Hi Leopard print - i also have an ex racer from RGT. Never been racing so not sure if it makes any difference from a moral point of view if they have rescues or not. I don't think theres any question that the dogs enjoy racing but thats not the problem its what they do with them after they can no longer make money

Thank you for your reply. I was wondering if they have a policy where the greyhound has to be found a home either through the trainer/owner or RGT and not killed/dumped? I would hope this is true of the RGT ones but does it happen?

Yet again Galty you have posted another useless and unsubstantiated comment.

If you are going to constructively criticise then please back it up with facts - not just opinionated insults.

More specifically what instances have I quoted from the last centaury?

Yes please............need to see something to make me smile.

[QUOTE=leopard_print;1909255]Thank you for your reply. I was wondering if they have a policy where the greyhound has to be found a home either through the trainer/owner or RGT and not killed/dumped? I would hope this is true of the RGT ones but does it happen?[/QUOTE]

Hi again ! - r i would like to think that if the RGT was attached to a track they would be involved in the rehoming of retired/injuries dogs there. I know the RGT where i got my girl from rehomes dogs mainly from Sittingbourne track. Logically i would think this would be the case but i'm not totally sure - sorry !

Hi Leopard Print

Great to hear you have an ex racer - fantastic companions and I'm sure he/she will give you lots of pleasure!

Even if you don't bet on the racing, by attending and spending money at the track you are still supporting commercial greyhound racing. The industry will say - you like greyhound racing and don't have a problem with the welfare issues.

The RGT are the industry's own re-homing group and they do a great job in trying to re-home as many greyhounds as possible but even so, about 6,000 greyhounds still go 'unaccounted' for and the industry wont tell us what happens to these dogs. They can tell us exactly how many they re-home but not how many are destroyed because they wont or cant re-home them or because they sustain an injury which costs too much treat or because the become too slow or old.

Greyhounds naturally love to run but because they are trained - sometimes using live bait - to chase a mechanical lure on a dangerous track and I'm sure they don't like being kept kennelled up 23 hours a day in sub standard kennels and destroyed if they become too slow or injured.

Racing greyhounds receive no protection under the Animal Welfare Act - which is why they can be so poorly treated.

Please try not to go again and ask your workmates to look at the greyhound protection groups websites.

Well said and we mustn't forget the puppies that don't want to chase or are too slow. Only 52% of puppies bred in the UK make it to the tracks and the industry wont tell us what happens to the rest.

Or the dogs destroyed at the tracks because its cheaper to buy a new dog rather than spend money on vets bills just to find out the dog will never be able to race again.

Of course it happens - the Rules of Racing say that trainers and owners can destroy a dog if the injury is uneconomical to treat or if no retirement home can be found.

But the rules are not enforced and many owners and trainers have their dogs destroyed because its the cheapest option.

Thank you Jodie, that was very informative, I certainly won't be going again, even to view. I suspected as much but just wanted confirmation.

Subject: Yesterday's article in the Guardian, with comments.



From the greyhound track to where?
Greyhound tracks are closing and the industry isn't doing enough to care for the thousands of dogs who face an uncertain fate




Michele Hanson
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 March 2010 13.59 GMT
Article history

Greyhound racing is in decline. Photograph: Linda Nylind

Portsmouth greyhound track may soon be closing down. The owner denies it, and says he in negotiations, but dog racing is in decline. Walthamstow and Reading stadiums have recently closed, and if Portsmouth goes too, 220 greyhounds will be in trouble and need rescuing. That's on top of the other 10,000 a year that are unfit to race – too old, injured or not up to scratch – and so thrown on the scrapheap.

Owners and trainers are meant to pay £200 for the care of each retired dog, but they're not always keen to do that, even though the industry is making squillions (bookmakers make about £2.34bn gross annual profit), and may try a cheaper disposal method. A couple of years ago, a rather unsavoury fellow in Durham had shot thousands of greyhounds in the head for £10 a pop, for licensed trainers, but he was an exception. We hope.

People working in the industry say that the dogs are happy, don't need much of a walkie, take no drugs, are well fed and looked after because they need to be healthy to race. There are good and bad owners and trainers, but as soon as you put humans, animals and money into an equation, you're going to have problems, and it's difficult to warm to an industry that dumps 10,000 dogs a year.

