THE NATIONAL GREYHOUND RACING CLUB
The National Greyhound Racing Club acts as the policemen of the industry and as such, they are responsible for the enforcement of the Rules of Racing and therefore the welfare standards set by the rules.
As the NGRC are largely funded by the betting industry, whose only concern as a commercial enterprise, is to make money, then it would appear there is an immediate conflict of interests particularly as the implementation of high welfare standards, can be very costly.
Today’s modern society dictates greater levels of care towards all animals and in an effort to appease both the bookmakers and the public, the NGRC are forced to juggle the public's demand for high welfare standards whilst concealing the cost cutting measures used by the trainers that ensures the whole circus is kept running and profits are made.
During 2007 the NGRC processed no less that 18,864 Retirement Forms. These forms record the greyhound’s fate or fortune once they are no longer winning and become a financial liability. The NGRC have of course no issue in promptly declaring that less than 10,000 greyhounds were registered to race onto NGRC tracks during 2007 but indicate ‘system failure’ when asked for details recorded on the 18,864 Retirement Forms.
Specifically, the Retirement Forms record how many greyhounds are euthanased due to their injury being uneconomical to treat; how many healthy greyhounds are killed because no retirement home can be found or how many healthy greyhounds are killed as they are considered unsuitable as a pet. The term ‘Euthanasia’ cannot be used in the latter two options, as by definition, euthanasia, is the act used ‘in the interests of the animal experiencing significant suffering with a poor prognosis for recovery’. The greyhounds disposed of in these two options have been killed, destroyed or slaughtered and well within the rules of greyhound racing.
In relation to this, the fatal injury numbers are kept firmly behind closed doors and away from the public domain. To ensure this, most tracks offer their trainers a free euthanasia service for injured greyhounds, encouraging the trainer to save the time and expense of a trip to the vets and of course the security that massive fatality numbers are kept well out of the public arena. This is a prime example of how the industry operates behind a veil of secrecy, content that profits are being maintained and public confidence deceitfully upheld.
Despite the advent of computers and being funded by the multi billion pound betting industry, the NGRC have never invested sufficient resources to compile an efficient database recording details of greyhounds from cradle to grave. In comparison Greyhound Data, who are a non-profit making organisation have successfully constructed an enviable website, containing the details of nearly 1.5 million greyhounds world wide in less than 10 years.
The NGRC are clearly choosing to ignore their responsibilities or is it rather a case of their ‘units’ not being worthy of statistic, a dead one at that.