Greyhound Protection Review - 2008
30.01.09
In response to the GBGB annual awards, we have compiled a review of the 2008 greyhound protection campaign.
We hope you will agree it has been a very successful year in raising awareness by a growing number of supporters – too many to mention individually but a huge thank you goes out to each and every one of you.
Your support – no matter how small - has resulted in far less people attending and betting on greyhound racing and more greyhounds finding loving homes. Well done to all of you!
Please click here to read the Greyhound Protection Review and reflect on how so much has been achieved in the last 12 months and to see who receives the ‘Greyhound Campaigner of the Year – 2008’ award.
‘It is amazing what can be accomplished if you do not care who gets the credit’
Harry S Truman 1884-1972
Video Footage Confirms Lack of Welfare & Lack of Self Regulation
10.01.09
Greyt Exploitations has released video footage of a Professional Trainer’s kennel. The appalling conditions and non enforcement of the very basic standards for racing kennels clearly shows that greyhounds will continue to suffer whilst the racing industry remains a law unto itself and the government allows the industry to self regulate – incompetently.
Please click here to watch the video and accompanying statement.
Outrage as Healthy Dogs are Put to Sleep
15.01.09
Local greyhound rescue workers have expressed shock and outrage after a trainer who races dogs at the Henlow track had four healthy greyhounds “put to sleep” by a Hitchin vet.
Joanne Page, who trains greyhounds at kennels near Sandy, took the ex-racers to be “put down” at Berry House Vets in Hitchin on Wednesday January 7th.
The loosely termed Rule 18 allows for healthy greyhounds to be euthanased if no retirement home can be found.
It appears, Joanne Page did very little to find homes for her retired dogs – not even a call to her local RGT branch - and proceeded to save herself the time and expense, opting to have them ruthlessly and by definition – killed.
Please click here to view the full article http://www.dogmagazine.net/archives/1725/outrage-as-healthy-dogs-are-put-to-sleep/
Rest in Peace innocent ones……….
Greyhound Rescue West of England
14.01.09
Greyhound Rescue West of England has become the latest greyhound re-homing organisation to publicly raise awareness of the cruelty surrounding greyhound racing.
In an emotional interview with Luton Today newspaper, re-homing officer - Graham Crick – describes how Batty, an ex racing greyhound was found.
"She was rescued from an allotment shed with 29 others. She had mange and fleas when we got her. She was a racing dog and if they don't keep winning . . ." His voice tails off and his eyes mist over. "Some are injected with bleach. It's a horrible, slow death".
"Greyhounds seem to suffer more than other breeds because there's more of them - 6,000 are injured every year on the track. If they break a leg or a hock, they just get put down. They're treated as a commodity. If they're going to cost money, get rid of them".
"Not all trainers are bad. But they don't look after their teeth. They just feed them to maintain a certain standard of health so the dog is OK and can race".
"More than 10,000 dogs come on to the tracks each year - which means 10,000 come off".
Please click here to read the full Luton Today article
GRWE also made a video documenting the fantastic work they do, re-homing so many greyhounds and lurchers.
An important message concludes the video reminding us that the public consultation period for Secondary Legislation is not too far away and we must push for enormous improvements for the racing greyhound.
Please click here to watch the GRWE video
Another Fatality on a British Greyhound Track
11.01.09
An Irish three year old female greyhound - Rathtooterny Zip – is the latest casualty at Peterborough Stadium on the penultimate day of the 2008 racing calendar.
This brings the total of greyhounds who have sustained injuries and euthanased on economic grounds – that we know of – at Peterborough to six and all within the last nine months.
Although Rathtooterny Zip’s racing career lasted a full 12 months, her only surviving litter mate – Lowlow Lady – raced just twice, finishing last in both races.
Born in a country where over 13,600 greyhound puppies were ‘unaccounted’ for in 2007 – too slow or wouldn’t chase - Lowlow Lady’s failure ‘to make the grade’ will have undoubtedly sealed her fate, long before her sister was eventually raced to her death.
To read the full article and comment please click here
K9 Dog Magazine - Another Fatality on a British Track
Run fast girl ~ Run free at last
Rathtooterny Zip
13th October 2005 ~ 30th December 2008
Bushmills Major
04.01.09
Flowers were laid at Dalkeith Police Station by 11 year olds Kalya Wells and Beinn Rutherford to remember Bushmills Major, the greyhound who died at the police station. The two young campaigners were joined by two former racing greyhounds Tully and Claddagh.
This gesture was made to mark two years since Bushmills Major was locked in the kennel on 2nd January 2007, with his body found ten days later.
The flowers attached a message in remembrance of Bushmills Major stating "Once forgotten, never forgotten again"
No Police Officer or civilian faced any criminal charges over Bushmills Major's death.
Campaign group Greyhound Action Scotland Spokesperson said "Its such a tragedy the way that Bushmills Major was left to die in what would have been an agonising death. What makes this story so much worse was that there was no justice through the legal system for Bushmills Major. But we must not forget that the greyhound racing industry was as much at fault as the police.
The industry causes these dogs to be massively over bred and does nto enforce any responsibility on racing dog owners regarding the greyhounds welfare after racing. If this racing dog owner had responsibly rehomed this greyhound instead of dumping him on a public holiday at the police station claiming he was a 'stray', this whole situation could have been avoided.
Police stations are not an appropriate way of disposing of an unwanted dog of any breed. Its unthinkable what this dog must have suffered and its important that he's remembered after he was fatally forgotten once".
~ Rest In Peace Bushmills Major ~
Please click here for full news story....
Evidence of an industry in further decline
02.01.09
As predicted prior to Christmas, a series of stadiums have followed in Peterborough’s footsteps and have announced midweek closures because of poor attendances.
The Greyhound Star reports following a very slow lead up to Christmas and an anticipated sharp drop in attendances in the New Year, Portsmouth have announced they are to drop their Tuesday meetings throughout January and February.
Mike Hall, the Mildenhall racing manager states he is ‘dreading the start of the New Year’ and are discontinuing their Saturday meetings from the beginning of January. Harlow is also scraping its Thursday race meeting during January.
As expected the GRA have been forced to cut their losses and Oxford will be closing the stadium on Tuesday from January, claiming they are constantly losing money on the midweek meeting. One of their sister stadiums Perry Barr has also cutback on the midweek meeting.
Although, these may only be temporary measures, it will be interesting to see if the race nights are restored. Accumulatively, the loss of these 6 race meetings can be compared to the closure of two stadiums.
