"...then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and to remember. And when the day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give testament, and God will pass judgement upon man."
Photos of British Greyhounds ... in Spain !
Kindly Supplied
by
**********
'Measuring the Massacre '
Just how many dogs are put to death by the British greyhound racing industry ?
Greyhound racing seems to be surrounded by figures - trap numbers, starting
prices, prize money, profit and loss accounts. But one figure which the
racing industry never publishes, and doesn't even bother to calculate, is
the figure for the number of greyhounds killed every year, either because
they are "not good enough" for racing or because their racing days are over.
The only such figure we have ever come across from the greyhound racing
industry appeared in 1999 in a letter to the Herne Bay Times from Simon
Marcantonio of the British Greyhound Racing Board, who said that "only" 500
greyhounds a year were killed when their racing careers were over. We
don't think many members of the public would consider the word "only" to be
appropriate to a figure of 500 dogs killed - and it's pretty obvious
anyway that Marcantonio just plucked the figure out of the air in an attempt to
counter claims by anti-racing campaigners.
Sadly, the true figure is massively higher than 500, as our calculations below will show.
So how can we come to some sort of
estimate of how many dogs are killed ?
We can start out by trying to work out how many greyhounds are born every year.
the National Coursing Club and the Irish Coursing Club keep records of how
many greyhound litters are registered each year in Britain and Ireland.
According to figures published in 2001, 696 litters were registered in
Britain and 3,731 in Ireland during the preceding 12 months.
The general consensus amongst those involved in greyhound rescue seems to
be that greyhound litters comprise 8 pups, on average.
Therefore, the figures would indicate that approximately 5,500
(8x696=5,568)
greyhounds are born every year in Britain and 30,000 (8x3,731=29,848) in Ireland.
There is also bound to be a considerable number of unregistered litters,
where greyhounds are bred for such purposes as hunting, rough coursing and
unlicensed racing - so the total number of greyhounds born annually in the
British Isles could quite easily exceed
40,000.
Individual greyhounds are also registered (at just a few months old), and
when the figures for these are examined, a very disturbing situation emerges.
From the 696 British litters, 4,165 pups were registered. This is an
average of only 6 pups per litter - so what has happened to the other 2 pups per
litter? About 1,400 pups seem to have gone missing.
In Ireland 20,694 pups were registered from the 3,731 litters, an average of
just over 5.5 per litter, meaning a shortfall of more than 9,000 pups.
Where are these missing puppies - a total of almost 10,500 altogether?
We only have to ask ourselves, is it likely that greyhound breeders, who are
in business to make a profit, are going to allow weak puppies or runts of
litters to remain alive? Are such people going to put their hands in their
pockets to pay for food, bedding etc. for dogs which will never be any
good for racing and which they'll never be able to sell?
The majority of dogs which race on British tracks are imported from
Ireland, as the greyhound racing industry in Britain is much bigger
than it is in the Irish Republic.
There are about 20 tracks in Ireland, whereas in Britain there are over 30
"official" tracks (operating, supposedly, under the rules of the National
Greyhound Racing Club - NGRC) and about 25 independent or "flapping" tracks.
Because the independent tracks are smaller operations than the "official"
tracks, it seems safe that the industry is about twice as
big in Britain as it is in Ireland.
Therefore, of the estimated 40,000 greyhounds bred annually in the British Isles, it would seem that the British industry is responsible for about
25,000
(taking account of the fact that a small percentage of
dogs are bred for coursing rather than racing ).
In order to run on the "official" tracks, dogs have to be registered again,
with the NGRC, and such registrations totalled 9,938 in 2001.
There is no way of finding an exact figure for dogs entering racing on
independent tracks in the same year, but we can safely say this amounts to
less than 5,000 additional dogs, given that the independent tracks are fewer
and smaller-scale, and taking into account that many NGRC
registered dogs also run on independent tracks
(despite this being forbidden by NGRC rules).
So if less than 15,000 of the 25,000 dogs bred annually for the British
tracks get as far as actually racing,
what has happened to the other
10,000 ?
According to the greyhound racing industry, about 75% of dogs running on
British tracks originate in Ireland. According to many greyhound rescues,
the figure is nearer 90%.
If we use the lower figure of 75%, then only 3,750 of the estimated 15,000
dogs entering racing annually in Britain are British in origin.