Campaigners for greyhound welfare suggest that the dogs are not happy cooped up in a smallish pen with another dog, and are busting to run by the time they race. They're stuffed with drugs and thrown away when their short racing life is over, aged between three and five years old. On top of that, about 15,000 puppies seem to disappear annually, because they weren't much good at racing and never even made the race track.

The lucky ones get to a regulated track (the industry regulates itself), which has its own attached re-homing centre, some good, some not. Unregulated "flapping" tracks are usually grimmer – more crowded, worse conditions, and the redundant dogs are off in a lorry to God knows where. Horrible stories abound. One independent rescue centre in the north of England has a wall of shame, listing the situations and conditions in which the hundreds of abandoned dogs were found. When I was a child in the 50s, half an Alsatian was found in the freezer of a local restaurant. Uproar. The story hit the local headlines. That was half a dog. Now we have tens of thousands of dogs disappearing and hardly anyone bats an eyelid.

Perhaps we don't want to think about it. You need a strong stomach and a will of iron to plunge into the world of greyhound rescue. The website pictures of dead and injured dogs stick in your head, along with the knowledge that people really are that cruel and greedy. Greyhound owners can be identified by tattoos in the dogs' ears. But ears can be, and are, cut off.

In Spain, the greyhound (galgo) problem is even more harrowing and massive. Galgos are used to hunt hares; they're for chasing, not racing. They're often poorly fed and kept in hovels. The season lasts from September to February and dogs are usually kept for only one season. Too stingy to keep them until the next one, the owners get rid of them in various grisly ways: hanging them from trees, throwing them down wells, mutilating and abandoning them – about 50,000 annually, so life for our greyhounds is a comparative breeze.

Luckily our refuges find homes for a few rescued galgos, and for about 5,000 of our own 10,000 surplus greyhounds a year. So why not rescue one? Go on. They make fabulous pets. They're very relaxed, almost lazy, elegant, beautiful, sensitive, serene, gentle with children, hardly bark and don't need constant attention. They may mistake a Jack Russell for a rabbit in the early days, before you've had time to retrain them, they may not be keen to come back when called. Otherwise I cannot fault them. But I can fault the owners and bookies. They need to spend a lot more on the dogs that have made them their fortunes.

• Thanks to skinnysprinter who suggested this topic in our fourth birthday open thread.







Comments in chronological order Post a comment

nobodyisinnocent
17 Mar 2010, 2:02PM

ditto fox hunting.

i know a couple of korean restaurants in saarf landan.


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Ilikedthe80s
17 Mar 2010, 2:04PM

Then go and pay to get in, stick a bet on, buy a burger (or a hot dog) and a beer and try to keep the industry going.


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Quixotematic
17 Mar 2010, 2:05PM

Surely the decline and inevitable demise of dog racing will greatly reduce if not entirely eliminate this problem?


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Quixotematic
17 Mar 2010, 2:07PM


Then go and pay to get in, stick a bet on, buy a burger (or a hot dog) and a beer and try to keep the industry going.

I think the article establishes that dog racing and dog welfare are mutually incompatible. So no. Do not try to keep the industry going.


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Nicola6
17 Mar 2010, 2:12PM

The sooner this 'industry' bites the dust the better. Any business that treats living creatures as a commodity involves great cruelty, try as they might to deny it in the face of the overwhelming evidence.

Shame on everyone involved, including the punters, who know exactly what happens to the dogs but choose to turn a blind eye so their 'entertainment' isn't ruined.


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DogManCometh
17 Mar 2010, 2:14PM

Yes, a disgusting situation vis a vis 'retired' greyhounds -- poor ********.

More arrogant and gutless exploiters of animals showing their true colours...


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NeilFannBoy
17 Mar 2010, 2:22PM

I've adopted 3 retired greyhounds and can echo what wonderful pets that are. They need mininal excersice and love what they get. They are incredibally loving and affectionate and one feels they know how lucky they are. They love us.

That's not to say they're without issues - they have an incredible prey drive - instinct to chase anything small and fast moving. Our girl has possession issues and has nipped me and one or two other people. They need work to bring them from being running machines to pets. If you're prepared to take that on you'll never regret it.

My dog's site: www.BetterThanKids.co.uk


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goldmine
17 Mar 2010, 2:28PM

Can't we simply release them back into the wild?


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Ilikedthe80s
17 Mar 2010, 2:30PM

Quixotematic

17 Mar 2010, 2:07

I think the article establishes that dog racing and dog welfare are mutually incompatible. So no. Do not try to keep the industry going.

