Yate, Bristol - In what is believed to have been a horrific act of cruelty, a greyhound who was heavily pregnant with six puppies was apparently killed and dumped on wasteland in the village of Iron Acton near Yate recently. She was found on 14 February. Her ears had apparently been cut off in order to prevent the authorities from using her identification tattoos to trace the culprit.

PETA is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this horrific crime.

This disturbing incident follows reports about a spate of cruel attacks in the area, including two cat shootings and the killing of another dog who was also dumped. Bristol residents have good reason to be concerned about cruelty-to-animals cases such as these.

There is ample evidence that serial rapists and murderers often have histories of past incidents involving cruelty to animals. Child-killers Mary Bell, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables as well as serial murderers Ian Huntley, Thomas Hamilton (Dunblane massacre), Fred West, Denis Nilsen, Ian Brady and Jeffrey Dahmer all started out by deliberately harming animals.

PETA is urging residents to keep a watchful eye on their animal companions and to keep them indoors. Because animals cannot report their own abuse and can do little to fight back, they are the perfect "practice" victims for those who tend towards violence.

"Animal abusers are cowards", says PETA spokesperson Suzanne Barnard. "They take their issues out on the most defenceless beings available to them."

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

For more information about the link between cruelty to animals and violence to humans, or to find free humane education resources, please visit

PETAF.org.uk

READ THE NEXT STORY FOR MORE BACKGROUND AND ACTION YOU CAN TAKE

The carcass of a pregnant greyhound had its ears cut off to conceal the owner's identity, the RSPCA
has revealed.

The ears of the animal, which was found near Bristol last month, would have been marked with tattoos
which could have enabled the culprit to be traced.

The case is part of a "sickening catalogue" of recent acts of abuse in the area, the RSPCA said.

In other incidents, a kitten was shot in the head with an air rifle and a cat was attacked with a
crossbow.

The RSPCA said the greyhound was found dumped on 14 February on wasteland in the village of Iron
Acton, near Yate.

An RSPCA spokeswoman said: "Irish racing greyhounds are tattooed in the ear for identification
purposes, and it is thought that the dog, a female greyhound who was heavily pregnant with six pups,
was mutilated in order to prevent the culprits in this horrific case from being traced.

'Very distressing'

"The charity is hoping someone will recognise the dog, who is black with white markings under her
chin and a white blaze between her forelegs, as well as two white spots on her throat."

It is not yet clear how the dog, thought to have been about four years old, died.

RSPCA inspector John Atkinson said: "This is a very distressing incident for all involved and we are
investigating every possible avenue.

"If any member of the public saw people dumping the dog, or knows of a dog answering this
description, I would urge them to contact the RSPCA at once."

In the other attacks, a British blue shorthaired cat was found with a crossbow bolt in its side on
17 February.

The pet has had surgery and it is hoped it will recover.

The day before, a seven-month-old kitten was shot in the head with an air rifle.

Its owners found their pet collapsed outside the back door of their Knowle home.

The kitten has made a good recovery, although vets were unable to remove the airgun pellet which
remains lodged in its neck.

The RSPCA is asking anyone with information about any of the attacks to come forward.

This is a far from isolated case for more info about other cases click here

PRESS RELEASE from Avon &Somerset Greyhound Action

12TH MARCH 2009

ANIMAL RESCUER’S APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ON GREYHOUND FOUND NEAR BRISTOL WITH HER EARS CUT OFF

Animal lovers with rescued greyhounds will gather outside Swindon greyhound track at 6pm on Saturday
21st March.

Specially produced leaflets will be handed to greyhound trainers and members of the public attending
the races asking them to come forward regarding the recent case of the pregnant greyhound found
dumped near Bristol with her ears cut off.

"This dog had distinctive markings and someone must know who she belonged to" said Gina Harris, area
co-ordinator for Avon & Somerset Greyhound Action.

"There are not that many greyhound trainers left in the South West. We will be handing leaflets to
people asking them to have a heart for this poor dog and come forward with any information. The
person that killed & mutilated this dog needs to be prosecuted.

"The sad thing is that there are lots of animal rescue charities in this area and if the owner had
bothered to make one phone call this dog & her pups would have been found a loving foster home.

"This is not the first time that greyhounds have been killed and had their ears cut off to hide
their racing tattoos. Owners do this so they cannot be traced and taken to court.

"In 2004 a trainer from South Wales was prosecuted & sent to prison after being found guilty of
cutting the ears off a greyhound called Rusty and leaving him for dead on a mountainside.

"We will have rescued greyhounds outside the track in the hope that this will pull a few heart
strings.

"Swindon Greyhound track is the closest dog track to where the dead dog was found so we hope that
people will support our search for the killer."

For more information please contact Gina Harris of Avon & Somerset Greyhound Action on 07899 715216
or email avonsomersetga@yahoo.co.uk

UPDATED APPEAL from Greyt Exploitations 17th March

Murdered & Mutilated Pregnant Greyhound

The RSPCA have released a photograph to Greyt Exploitations of the pregnant greyhound found at Acton Iron near Bristol , to help try and find those guilty of this despicable crime.