But, based on the litter registration figures from the National Coursing
Club, about 5,500 greyhounds are bred in Britain every year. So what has
happened to the 1,750 British dogs which obviously don't make it as far as
the track?
If the figure of 90% is used instead, this shortfall of British dogs
becomes
4,150 !
Another indication of the scale of the greyhound slaughter comes from the
statement of a vet at the World Conference of Greyhound Federations (WCGF)
held in London in 1998, who admitted to destroying, on average, nine,
healthy, young dogs a week at the Nottingham track.
If the same thing is happening at all the other 31 "official" stadiums, that
would mean that a total of about
15,000
dogs are being destroyed a year by
vets at these tracks. Seeing as NGRC registration figures indicate that
less than 10,000 dogs begin their "careers" at "official" tracks every year,
the figure of 15,000 must include thousands of dogs destroyed before they even
enter racing.
In addition, the figure of 15,000 doesn't take into account the thousands
of dogs "put to sleep" by other vets or killed by other methods.
The Retired Greyhound Trust, set up some years ago by the greyhound racing
industry in response to disquiet about the number of greyhounds abandoned
and killed, claims to find homes for about 2,000 dogs per year. This
figures open to suspicion, however, as many of these dogs are actually homed
for the RGT by other greyhound rescues and it has been claimed that some dogs
are counted twice in the figures if they are returned to the RGT and then
homed again. However, for the sake of argument, we shall say 2,000.
To this must be added the number of non-RGT dogs homed by other rescues.
This is unlikely to be more than 2,000 as there are less of these rescues
than there are RGT branches.
Then there are the dogs which continue to be looked after by their "owners"
when they are no longer able to race. It is impossible to arrive at an
exact figure for these, but it is unlikely to be more than a few thousand.
The racing industry would have us believe that almost all the approx.
10,000 dogs which "retire" from racing on "official" tracks every year are looked
after by their "owners" or trainers when their racing days are over.
Greyhounds can easily live to be at least 12 years old, so if the industry
claims are to be believed, at any one time there would be 100,000
ex-racing greyhounds in the country. All this without taking into account the
thousands of dogs which don't even make it to the racetrack
Also, almost all greyhounds which are seen out and about, being taken for
walks etc. are not with their original "owners" but with people who have
got them from rescues.
Sadly, it seems quite clear to us that at least 20,000 of the 25,000 dogs
bred annually for racing in Britain end up being "put to sleep" or killed by
other, more horrific, methods in order to avoid veterinary fees.
This amounts to the killing of 50 greyhounds every day!
The "official" tracks, being, in general, much bigger operations than the
independents, are no doubt the cause of the major part of this
slaughter - and we would estimate that each NGRC track is responsible,
on average, for the deaths of at least 500 greyhounds every year.
This ties in with the statement of the vet (mentioned above) at the WCGF,
because if 9 greyhounds are being destroyed every week at each of these
tracks, the total comes to 450 per track every year, without taking into
account dogs killed elsewhere.
Any wonder why the racing industry doesn't keep records or publish figures
for the number of dogs that are killed !
**********
Greyhound Racing USA: Death in the Fast Lane
Winners and Losers
An estimated 28,000 greyhounds are killed each year as the greyhound racing
business struggles to stay alive. Although only about 30 percent of the
greyhounds born in the industry will ever touch a racetrack, greyhounds who
do qualify to become racers at 18 months typically live in cages, some as
small as three foot by three foot, for roughly 22 hours each day. Some are
kept muzzled by their trainers almost constantly. Many exhibit crate and
muzzle sores, and are frequently infested with internal and external
parasites. Greyhounds are forced to race in extreme weather conditions from
sub zero weather to temperatures reaching over 100 degrees. As of 1998, a
total of 49 tracks were holding live greyhound racing. These tracks are in
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon,
Rhode Island, Texas, West Virginia,and Wisconsin.
Greyhounds are "retired" when they become unprofitable through injury or
failure to win races. Few make it to the mandated retirement age of five
years. Injuries and sickness--broken legs, heat stroke, heart attacks--claim
many dogs. Some are accidentally electrocuted or otherwise injured by lures
during a race. Most dogs who slow down and become unprofitable are either
killed immediately or sold to research laboratories. At Colorado State
University alone, from January 1995 to March 1998, a total of 2,650 unwanted
racing greyhounds were donated to research by local breeders. About five
percent of retired greyhounds are placed in adoptive homes. A few of the big
winners are kept for breeding. One retired greyhound breeder put it this
way: "If (the dogs) run off the track and can't requalify, they're stuck out
back and lucky if they're fed."