Then just go an buy a retired greyhound and save the owner the £10 on having it shot. It is a simple remedy No?


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housewife
17 Mar 2010, 2:30PM

Thank goodness for Michele highlighting yet another form of dog abuse that we all ignore.The greyhound is a wonderful breed and do make great pets yet we let them be abused in order for people to make money , the problem is appalling in the UK but is worse in Ireland and below I am quoting from the Limerick Animal Welfare Site which says it all.
" Today Ireland produces more greyhounds than any other country in the world, and every decision in an Irish greyhound's life is conditioned by economics. Greyhounds are treated as disposable commodities. Each year thousands of Irish greyhounds are destroyed because they have not made the grade as racing dogs or they are past their best for racing (usually by the age of four). If it is too slow as a pup it will be put down. If it gets injured while racing, it will be similarly discarded; many young racing greyhounds sustain trauma to the smaller limb joints, e.g. wrist, hock and toes and this can finish their racing life before they reach two years of age. Dogs that are no longer competitive and not suitable for breeding are often abandoned, put down or exported. Many "poor quality" greyhounds are unlucky enough to finish their days in Spain, being used for straight racing (a form of coursing) under horrific conditions. Irish greyhounds are also used for breeding into the Spanish strain of greyhound, the Galgo, to produce a faster coursing Galgo. Dogs which turn out to he no good are often brutally disposed of, with hanging being a favourite method.

Thousands of Irish greyhounds are destroyed each year. Bord na gCon (The Irish Greyhound Board) has admitted that 8,000 dogs die each year due to "natural wastage" i.e. injuries and diseases. This figure does not include the initial cull of young dogs that are not registered. Greyhounds are a very healthy breed and would normally live to be at least 14 years old. ( hide content )
In 2006, 4,481 litters of greyhound pups were registered in Ireland. If we estimate six to seven pups per litter we get a figure of 31,367 pups. Only 23,700 of these pups were registered to race. These figures suggest that 7,667 pups never made it to the racing track. This figure is on the conservative side as it is calculated on seven pups per litter.The average greyhound litter is seven to ten pups. The issue of young greyhounds that do not make it to the tracks is a huge area of concern. Hundreds of pups are too slow to grade, some don't chase, other get injured and never make it to the first trials. In addition, at least 8,000 adult greyhounds leave racing and "retire" each year. When we add the unaccounted for puppies to the adult "retired" dogs, we get a figure of approximately 16,000 greyhounds that are surplus to the industry's requirements.
Of those who do not make it to the racetrack, many are destroyed each year with some abandoned or sold on as "poor quality" dogs at the many greyhound auctions held at the greyhound tracks all around Ireland. A small percentage are taken in by Irish welfare groups, who do their best to find loving homes for them. As the Irish public are only slowly realising the greyhound's potential as a wonderful family pet, Irish rescues rely currently heavily on overseas adoptions."
The above applies to the UK as well , we can all do something and that is never go greyhound racing and if you have a suitable home rescue a greyhound their are many rescues in the UK.


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boulderboy
17 Mar 2010, 2:33PM

but they're not always keen to do that, ...and may try a cheaper disposal method

shot thousands of greyhounds in the head for £10 a pop, for licensed trainers, but he was an exception. We hope.

about 15,000 puppies seem to disappear annually

and the redundant dogs are off in a lorry to God knows where.

Comment is Free, facts are... lacking, rather it is insinuation which appears to be sacred here.

I would have preferred to see an article that argues that greyhound racing is inherrently cruel, rather than one which criticises the management and regulation for allowing cruelty where it makes financial sense.

most people will agree that, if occuring, cruelty of this kind should be stopped. a discussion over whether greyhound racing should be banned because to rear animals for sport is innately cruel, even if they are kept well, might illicit more interesting debate?


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hermionegingold
17 Mar 2010, 2:36PM

love your work michele.

x


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skinnysprinter
17 Mar 2010, 2:48PM

Many thanks Michelle for highlighting greyhounds' plights. This is what happens when EU subsidies encourage uncontrolled breeding of an animal never meant to be a pet.

My two ex-racers were 13 and 14 when they died, both having enjoyed healthy lives as pets from the ages of 2 and 5 respectively. One was okay off lead and one was not (too chasey) but each accepted their home life with apparent enjoyment.

