Disgusting and heart wrenching to read about this - but I'm not surprised as there are so many dogs bred for racing and they have to be going somewhere -I think the ones that do get rescued are just the tip of the iceberg and there have to be lots of people like this "man" doing a simlar thing up and down the country.  

I just wish people knew about things like this before they decided to go for a night out at "the dogs". 

I wish something could be done about it by the government - it really is a disgusting situation taking place in a country that is supposed to be famous for it's love of dogs.

 

 

 

I felt sick just reading that article. I must admit before I got Sunny I knew very little about the racing industry or the cruelty involved. This story really upset me. I can't believe this man can't be arrested for killing the dogs, ok at a push they might get him on the enviromental health side of it because of where he is burying the dogs and the risk of polluting the nearby water supply, but that just isn't enough.

What can Joe public do? Can we write to someone, or offer our support to current campaignes? 

Landess

Horrible as those facts are, there is a little bright side to look at:

The article appeared in the Sunday Times, making lots and lots of people aware, which is always a good thing. It always takes a long time for public distaste to grow into public outrage and eventually to a change in law, but this process is under way.

I would think that the easiest way to get someone like that serial greyhound killer would be via the Inland Revenue. If he takes cash in hand, then he is probably not keeping any kinds of accounts. Alternatively, as someone else said, Health & Safety regulations, hygiene or something like that. Cold and calculating as that may seem, it wouldn't matter as long as he is stopped.

Finally, not everyone involved in racing is that awful; and not all racing hound owners have their dogs slaughtered when they stop making money. As mentioned many a time before, my older daughter works Sunday mornings in a racing kennel. The couple who own the kennels also own most of the dogs, all of whom are well cared for with good veterinary care; they usually keep the retired ones at the kennels until they find a good home, and support the local greyhound rescue place with donations, too. Kyra would not work there if the dogs were ill-treated.

I know that doesn't make the whole industry a good thing, but it does show that it's possible to make a living in it humanely.

I read this article in the Sunday Times this morning and was disgusted, but not surprised.   I've heard about this sort of thing before.

I think it would be a good idea for GAL to write to the Sunday Times and highlight the work done by them and similar organisations and suggest that they run a follow up article.   I'm sure that it would be of interest to the British public who would want some good news about Greyhounds after that sickening article.

Finally I do hope that when David Smith is due to retire, that he is not given a place in a nice Private Nursing Home, but is taken to a shed in some back garden and shot through the head witha bolt gun.  

Perhaps not - that would be too merciful!!!!

I have sent a letter to the editor at the Mail congratulating them on publicising this issue. Maybe other GAL members would like to do the same with the Mail and the Times.

letters@dailymail.co.uk (Don't know the Times e-mail).

Sheila

The story was doing the rounds this morning (SSPCA involved in one piece) and is featured in the Daily Star.

We are in "silly season" now as Westminster, Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales are not sitting. Stories like the above tend to get a bigger showing - which is good.

 

Number of points raised by the article and subsequent press coverage, let's explore them.

Firstly we have a guy who is killing greyhounds using a bolt gun, he's charging £10 for the privilege and disposing of the bodies in his back garden. So what is he doing that's illegal?

It's not illegal to own a bolt gun and it's not illegal to use that gun to euthanise animals, he doesn't need a licence to carry out this procedure either. Charging £10 per dog obviously has implications for his tax status but as he points out all the proceeds go to a charity (whether that's true or not we'll never know). Finally, he's disposing of the bodies in his own private land, again nothing illegal about that or certainly not a problem as long as environmental health can have a look. The article does indicate a local stream nearby that might be contaminated, I think they were grasping at straws on that one.

I'll answer my own question again, what is he doing that's illegal? NOTHING.

So where do we look to now? Lets look at the Greyhound owners and Trainers who were using this guy's service. Yes, IMO, they do have a duty of care towards their dogs, in their opinion obviously not, to them a dog is obviously just a commodity to be trained, raced then disposed of. Just like you and me treat a pair of shoes, use them till they are worn out, discard them and go get a new pair.