Because of the all-pervasive economic interests, many greyhound owners and
trainers have kept dogs in deplorable conditions and killed them in cheap,
cruel ways. In April 1998, the rotting carcasses of 45 dead greyhounds were
discovered outside St. Louis. The dogs' ears had been cut off to remove
identifying tattoos. In one instance in Arizona, 143 greyhounds were found
shot to death and hidden in an orchard. A top racer was charged with
criminal littering. In 1990, two Arizona kennelmen who so neglected their
dogs that 25 had to be euthanized, were fined just $500 each and had their
racing licenses revoked. After that came the discovery of two dogs in a
dumpster outside a Phoenix kennel, battered, but still alive. Seventy other
dogs in the kennel were underfed and tick-infested. The trainer had his
license suspended. There have also been cases of dogs found abandoned in
padlocked kennels, starving and suffering from dehydration. Two hundred
starving dogs were found in a Florida kennel in 1991. In 1992, 87 dogs
perished in a Massachusetts kennel arson fire. In Jacksonville, Florida, 20
greyhounds died when the air-conditioning system in their kennel failed.
Some unwanted dogs are abused for entertainment. Witnesses described the
"Tijuana Hot Plate" that took place after a race at the Coeur d'Alene
Greyhound Park in which an unwanted female greyhound was taken from her
crate and placed in the middle of a crowded room where revelers partook in
marijuana and cocaine. She stood on the wetted floor while a man put a metal
wire inside her rectum and an alligator clip on her lip. She was then
electrocuted. Witnesses said that it was not the first time a race dog had
been killed this way.
Other Victims
Each year approximately 100,000 small animals--most of them rabbits--are
used as live bait to teach dogs to chase lures around the track. The dogs
are encouraged to chase and kill live lures hanging from a horizontal pole
so they will chase the inanimate lures used during the actual races. "Bait
animals" may be used repeatedly throughout the day, whether alive or dead.
Rabbits' legs are sometimes broken so their cries will excite the dogs;
guinea pigs are used because they scream. When animals are "used up," dogs
are permitted to catch them and tear them apart. Trainers claim the use of
live lures is necessary to teach dogs to be champion racers, and the cost of
"bait animals" is low compared to the potential earnings of a winning dog.
Less aggressive dogs are sometimes placed in a cage with a rabbit or other
animal and not released or fed until they have killed the cage companion.
A small percentage of greyhounds are trained using an artificial rabbit
lure. However, in Massachusetts and other states where training with live
animals is illegal, owners often send their dogs out of state for training,
thus circumventing the state's humane intentions. Many dogs are trained in
Texas and Kansas, where anti-cruelty codes are weaker or less strictly
enforced than in other states.
Help and Hope
Because greyhounds are usually gentle, quiet, and friendly, some of the
lucky dogs are placed into caring homes. The Greyhound Protection League
(P.O. Box 620863, Woodside, CA 94062; 1-800-4-HOUNDS; www.grehounds.org)
organizes adoption programs throughout the country and distributes
information about the racing industry.
Although adoption helps, the only way to protect greyhounds from abuse is to
put an end to racing. Due to the grassroots efforts of concerned citizens,
live dog racing has been banned in seven states: Maine, Virginia, Vermont,
Idaho, Washington, Nevada and North Carolina.
Fortunately, greyhound racing is losing its popularity. Sports Illustrated
stated "Pari-mutuel betting as a whole has dropped by $1 billion in the last
decade and this sport especially has gone to the dogs."
Ways to keep people from patronizing tracks include leafletting at a local
track, lobbying for a ban in your state (whether there are currently dog
tracks or not), and writing letters to the editor opposing greyhound racing.
References
Michelmore, Peter, "Hidden Shame of an American Sport," Reader's Digest,
Aug. 1992, p. 104.
Ibid.
Bronson, Betty, "Racing Greyhounds Mistreated," St. Louis Globe-Democrat,
April 9, 1986.
