Tesco supermarkets encourage greyhound racing – letter template to send to protest

Please support the campaign to stop Tesco supermarket from offering a Dog Racing Voucher to encourage people to go to watch greyhound racing. If you haven’t already written, here’s a template letter. Please, everyone, wherever you live, support this campaign. See end of post to read the original circular message.

· Call Clubcard free on 00800 00 59 16 88 to protest in person or

· send an email to customer.services@tesco.ie ,seamus.banim@tesco.ie, lorraine.shiels@tesco.ie,

. write to Tesco Ireland ,Gresham House,Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Dear Sir

I urge you to consider removing the Dog Racing Voucher from your customer brochure.

Although this relates to Ireland the effects will be widespread as the fact that this came to my notice via Spain and France, testifies.

The widespread cruelty to the dogs used in the racing industry is well documented. Pups not fit for the track are killed and dogs no longer used for racing are often cruelly mutilated to remove their identity marks ie ears and sections of skin removed before they are abandoned, usually to suffer a death through starvation, disease or being hit by traffic.

These are not isolated incidents but typical of the shootings, abandoning and mutilating of dogs which are no longer useful for the track.

There are frequent accidents at the track when dogs suffering injuries are put down if there is the luxury of a vet in attendance.

In addition dogs are sold on the hunters in Andalucia where they are used for the season and then abandoned, hung from trees with wires round their necks with their feet barely scraping the floor and left to a slow agonizing death, look on Galgo news site link below. The Spaniards jokingly call this, “playing the piano.” The abandonment of dogs in Spain is in full flow right now, the rescue centres can’t cope and the incidents of brutality are unbearable to read.

Dog pounds in Britain are full of healthy unwanted racing greyhounds which if not adopted are given a lethal injection after 7 days.

Look on Dogsblog or Lincoln Greyhound rescue for evidence.

Obviously greyhounds pay a bitter price for the transient pleasure and financial rewards of punters and owners. It would be fantastic if Tesco bit the bullet and acknowledged it’s error, presumably made in ignorance, and instead became the champion of these beautiful and noble dogs who’s origins date back to the Pharoahs, we should reward them well for their loyalty to man through the centuries.

It is ironic that greyhounds, the most docile and trusting of creatures should suffer this fate, especially as ,throughout their working lives they earn taxes for the benefit of mankind.

Perhaps, man “kind “is a misnoma.

Because of these issues Tesco’s association with dog racing will do nothing to promote it’s image beyond that of exploitation of animals. It doesn’t chime well with Tesco’s counters of “Freedom” foods and organically raised produce around which there in a growing awareness and an increasing demand.

Thank-you so much for taking the time to read this, I hope you will give my request careful thought.

Name
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Original message

SAY NO TO TESCO GREYHOUND RACING PROMOTION

Greyhound Action Ireland appeal to Tesco Clubcard Deals to remove their Irish Greyhound Racing deal from their brochure. Apparently 10 euro in clubcard vouchers will get you 40euro to spend at the Greyhound track. They say ‘experience the pace, the thrills and excitement that is a night at the dogs’.

We say racing causes the deaths and injuries of thousands of dogs annually. Dogs regularly found with mutilations, some drugged, burned, drowned , shot or just dumped in Ireland. This is well documented in the press. Over 25,000 Greyhound pups are born in Ireland annually. These are just the ones who are registered, others are killed at birth or as saplings due to no prospects at the track. See www.greyhound.org.uk for videos and more information in our IRELAND section.

For journalist media enquiries only, please contact the Tesco Press office Monday to Friday between 8 am and 7 pm on 01 215 2661

Media Contacts:

Communications Manager: Seamus Banim, 00 353 1 2152938, email: seamus.banim@tesco.ie

Communications Executive: Lorraine Shiels, 00 353 1 215 2100, email: lorraine.shiels@tesco.ie

Tesco Ireland Corporate Affairs, 00 353 1 215 2661