Dying to Entertain You
In May 2008, the Sunday Times exposed the largest greyhound breeder in Great Britain – Charles Pickering – selling puppies which would not chase or proved too slow to Liverpool University for research and dissection.
Greyt Exploitations submitted a Freedom Of Information request to the university to ascertain the number of pups involved and the source of funding.
In their response, the university divulged some very sensitive information – clearly unaware of how damaging it would be for the greyhound racing industry.
In total 62 greyhounds were used at the university, 16 ‘donated’ by their owners but also a further 46 that had been destroyed by the track vet at Manchester’s Belle Vue stadium.
Tragically, of the 46 dogs destroyed at Belle Vue, 39 had sustained racing injuries, the vast majority minor but all were deemed ‘uneconomical’ to treat. Similarly, 7 dogs were deemed ‘uneconomical’ to re-home and as a consequence were also destroyed.
In just one month alone – September 2008 – Belle Vue supplied 9 cadavers to Liverpool University.
The research is part funded by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, who also gave a student vacation bursary of £1,200.
A further 4 greyhounds have recently been raced to deaths at Belle Vue. Happy Hawk, Liam Maldini, Blue Fern and Balreask Touch, all within the space of two weeks. And let us not forget Frisby Foreman who’s fateful end was broadcast on live television from Belle Vue.
It is estimated at least 1,500 greyhounds sustain injuries annually on British tracks, resulting in destruction. However, this estimation does not include those young dogs forced to trial on unfamiliar tracks, where the injury rate is potentially far greater.
“This sorry state of affairs cannot continue. Dogs are being chewed up and spat out of an industry which ultimately treats greyhounds as disposable commodities, rather than sentient animals for which it is responsible.” Becky Blackmore – RSPCA
Please have the courage to watch this video, which graphically depicts how these beautiful dogs are literally ‘dying’ to entertain you -12 hours a day – 7 days a week
http://greytexploitations.com/resources-and-reports/dying-to-entertain-you
www.greytexploitations.com
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The love and compassion felt for the racing Greyhound is beyond measure. Begging our forgiveness, we shall persevere on their behalf, not ever giving up the fight to end the barbarism that is Greyhound racing. Not until that historic day is reached, will we truly know what it means to have had the good fortune of being born human.
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 8th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
It’s all very well you saying about the barbarism of greyhound racing but have you ever been to racing kennels , have you ever seen a greyhound race, have you ever seen the excitement in a greyhound when he/she knows they are going racing ? . From your comments I doubt it very much . I own racing greyhounds and they live in fabulous kennels, probably cleaner than your own home . They are fed the best food , they are exercised and groomed and bathed and massaged and loved ~ not stuck at home all day while the owners are at work and then are too tired to walk them when they get home . They live with their own kind not with the humans who don’t understand them .
My greyhounds love to race and equally love to live at home with me when they are pensioned off or retire early because of injury a bit like human athletes .
My greyhounds whether they are racing and in my trainers kennels or retired at home with me are happy !!!!
Now, as for greyhounds being given to a university for ” anaylysis” , well these greyhounds have already lost their lives and it helps the future greyhounds and other dogs in their quest for a healthy life. I lost my beloved greyhound ” Lady ” last August to cancer at the tender age of 1 week before her 7th birthday and I was devasted . I had to have her PTS which is no different to these other greyhounds being PTS .
As for the video, when the dogs run their adreneline is so high that they don’t always feel the pain when they get injured , I know I have seen it . I think the owners get more upset than the dogs .
Please, let’s stop tarring everyone with the same brush and also realise that student vets need animals to ” practice” on and scientists etc.need to delve further with their research .
My dogs welfare always come first and that includes letting them do what they enjoy and that is racing .
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cheryl & derek bush Reply:
July 9th, 2009 at 8:00 am
From your reply Di Hilsley, you have grasped the essence of being born human. Free to make the decisions as to what, why, where and when. You have chosen your way and we another, however, reading your passionate reply in defence, were all Greyhound establishments like yours, there would be no need of the ‘brushes and tar’.