Karasik, Gary, "You Can Bet Their Life on It," Miami Herald Tropic, Oct. 21,
1990, p. 8.
Schultze, Steve, "Animal Cruelty Issues Raised in Fight on Legalizing
Racing," The Milwaukee Journal, March 29, 1987, p. 19A.
Karasik, p. 8.
Michelmore, p. 104.
Karasik, p. 13.
Robert A. Erlandson, "Former Racing Greyhounds Rescued Just Under Wire,"
Baltimore Sun, July 12, 1991, p. 1D.
Michelmore, p. 105.
McClintock, Jack, "Run or Die," Life magazine, June/July 1991, p. 65.
Karasik, p. 8.
Karasik, p. 14.
"Winners--After All!" Miami Herald, June 2, 1991, p. 4B.
Knowles, Joseph, "Saving Grace: The Life of a Retired Athlete," Chicago
Sports Profiles, June 1994, p. 64.
Michelmore, p. 103.
Ibid., p. 107.
Knowles, p. 64.
"Stop Greyhound Abuse"
RUSTY REMEMBERED
Moving ceremony in memory of tortured greyhound
Below is a report from the Western Mail of the Remembering Rusty ceremony. In addition, a full-page article, with several photos, appeared in the local edition of the South Wales Echo.
Approaching 100 people, many of them accompanied by rescued greyhounds, lurchers and other dogs, attended this very moving event on Sunday, May 1st.
After gathering at the nearby Parc Cwm Darran, the participants travelled in a convoy of vehicles to Fochriw Mountain, where the ceremony was held.
Following the laying of flowers, wreaths and tributes at the spot where Rusty was found, Tony Peters, Greyhound Action's UK co-coordinator, explained the reasons for the ceremony and his wife Louise, the organisation's founder, gave a short speech in which she called for an end to dog racing, stating that what had happened to Rusty was "only part of a much bigger sickness called the greyhound racing industry" and that "all this suffering, misery and death" only occurred "because a minority of saddos want to place a bet on dogs running round a track".
A minutes silence was then observed, after which the Reverend James Thompson, founder of Christians Against All Animal Abuse, conducted a service of prayer and animal protection related hymns in memory of Rusty and of all dogs and other animals that have suffered and died at the hands of the human species.
This was followed by a speech from Alain Thomas of Greyhound Rescue Wales, who played a major part in the bringing of Andrew Gough to justice for Rusty's torture. Alain explained how the concern and furore surrounding the case had "created a watershed" and blown open the traditional secrecy of the greyhound racing industry in the area, inevitably leading to better treatment for the dogs.
Helen from South Devon Greyhound Action (SDGA) then gave a Gaelic blessing for Rusty and read a poem in his memory. She was followed by Mindy from SDGA and Vanessa from South Wales Greyhound Action, who read poems and messages sent by supporters unable to attend the ceremony.
The participants then returned to Parc Cwm Darran, where the Reverend Thompson gave individual blessings to many of the dogs that had been brought along.
South Wales was not the only place where Rusty was remembered,
as ceremonies were also held in his memory at several greyhound rescue fundraising events in other parts of the UK.
******
Memorial For Abused Greyhound
Western Mail
A MEMORIAL has been held for a greyhound found mutilated and abandoned on a Welsh mountain this time last year.
The black male greyhound, later found to have been called Rusty, was discovered by a dog walker who heard him whimpering in agony in a rubbish tip on Fochriw Mountain in the Rhymney Valley.
Rusty had been injured in several ways, including being shot in the head with a captive-bolt pistol, and his ears had been hacked off because they bore tattoos that could identify him.
Remarkably, Rusty was still alive, and wagging his tail, but his injuries were so extensive that he was later put to sleep by a vet.
Yesterday a special Remembering Rusty ceremony was held at the place on Fochriw Mountain where he was found.
The Reverend James Thompson, founder of Christians Against All Animal Abuse, officiated at the ceremony and laid flowers in the dog's memory.
Campaigners, who brought along rescued dogs, said the greyhound racing industry is too cruel and want the three dog tracks in South Wales closed.
Tony Peters, Greyhound Action's UK co-ordinator, said, "Sadly, this case is just the tip of a very large iceberg. Reports by both the All Party Group for Animal Welfare in the Welsh National Assembly and Greyhound Rescue Wales suggest that hundreds of greyhounds are discarded and killed, often by shooting, in the region every year, when no longer required by the racing industry.