Our society is extremely anti-dog already so it seems cruel and pointless to breed so many dogs which simply will not be wanted in a very short space of time. There will never be enough good quality pet homes.

If it were illegal to bet on greyhound racing, as is the case with whippets, then only enthusiasts for the breed would want and keep them I believe. Whippets do not come up for rehoming very often, nor are they usually dumped by their previous owners.


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galgoman
17 Mar 2010, 2:51PM

The situation in Spain remains dire. Galgos (the Spanish strain of greyhounds) are still being killed or abandoned by hunters in large numbers. Go to www,greyhoundsinneed.co.uk to read all about a charity dedicated to the rescue and rehoming of these wonderful dogs. You will also find there a link to our on-line petition to the Spanish government calling for legislation to stop this barbarism. Sign up by 30th April and join the (so far 14,000) caring people wordwide who have joined this effort.


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angimals
17 Mar 2010, 2:57PM

Having had a Basset Hound, a cross-breed and a Lakeland Terrier before discovering what wonderful pets Greyhounds and Galgos make, I urge anyone looking for a dog to consider these gentle giants. It is a myth that they need hours of exercise. In fact, they're couch potatoes. These designer dogs are drip-dry (being high off the muddy ground and short-coated), don't bark, don't bite, don't fight and look exquisite. Our own galgo (a Spanish Greyhound used for hunting) was found injured in a foxtrap having been abandoned at the end of the season and was looking for food. Luckily, he was discovered, taken to a refuge and brought to the UK three years ago by the charity 'Greyhounds in Need' (www.greyhoundsinneed.co.uk). When released from quarantine he was still so traumatised that we couldn't even look at him but with TLC, patience and some professional help, he is now the perfect pet.

To stop the suffering of Greyhounds adopt one and don't patronise the tracks.


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mothmoth
17 Mar 2010, 3:33PM

Thanks Michele
Polo ponies, next.
Ankles ruined by tight-turning style of game, short working life, plenty more animals where that one came from.....
.....only difference, this is supposedly the sport of kings, unlike dogtracks.


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ragworm
17 Mar 2010, 3:49PM

They're very relaxed, almost lazy, elegant, beautiful, sensitive, serene, gentle with children, hardly bark and don't need constant attention

....and to see them run is so exhilirating - two greyhounds and an empty beach is just a spectacular experience.

As Michele says, they make fantastic pets. We have a rescue greyhound, ten years old and so serene and gentle. We're more like staff than owners, but we don't mind. Family life without our dog would be very incomplete.

ps most of the greyhounds come from Ireland where I don't think the tracks (legal or otherwise) are closing.


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Crafting4greyhounds
17 Mar 2010, 4:06PM

"You bet, they die"

Enough said.


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DomC
17 Mar 2010, 4:16PM

Greyhounds are wonderful dogs if a bit on the thick side (hence lurchers) great in a house and well worth adopting if youre thinking of getting a dog.


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jediperson
17 Mar 2010, 4:22PM

People working in the industry say that the dogs are happy, don't need much of a walkie, take no drugs, are well fed and looked after because they need to be healthy to race.

They're stuffed with drugs and thrown away when their short racing life is over,

so which is it then? are they stuffed with drugs or not?


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hawket
17 Mar 2010, 4:39PM

We have a rescued Greyhound who has adapted well to being a "pet" and to being a "retailer" - he's goes to work at my wife's gift shop, where he does a wonderful job as greeter. Greyhounds are indeed sweet and mellow in my experience - although definitely some come with "issues" and others are just charmingly neurotic.

I agree with the posters who say "Adopt a greyhound" and add that there are a larger number of greyhound rescue organizations that deserve your support. Support in the form of volunteer work, cash, and other contributions would be very helpful.


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parttimer
17 Mar 2010, 4:47PM

Another vote for greyhounds as pets. My dad's had two- they're quiet, easy to look after, don't need excessive walkies and are very affectionate and great with kids. Go get.


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nobodyisinnocent
17 Mar 2010, 4:50PM

goldmine

Can't we simply release them back into the wild?

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

the wild what? back? what are you on about?


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DomC
17 Mar 2010, 5:06PM

I've got a rescued greyhound and a lot of people ask if I race him...do I ****...he's a greyhound..he'd beat me every time. Its bad for the self esteem that is.


