to be severely restricted and micro-chipping needs to be put into place immediately. Until this vile industry of racing is completely abolished there should be pressure on the BRGB for adequate funds for welfare in retirement, more re-homing centres needed and regulations that the fund does not include research laboratories as part of welfare! Better marketing for these incredibly gentle creatures highlighting just what wonderful and undemandingly easy pets they make.
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I’ve never quite understood how micro-chipping is going to improve welfare for the greyhound. Anyone who is callous enough to cut off a dogs ears, would, I suspect, cut out its micro chip.
I think we need to raise awareness within media circles and present ourselves as professional, intelligent and rational people. Not extremists or unemployed with nothing better to do.
Give the media facts, hard hitting evidence, not propaganda or ’suggested’ numbers. Credible information that cannot be disputed by the industry.
Having raised awareness within the media, they will hopefully be more sympathetic to the cause and will publish a healthy balanced view of it or at the very least be reluctant to promote greyhound racing.
Is it too much to expect the media to enable the public to make an INFORMED decision on whether to support greyhound racing or not?
Whatever, we need more support from the media to gain public support, who can then in turn lobby their MP’s and MEP’s.
EU and public pressure on the government to implement existing welfare regulations and process forthcoming legislation will prove costly to the ‘money makers’ – government and the racing industry – but will inevitably improve welfare for the greyhound.
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I refer to Trudy Bakers comment: Daniel Foggo a brilliant journalist for the Times covers and has exposed some incredibly hard hitting evidence which should have featured in all the media papers but alas I feel the profit obtained by promoting the forthcoming races overtakes most media coverages thereby not keeping public duly informed of the real extent of the cruelty and cover-ups so it is up to the public to lobby their MPs to spread the word.
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