"We are asking the public not to attend or bet on dog racing, so it dies out through lack of financial support."
At Caerphilly Magistrates Court on December 22, Andrew Gough was sentenced to six months imprisonment for torturing Rusty and banned from keeping animals for life.
It emerged during Gough's trial that Rusty's owner and trainer had handed him over to Gough to kill, after a toe injury had ended the greyhound's racing career.
May 2nd., 2005
Gareth Morgan, Western Mail
*****
PLEASE VISIT RUSTY'S PAGE HERE
" We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who attended the ceremony or who sent cards, poems and donations towards the event. You all helped to make it an extremely moving and successful day, which was a fitting tribute to Rusty and all other greyhounds that have suffered and died at the hands of their exploiters.
More info on the Justice for Rusty campaign and the fate of greyhounds and lurchers in Wales can be found at http://www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/justiceForRusty.htm. The campaign is now being continued by our South Wales branch, who will be lobbying the relevant local authorities and the Welsh National Assembly to do all in their powers to close the region's three dog tracks. Special leaflets and posters will need to be produced in order to gain public support. Any donations towards the cost of these would be very gratefully received. Please make cheques/POs payable to Greyhound Action
(write Justice for Rusty on the back) and send to
Justice for Rusty
Greyhound Action,
PO Box 127,
Kidderminster,
Wales
DY10 3UZ
The first target of the campaign will be to get John Hurley and Mark Emmett, the owner and trainer of Rusty who handed him over to Andrew Gough to be killed, banned from racing greyhounds at the Bedwellte track. The other two South Wales tracks have banned them but, disgracefully, Bedwellte has allowed them back.
We've been informed by Greyhound Rescue Wales, who paid for Rusty's body to be cremated, that his ashes have been scattered on a mountain called "The Waun" in the Rhondda Valley, where Rusty used to enjoy being taken for a walk, before he fell into the evil hands of Hurley and Emmett. "
Please feel free to forward/crosspost/circulate this page.
Tony Peters,
Thank You Tony, Greyhound Action UK for allowing us to reprint Rusty's Memorial Newsleter hee on CVFA
A new site for Black Beauty - Greyhounds
Sight Hounds On Line
************
Save greyhounds in Korea
Animal Freedom Korea
are working very hard to stop the greyhound industry in Korea.
They have stated the following...
"The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has recently promulgated the bill for the amendment of livestock law and collected people's opinion, in which there was a clause to make pet dogs and racing dogs registered by the breed. The reason for them to include racing dogs particularly in the clause seems that they intend to make regulations on dog racing soon. It must have been the result of the lobby of the industry.
"We protested firmly and that part of the law seems to be removed. However, that wouldn't mean that we can stop the legislation of dog racing altogether. It seems they are negotiating with some congressmen and going to make a move some time next year.
"Several things are going on regarding the dog racing legislation. First of all, KGRC ( Korean Greyhound Racing Club) has achieved the exclusive contract and copyright of the distribution of the motion pictures in the Asian region from NZRB in New Zealand on August 14th.
"KGRC is broadcasting live racing on their website (www.dogracing.net) from 26th. According to them, the time difference for the broadcasting between NZ and Korea is only about 10 minutes.
"KGRC also provides the paid members with a game service they can bet for. In order to make people have more interest in dog racing, the company offers the ones who won with so called 'game money' which cannot be returned in cash and give them presents when the 'game money' reaches a certain point. (e.g. a golden pig, overseas travelling coupon etc.)"
PLEASE TAKE ACTION:
1.Write to the NZRB and ask them politely to terminate their contract with the KGRC. Greyhounds surplus to requirements in Korea will fuel the dog meat markets. The Australian and New Zealand racing authorities are fully aware that there is no hope, opportunity or rehoming programmes for the greyhound that are retired or injured or have failed the grade in Korea
Every greyhound that races in Korea will end their days being killed.
2. Remind them that the NZRB in accordance with the Racing Act 2003, must comply and exhibit a sense of social responsibility by having regard to the interests of the community in which it operates.
3. Contact Greyhounds Australasia Ltd (used to be called ANZGA Australian New Zealand Greyhound Association) ask them to stop the promotion and export of greyhounds to Asia for the reasons stated above.