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AlisonWhite
17 Mar 2010, 5:18PM

Staff
My ex-boyfriend's dad trained greyhounds on behalf of those who raced them. He always treated them well and had a huge kennels and track for them,

However, one day someone asked him to look after a severely traumatised greyhound. I've never seen anything so heartbreaking. As we approached the large outdoor area they play the door was so terrified he jumped onto a window-sill, shivering violently, and lost control of his bladder. It wasn't a big windowsill but he hung on for dear life as he was so frightened. What on earth are people doing to these dogs to provoke such an reaction in the poor dog?


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AlisonWhite
17 Mar 2010, 5:20PM

Staff
No idea why I wrote door - dog of course!


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happyhorse
17 Mar 2010, 5:43PM

Racehorses are also badly treated and many have very short racing lives.

Although some are retrained for jumping, dressage, etc many have very nasty lives often neglected and passed from sale to sale.

Humans are in general not very nice to animals, although many of us look after our pets extremely well and I know many people take on unwanted animals and give them a very good quality of life.


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mothmoth
17 Mar 2010, 6:23PM

NB

horse/dog

do put some money to one side for the vet if rescuing any animals.
Some have been retired because they have weak lungs and their lives are not going to be very long, as a result. I am not wanting to offend anybody, but get clear in your heart first, is it you that's an ex-racer or a liability for the medical profession projecting the story on to the pet?.... if you want to be truly kind to them, I believe you give them freedom from that too.


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DurkheimwasRight
17 Mar 2010, 6:44PM

nobodyisinnocent; he is probably thinking of Walthamstow


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JenKrebs
17 Mar 2010, 6:54PM

I am on the Board of Directors of GREY2K USA, a non-profit organization working to end dog racing in the States. Ms. Hanson's article raises some of the important issues with dog racing - the overbreeding, the destruction of thousands of dogs when they are no longer competitive, the confinement to small crates for extended periods of time. Part of GREY2K USA's work has been to fight to change laws that would require dog tracks to keep records of the injuries, fatalities and ultimate fates of racing greyhounds. We have obtained such records from some of the dog tracks in the U.S. - you can read the reports here: http://grey2kusa.org/racing/sheets.html

Dog racing is cruel and inhumane, and should be illegal throughout the world.

www.GREY2KUSA.org
http://jenkrebs.blogspot.com/


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sarahjc
17 Mar 2010, 7:43PM

My Irish greyhound was no use to the industry so she was thrown in front of a train and almost severed in two. Fortunately she was found, barely alive and rushed to an emergencey vet where she was treated for multiple injuries and an infestation of maggots. If it hadn't been for the kindness of Brian Wheelhouse and the donations of many kind people my beloved dog would now be dead, probably still lying as a skeleton at the side of a yorkshire railway track. This is the sickening side of an industry which I choose to have nothing to do with. This is n ot an isolated incident, far worse things happen to unwanted racers every day. Think on!!!


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Lurcherlouts
17 Mar 2010, 8:38PM

Its very sad that a lot of people who go to the dog racing have no idea tof he suffering that many greyhounds endure. Greyhounds are used in Veterinary training as they make great anatomical specimins-they are kept as blood donors by some veterinary colleges. I do a bit of collecting for GRWE (greyhound resue west of england) they are an independent charity run entirely by volunteers-you only have to go to grwe.com and have a look at the dogs needing rehoming and their back stories to realise that this article is very accurate. There are some great trainers/owners who work with rescue centres and are happy to hand the dogs over for them to find a good home and 3 cheers for them, but they are in the minority I believe.
DEFRA seem to believe that the animal welfare bill covers the welfare of racing dogs, howver this does not cover Ireland where many greyhounds are bred for racing in England.I can confirm that greyhounds make fabulous pets and the really sad thing is the destruction of thousands of healthy young dogs who don't make the grade as they can't be bothered to chase or are not prey driven enough as they would make the best pets! So next time you go to place a bet on a dog or go for a night at the races-just consider how much suffering has been involved in this form of "entertainment"


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greytexploitations
17 Mar 2010, 11:05PM

As long as the Greyhound Racing Industry remains self regulating and afforded the freedom to conduct itself in breach if UK and EU animal welfare laws - greyhounds will continue to be exploited in order to protect the billions of pounds generated for the bookmakers which in turn generates millions of pounds revenue for the government - all from the gambling on dogs.

Please dont gamble with greyhounds lives..............