As the greyhound was found on February 14th - Valentines Day -.we have now named this gentle girl ‘Valentina’

The photograph clearly shows the two distinctive white spots on Valentina’s throat and it is hoped that someone will recognise her and come forward with information which would lead to a prosecution.

To read the RSPCA Press Release and details of how you can help seek justice for Valentina and her six unborn pups – please click here

http://www.greytexploitations.com/latest-news

Thanking you in anticipation of having the courage to view this article and for any help you can offer in bringing Valentina’s killer to court.

www.greytexploitations.com

Press Release from South West Animal Protection: Monday 11th February 2008

South West animal Protection (SWAP) have recently been alerted to twelve greyhounds being kept in unsuitable conditions in North Swindon. The SWAP team received the news from someone who had been contacted by the owner of the greyhounds who was asking for help to re-home his dogs as neighbours had allegedly been complaining about the dogs barking and had threatened to report him.

SWAP team contacted the owner immediately who explained that he had twelve greyhounds, three adult dogs and nine three-year old siblings from the same litter and the owner openly admitted that he had badly neglected them. After liaising with other rescue groups, SWAP team helped to get eleven of the twelve dogs into safe sanctuary within a few days. The last remaining greyhound now
called 'Paddy' took a little longer to re-home as he was the oldest of the twelve. (please see photo above). When 'Paddy' was finally rescued on Friday 8th February the SWAP team was informed that his teeth were in a very bad state of neglect and that he was suffering from a bad gum infection. He was also lame and had suspected arthritis.

The owner who previously raced some of his greyhounds and who we cannot name for legal reasons, was keeping his greyhounds in kennels in his garden at his Swindon home and when rescuers went in to collect the dogs, the kennels were found to be in a filthy condition and the greyhounds were allegedly living in slurry.

The owner admitted to the SWAP team that he felt ashamed that he had allowed himself to neglect his dogs in this way and blamed this on personal problems. SWAP team however believe that there are no excuses for keeping animals in squalid conditions and for making these dogs suffer.

Tens of thousands of greyhounds are bred every year in the British Isles to supply the racing industry, many of these are killed at the end of their racing careers once they are no longer wanted. The APGAW (Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare) report

click here to read the report in pdf format

which reveals that according to the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) approximately 11,000 registered greyhounds leave racing each year. The APGAW report also states that a minimum of
4,728 dogs are unaccounted for each year and the parliamentary group says that it can assume that the majority of these dogs are destroyed.

Additionally many young British bred greyhounds who don't make it to the tracks because they are found unsuitable for racing are also destroyed.

SWAP is totally opposed to greyhound racing due not only to the sheer numbers of dogs killed every year but also due to the terrible if not fatal injuries that the dogs sustain during racing and the abuse that many greyhounds have to endure. SWAP team would like to see greyhound racing abolished as this is the only way to end the suffering and we urge the general public to boycott this industry by not supporting or attending greyhound racing.

Please also view this anti- greyhound racing video http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1rAB-PY7XZQ (volume up please)

GA comment : Just another sorry case of cruelty and neglect to add to the long list we already have ... the facts are clear ... greyhound racing is a cruel and heartless industry and reform is not enough ... it must be banned immediately.

"I read with total disbelief a letter from a visitor to Swindon, in it he tells of seeing a dog run poor and that he thought the dog was ungenuine, later in the night he heard the dog had been P.T.S (put to sleep)........."

"I also read this article this morning, and yet again I found myself reading it in disbelief. How many times does this industry want to shoot itself in the foot in this way. It beggars beleif that this dog was PTS without the track, owner, or trainer searching out an alternative outcome than the fate suffered by this dog. I think there is fast becoming a thin line between being a supporter of greyhound racing,and an anti. It will not be long before the antis turn on the greyhound racing industry, and with this sort of policy at our tracks, who can seriously blame them."

"Rule 18 (in the National Greyhound Racing Club's rulebook) states that as a last resort a healthy dog "can" be put down. In this case it seems to be the first resort maybe the rule has been broken, the dog never been given a chance to find a home. I suppose that Swindon has signed the Greyhound Charter, if they have then they have broken it and should be held accountable, as the trainer should."

"Swindon is a bloody disgrace and should be investigated by the RSPCA as an accomplice to this hiddious act of cruelty, and the owner banned from owning any animal for life, the vet's as guilty as hell and should be struck off, rotten to the core the lot of you."

"The owners a disgrace also and he should be put down as well."

"Good luck in the future with our sport I am throwing the towel in in this country its a shambles and I dont want to subject my dogs to it any more."

".............these trainers should....be held accountable and named and shamed in the press, thus allowing any owners unaware of these trainers characters the chance NOT to place a dog with them, these scumbags make me sick, sick to the point that i feel i should'nt be in this game."