4. Email us at greyhoundactioninternational@hotmail.com for the new protest cards directed at the Australian minister for live export Warren Truss who is responsible for exporting greyhounds from Australia to Asia.
Please persistently write, email, fax & telephone and express your disgust. One phone call can save a greyhounds life.
Contact details:
New Zealand Racing Board
tel:+64 4 568 8866
fax +64 4 568 9817
New Zealand Racing Industry Board
PO Box 38 899, Wellington Mail Centre,
106-111Jackson Street, Petone, New Zealand
National Office +64-4-576 6999 +64-4-576-6942
tel; +64-4-568 8866, Fax +64-4-568 9817
Helpdesk phone numbers from various countries:-
New Zealand 0800 102 106
Australia 0011 800 10 20 30 44
United Kingdom 00 800 10 20 30 44
Hong Kong 001 800 10 20 30 44
Malaysia 00 800 10 20 30 44
United States 011 800 10 20 30 44
Netherlands 00 800 10 20 30 44
South Africa 09 800 10 20 30 44
other countries 64 4 576 6281
Greyhounds Australasia Limited
Director, Robert Kennedy
Sandown Greyhound Complex P.O.Box 239 Springvale 3171
Telephone (03) 9548 3500 Facsimile (03) 9548 3488
Greyhounds Australasia Limited
Chairman, Mrs. Jan Wilson
Sandown Greyhound Complex P.O.Box 239 Springvale 3171
Telephone (03) 9548 3500 Facsimile (03) 9548 3488
Greyhounds Australasia Limited
Neil Brown, Chief Executive Officer
Sandown Greyhound Complex P.O.Box 239 Springvale 3171
Telephone (03) 9548 3500 Facsimile (03) 9548 3488
The Honorable Warren Truss Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT 2600
Australia
Steve Rosier, Chief Executive Greyhound Racing Authority of New South Wales
P.O. Box 138
Lidcombe, NSW 2141
Australia
ph: +61 02 9646 3933, fax: +61 02 9646 4904
Please also contact the following, who are responsible for greyhound racing in Korea:
Jechun City
Greyhound Park
___________________
' 7,000 Unwanted Greyhounds Killed Each Year '
If you want abolition of greyhound racing you are an 'extremist' it says!
The number of greyhounds bred because of the demand created by the British dog racing industry amounts to between 25,000 and 30,000 per year. Thus, even if 8,000 are found homes every year (which is extremely doubtful), that only amounts to one in three, at the very most.
Previous to the APGAW report, the British Greyhound Racing Board were claiming that "only" about 1,000 greyhounds were "put down" every year, so it is actually the industry's own "wild claims" that have been substantially corrected by the report.
As quite rightly stated below, 8,000 greyhounds found homes every year wouldn't mean that the lives of 8,000 dogs were saved. It would just mean that the lives of 8,000 greyhounds were saved and 8,000 other "unwanted" dogs condemned to death in their place, because homes they could have gone to would be taken up by greyhounds.
Even if the number of greyhounds that survive were two in three, that would mean that one in three lose their lives because of the dog racing industry, which is, of itself, an overwhelming argument for the abolition of commercial greyhound racing.
As far as we're concerned, there aren't any extremist groups campaigning to protect greyhounds (or animals in general). There are just extremists who abuse animals and decent people who try to protect them from abuse. Let's not forget that Nelson Mandela was once called a "terrorist" and an "extremist" and, indeed, spent decades in prison for so-called terrorist activities. Something that's easy to forget when we see every world leader queuing up to shake him by the hand.
The homing figures produced by the Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT) are open to considerable doubt, as it has been claimed by many people in the rescue community that greyhounds returned to the RGT, and then homed again, are counted twice, and that some homings done by other rescue groups are included in the RGT figures.
In any event, the main reason why the RGT's figures have risen is because of the increased public awareness of the plight of greyhounds that has been created by groups campaigning for greyhound protection, such as ourselves.
At the end of the day though, we must not worry too much about what evil characters like Lipsey have to say. Provided the public continue to be educated about the suffering and slaughter of greyhounds at the hands of the dog racing industry, that industry will continue on its slide towards oblivion.
