The International Society Against the Exploitations of Racing Animals – ISAERA – have produced an excellent video entitled Greyhound Racing in Modern Britain? (Part One).
The video features Debra Rothery founder of Tia Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue giving an insight to both the independent re-homing charities and the industry’s own Retired Greyhound Trust.
Debra also highlights how the welfare situation has worsened for greyhounds since the Animal Welfare Act came into force in January 2007, stating ‘As far as greyhounds are concerned, it’s a waste of the paper its written on’ and ‘they don’t care about the dogs and nobody will prosecute them’ – a sentiment shared by Greyt Exploitations.
Five trainers this year have been fined and reprimanded for cruelty and causing unnecessary suffering to their greyhounds under NGRC rules but not one trainer has been charged and therefore prosecuted in a criminal court under the Animal Welfare Act.
More alarmingly, administering cocaine and banned substances to a greyhound is not even considered a welfare issue under NGRC rules.
As the video rightly points out – we must make our voices heard during the public consultation period on the Secondary Legislation for the racing and retired greyhound.
Click here to watch the video
http://greytexploitations.com/awareness-videos
Please also ask your local rescue centre to contribute to Tia’s Wall of Shame with details of any greyhounds they take into their care – thank you.
Comments
6 responses to “Greyhound Racing in Modern Britain?”
Betting on greyhound racing is a junction in the world of betting. Earlier people used to bet on horseracing and sports. However, Greyhound racing has now become very popular among people.
Bon Soir
Thank you for reading Galgo News and the above post. People still bet on horse racing and other sports, I agree it is a fact of life.
The problem is how greyhounds are dealt with after racing. I own horses, they have been a passion with me all my life. I don’t like horse racing, but at least there are horse sales and unwanted equines can be sold to the EU regulated slaughter houses (but in the UK) to be humanely put down – well, it’s more humane than being transported thousands of miles to a vile killing machine in Europe or Asia. (No doubt there will be people who can prove otherwise)
So why can’t the greyhound racing industry deal with the problem of unwanted greyhounds in a humane manner?
Whilst there was a lot of furore about the Seaham man who put greyhounds down, at least those dogs were not exported to Europe and Asia and Australia to be raced again there, and then what suffering after that?………….
It just sickens me that animals are exploited, full stop! I’d rather have a dog or a horse for a friend than a large number of humans……..And I know I am not alone.
Someone has to speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves, except to scream with pain.
It’s a horrid world.
B
The politicians and policy makers are (as usual) quite unaware of the opinions of their constituents.
One striking difference between horse racing and greyhound racing is fame vs. anonymity. A number of horses capture the public imagination; that is, many people are aware of the name of horses on a winning streak — whilst greyhounds are treated as a commodity by the indutry that earns ALL of its money off them.
And as the Seaham case (thank you for mentioning it, Beryl) I remember it very well. I was holidaying in England at the time, about 30 minutes drive from Seaham. The situation horrified me. However, when I read the details on Greyt Exploitations about the victims — their names and family pedigrees — that really brought tears to my eyes. They were lifted above anonymity.
Perhaps this is a tactic that could raise anti-greyhound racing awareness and wake up policy makers.
Owners and trainers should be held legally responsinle for their dogs moew than at present. When a car changes hands, there is certainly paperwork to trace the process. However, when a racing dog changes hands, suddenly blindness prevails.
Systematic overbreeding in Ireland to feed the racing frenzy with new victims is also a major problem. Perhaps banning the import of racing dogs might slow the juggernaut.
Well, bless all those involved in rescues and campaigning against greyhound racing. It is a lucky embassador for his or her kind that gets a chance at a decent life.
TypePadThanks for your comment on this subject. I agree with you, but at the end of the day, as far as the people involved in horse and greyhound racing are concerned, they are tools of the trade, not animals with feelings, and with whom one can have a relationship.
I lived near Newmarket and, whilst it was a fantastic sight to see hundreds of prancing thoroughbred horses exercising on the Heath, I still felt sick at the thought that most of them would end up as dog meat.
Your comment about owners and trainers being held liable for what happens to a horse or greyhound after racing hits the nail on the head, but until the politicians and the relevant Racing Boards accept responsibility for the cruelty inflicted on these animals at the end of their careers, it’s unlikely to change. And the bottom line is MONEY – that’s all any of them are interested in.
Get’s us very angry, doesn’t it.
But we keep slogging on, trying to help those who can’t speak up for themselves.
B
Very interesting blog. Greyhound racing is an increasingly popular sport in Victoria and other areas of Australia, and there are many opportunities for people to become actively involved as well as just turning up to watch the races.
TypePadThank you for reading Galgo News. I’d be interested to know more about ‘people becoming actively involved in greyhound racing in Australia’. By this do you mean in the way controls are in place for the breeding of greyhounds through to the conditions in which they are kept and, more importantly, what happens to them after they get injured or can no longer race? It’s these problems which need to be addressed, in the whole industry. And the tales which come out to Europe are that the dogs are shipped to the Far East, and we know what they do to dogs there.
Whilst I post pieces in relation to greyhounds, the main reason for Galgo News is to publicise the horrendous conditions in which most galgos are kept – from indiscriminate uncontrolled breeding through to their disposal at the end of EVERY hunting season – upwards of 50,000 galgos are hung alive from trees, dropped alive down wells, abandoned alive on motorways, burned alive, mutilated……………………the list is endless. My aim is to try and persuade the dozens of galgo rescue associations and refuges to join together sometimes in a huge mass protest to try and persuade the Spanish authorities to do something to remedy this situation…………………………it has to be possible.
50,000 galgos every year – 15,000 UK greyhounds every year…………………….something needs to be done to stop this.
I’d be glad if someone would tell me why the Spanish are so sadistic towards their animals – galgos, bulls, donkeys, horses…………………………
B