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I was not born free to make decisions as to what , why, when & where as I had parents who educated me and nurtured me and disciplined me until I was of an age to then go my own way . It certainly didn’t happen when I was born.
I still say that greyhounds that are correctly looked after are much happier in their work than pets that are locked up all day while their owners are at work .
Di
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cheryl bush Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 9:31 am
You certainly have ‘gone your own way’, into the underworld of racing dogs for finantial gain and recognition. Clean-up your industry, get regulated beyond recrimination which will, let me assure you, come flooding in from all concerned on the welfare of Greyhounds. Strict licencing of breeders, kennels and ‘O yes, a humane design team for the present tracks of death.
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Cheryl,
You really don’t seem to know that much about greyhound racing . I certainly have no financial gain from it , quite the opposite . It’s a hobby and like most hobbies they cost . As for recognition, I am a publican and recognised quite a lot in my town and I can assure you it’s not that much of a deal , in all honestly a pain most of the time !!!! I do however agree with you that not only should breeding be more strictly licensed in fact it should have the numbers being bred dramatically cut and if you knew this industry you would know that a lot of other greyhound owners agree with this too . If the track is so bad why do my retired and racing greyhounds always run round in circles in the field ? My lurchers always used to aswell ? Kennels should always be of a high standard and this is apparantly next on the agenda .
Di
If only all greyhounds were kept like yours Di. You know & I know, that this is not the case. Best we not go there, because it just gets brushed under the carpet. As for the dogs feeling no pain. I am sorry, but I have seen accidents, and witnessed the scream of pain that comes from the dogs when they get smashed up. Mount Lenster Rock at Poole, when he was bashed into the hard wood on the side of the track. (the wood that the ground staff had been asking to be moved for months) He lost his eye and most of one side of his head, broke a leg. I’m sure he felt pain judging by the dreadful screams that were coming from him. Brigawn Cindy 4 weeks later, when she smashed a hock, at the same track, same corner, same trainer. Sure she felt pain! Buttermilk Lane, broke a foot, I know he felt pain, because I had to beg the same trainer the following morning to take him to a vet instead of just giving him an asprin. 11 days later she did!! These are just 3! That I knew personally.
When you actually go to the track on a regular basis you can hear their crys of pain. You tend not to hear it sat at home watching your dogs run on the computer.
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 13th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Hi Susan
Yes, I wish all greyhounds were kept like mine, alot are but there are a few undesirables around as we know .
Ooh, nasty jibe about the computer ~ I do get down to the track as much as I can , I only watch it on the computer when I can’t attend due to my work commitments but I was there the night my Lady did her hock and she carried on running until the pick up . I was also in the vets room with her and she didn’t scream possibly because of the adrenelin . It was me that picked her up the following morning to take her to my vets to be operated on and the painkillers were obviously working because her distress was minimal ,if any. I am sure all dogs are different though . As I have said in previous articles , these injuries don’t just happen on the track because Lady tore her a part of back open by flying around my garden and obviously slipping and went into a wooden bench. Treasure, ( you know , the one that broke his leg at Hove and had to carried off , that cost me £ 1500.00 in vets bill, now lying on the floor next to me !!!! ) well he was running around my garden and did something to his back and the whole of my town must have heard his screams yet 2 minutes later he was walking absolutely fine .
I am not for one minute defending owners/trainers who do not get their dogs to a vet for the treatment but let’s be realistic and not make things out to be worse when just maybe they are not .
Di
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cheryl bush Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am
So it cost you £1500, well as you’re talking money, our rescued ex-racer, broke free, chased a rabbit, (that’s what they are taught by your kind to do), hit a tractor, was skinned and two months later retured home. Our bill, £3,700.
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 14th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Cheryl,
I am very sorry about your greyhound, but maybe this is why I , as a responsible dog owner , always make sure my dogs are securely leaded up !!!!.