Tony Peters, Greyhound Action
www.greyhoundaction.org.uk
________________________
The British Greyhound Racing Board - Chairman Lord David Lipsey
"It corrects wild claims from extremist groups that only one in five racing greyhounds survives. It rightly finds 8,000 greyhounds are rehomed or kept as pets each year - which is more like two in three".
.....Therefore .... 8,000 homes are taken by greyhounds that have been off load by the racing industry - which would have been given to 8,000 other types of dogs that are being put to sleep, due to NO available spaces at rescues, sanctuaries, or 'forever' homes !!!! ...
....The six-month enquiry showed that at least 13,478 greyhounds bred for racing are "surplus" to the industry !!!!...
.... At least 4,728 racing greyhound are unaccounted for annually - presumed to be killed by the age of three or four when they are of no further use !!!!! .....
....Another 2,478 pups bred for English greyhound racing each year never even make it to the track - and are also unaccounted for.
.... AND HE CALLS US "EXTREMISTS" ..............
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY
If being extremist is wanting the end to all animal abuse then we are proud to be extremists, there's nought wrong with that!! It's better to be an extremist than an evil animal abuser!!
Best wishes
SDGA team
'Racing To Death'
Free Downloadable Song
In Memory of Biko,
The Racing Greyhound
to downlaod the song and read the story !
Show your support by leaving your comments here at CARE2
THE UK's
WALL OF SHAME !
____________________________________________________
MUSHROOM
For those of you who are kept in the dark and fed on ????
Welcome to Mushroom, the ALTERNATIVE RGT newsletter
MUSHROOM
For those of you who are kept in the dark and fed on ????
Welcome to Mushroom, the ALTERNATIVE RGT newsletter
You are receiving this newsletter because you care about ex racing greyhounds and their welfare, but more importantly, because you support the Racing Industry.
I'm sure that all of you are passionate and devoted to your ex racers. So much so, that you don't have time to get caught up in the Greyhound Racing debate.
Well, we would like to give you an insight, some facts and figures, so that you can make an informed decision on whether to continue supporting the Industry and the RGT or to run your Rescue Centre independently.
Fact 1
Before you are even asked to kennel one of the 10,000+ annually retired racing greyhounds, a large percentage of them will have been PTS for one of the reasons that the Industry finds acceptable. Such as:-
UNSUITABLE AS A PET
INJURY NOT TREATED ON ECONOMIC GROUNDS
NO HOME OR RETIREMENT PLACE COULD BE FOUND
Do you find these acceptable reasons to 'dispose' of a greyhound?
Are you happy supporting the Industry that does?
(see attached PDF Retirement Form)
Fact 2
The British Greyhound Racing Board knows what happens to each greyhound upon retirement and how many are unaccounted for via their Retirement Forms.
The RGT branches and their volunteers claim to have re-homed nearly 4,000 greyhounds in 2006. A wonderful achievement yet the Industry will not make public statistics for the remaining 6,000+ annually retired greyhounds.
Do you think they have something to hide?
Are you happy supporting an Industry that is clearly deceitful regarding the fate of their greyhounds?
Fact 3
Lord Lipsey claimed at the beginning of 2007 that this year would be a 'Make or break' year for the Racing Industry and further stated that by the middle of 2007 the Racing Industry would be in a much more 'defensible welfare position'. Finding themselves in a much more 'defensible welfare position' the RGT then planned
to make extensive cuts in the numbers of kennelled greyhounds by 31st August 2007
Do you think they have been using you, the volunteers to project good re-homing figures?
Are you happy to continue to support an Industry that shows so little gratitude to its supporters?
Fact 4
In 2006, The British Greyhound Racing Board received a donation of £100,000 at its disposal to award grants to 'Independent Greyhound Rescue Centres'.
Of that £100,000. 2 commercial kennels received grants of £2,000 each, 3 greyhound trainers received grants of £5,000 each, one RGT branch received a grant of £5,000 and a Deborah Mullins(Essex) received £5,000. Only 71% of the remaining fund went to established/Independent Rescue Centres.
Do you think it's fair that nearly £30,000 was allocated to Commercial kennels, Greyhound Trainers, a new RGT branch and a Ms Deborah Mullins?
Are you happy supporting an Industry that diverts grants back into its Commercial Sector, when it is intended for hard working, volu