Is there any way we can stop this happening? Well, the BGRB & NGRC do have the ways and means to trace each and every Greyhound born in the UK and Ireland. We all know they are tattooed and given racing papers a few weeks after they are born so why not use this method to track the greyhound and ensure they do not suffer this fate?

This won't happen I'm afraid, the BGRB and NGRC are organisations that, where possibly not treating the dogs as commodities, do not have any issues with the euthanasation of Greyhounds after they retire. When a trainer or owner no longer have a dog a form is required to be filled in by them and sent to the NGRC, this form contains 3 boxes, tick one for 'sold to continue racing' tick two for 'retired - handed over as pet' and tick 3 for 'euthanised'.

As you can see option 3 is not frowned upon, it's an accepted part of the racing industry.

OK, lets look at the whole bolt gun thing again, we're really going back to economics now where the owners and trainers are concerned why pay a vet £60 to euthanise their dog when they only need to pay £10 to the guy down the road with a bolt gun? Economics wins every time in the Greyhound industry where the only real winners are the bookies.

Everyone was horrified to see the pictures over the weekend. Lets turn the tables, would you have been equally as horrified if the pictures showed a man in overalls leading 2 cross breeds into a small building only to exit a few minutes later with the dead bodies of those dogs? AND would you have been more or less horrified see the logo's of this countries leading animal welfare organisations emblazoned over the mans overalls? Killing healthy dogs on a daily basis is by no means restricted to seedy old men with bolt guns taking in retired Greyhounds.

So what's the solution? I don't have a magic wand for other breeds, lets think about Greyhounds though. The trainers, owners and legislators involved in the industry must increase their duty of care towards Greyhounds, attitudes must change, each and every dog that is bred for racing must be properly retired at the end of its career, not euthanised but handed over to Greyhound Welfare organisations (like GAL). Breeding of Greyhounds must decrease dramatically, far too many litters are produced, much more than the sport needs to survive. Welfare provision must be increased not only for the RGT but independent charities like GAL, the sport is a multi-million pound industry, use some of it for the welfare aspect of the sport. Finally the NGRC and BGRB must police the sport more carefully, keep track of all the dogs and ensure they are properly cared for, this must also extend to the dogs running on the flapping tracks in the country.

thanks Steve, found both articles online -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/07/18/somott18.xml

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/07/18/ftdogs18.xml

 

I agree Steve I have just read Germaines article and to be honest I had tears of anger in my eyes. How dare this woman say that my own two hounds would be better off dead than in my flat where they are loved and cared for and walked 5 times a day. Ok so i don't have a massive garden and wood for them to run free like she has the privilage of, but i make sure both my dogs run off the lead every day, all be it in a safe enclosed area. If my dogs could talk in fact if any of GALs dogs could talk which do you think they would chose ? Life in a flat or the bolt gun?

 I have always thought Germaine Greer is a stupid old woman and this has just confirmed it. Yes all greyhound rescue groups need support and publicity but her type of opinions can't help.

This story has upset me alot, and now she has just made me plain angry.

On a more positive note The Sun newspaper did a follow up article today printing the Retired Greyhound Trust website (which can lead people to GAL). There was also a story from John McCririck urging people to consider a greyhound if they were looking for a dog, and saying that the bookmakers and industry must be more accountable.

Landess.

I agree Gail - I am going to look up the contact details for Germaine and write her a letter about this - she has said some really stupid things - when I first had Harley I lived in a flat but took him for 3 good walks a day (as he still gets) and he had plenty of exercise.

I think if he could talk he would say he was more than happy with that - better than a bolt through the head any day. She has made some negative comments about owning a greyhound which won't help matters and should be addressed.

Greyhound cruelty claim shocks owners

EDP24 Article

And the news reaches Australia via Reuters

World News Article

Dave, your long posting above says it all so calmly and rationally - have you sent that to all the newspapers that ran the original article?

thanks for your comments about my post, GAL are trying to get some publicity on the current mini wave of Greyhound mainia however the press are a fickle bunch so we'll see. I'd prefer it if GAL got positive coverage from this rather than enter into the debate over the issues raised...

Germain Greer on the other hand is a Grade A Numero Uno fruit loop and I've just emailed off a letter to the Telegraph about her....