Greyhounds and lurchers are not taught to chase, it is a natural instinct as it is with most dogs but greyhounds are fast enough to catch their prey . Occasionally you do get a greyhound who doesn’t have the chase instinct . You also get greyhounds who actually prefer their kennel enviroment to a home one because they love the racing enviroment .
Di
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Sandra Zanolla- Italy Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 10:53 am
Oh Di Hilsley, how clever you are! You have always the prompt answer…compliments…
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Thank you but it’s more about being truthful and getting the facts right . I really do get fed up with people who very obviously know very little but take great delight in jumping on the bandwagon at all opportunities . I am very aware that there are bad eggs in the greyhound world but there are also many more good eggs .
For anyone who wishes to know … my greyhound ” Micky ” will be 5 next month ( a veteran in greyhound terms ) and last Tuesday I watched him race , my he looked so good , his coat was gleaming , his muscles rippling and he was so excited. He came second after getting tripped up , no different to a childrens school race really apart from Micky really did enjoy it and we weren’t disappointed , very proud of him , I almost can’t wait until he comes home to me !!!!!
Amber Reply:
August 11th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Just because you disagree with someone, it doesn’t mean you have to make derogatory remarks about their as a dog owner. I am not surprised Ms. Cheryl Bush hasn’t replied back to you, after you subtly insulted her in your comment on the 14/6/09. Just because you may be a good dog owner, as I am sure you are, doesn’t mean that everyone else is inferior, and you need to make sure they know that. I see no reason why you could not have just left your sentence as ‘I am very sorry about your greyhound, but maybe this is why I always make sure my dogs are securely leaded up !!!!’. There was no reason to add in snide remarks about her standard of dog-owning, as compared to yours.
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Di,
I applaud you very much so! I’m a dog owner as well and I’m just like you. I took a dog that wasn’t even mine to the vet to have her leg fixed. I didn’t even tell the owner until it was already done.
I love my babies and they must love me as they are constantly rubbing their heads on my leg and stick close to my side. Some even get jelous of the other because they are standing too close to me! ha ha Greyhounds are sitehounds. Which means if they see it and it moves they will go after it if they want it. Di we need more people like you! Thanks for being a greyt dog owner!
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Lana,
Most of my dogs are ones we have bought to race . We always buy pups straight from the breeder and they stay with my trainer until their retirement, then I take delight in bringing them home to be my pet ( always enjoying watching my trainer cry when they leave her LOL !!!) . We did however bring home Lulu from my trianers who the owner always wanted to take home but when they did they realised that they knew nothing about dogs so Lulu is actually better off with me.
Di
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Di, I am a Greyhounds lover and breeder from many many years and I don’t think that a kennel and race life is the best for them. They are hunters, OK, but isn’t better a free run in fields? Their speed is their ruin, not all breeders and trainer are like you…and many love their Sighthounds only until they win or produce lot of good puppies…sorry but I don’t like the race business. Sighthounds love to stay with their owner, not in a kennel, often very small. Didn’t you ever see the small crates in USA?
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Lana,
I agree with you that living in crates is unacceptable and IMO there is no reason why they shouldn’t live in proper spacious kennels like mine do . This ” crate thing” done in the USA is in the rescue homes aswell , so sad. Having said that I have a spacious crate at home and have used it on the odd occasion when my dogs initially come home . I never use it when I am with them . Sometimes they can feel safer in the crate than a huge home .
I would love to see my retired dogs run free in fields but unfortunately where I live most of the fields have barbed wire and although my dog is very good off the lead I don’t feel it’s safe for my bitch as she is very keen so she only gets to run in my garden and one small field . I used to have Lady who would run on the beach when on holiday and would run with my boy in the fields and it was wonderful to watch . My racers have big paddocks that they can bomb round and they are lucky that the New Forest national park is where they go for their walks.
Di
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Di Hilsley Reply:
July 16th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Sorry , my post should have been addressed to Sandra
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