Contact has been made with the former owner of Creggane Duchess in Ireland and he was genuinely upset to hear that his greyhound had ended up in Spain. It seems he is an elderly man who has retired from racing and his dogs remained with the trainer, who would have made the decision to sell on. The former owner was concerned about the condition of the greyhound and wants to be kept informed of her progress.

The fact this greyhound was found in a coursing area lends credence to the notion that greyhounds are passed on to the hunters once they have finished racing at the track in Barcelona. This is also the result of a complete lack of regulations in Ireland making owners and breeders accountable for their dogs. It also illustrates that ownership/transfer records are not kept up to date.

It is a cause for concern that greyhounds can be passed between owners without official transfer of ownership/registration. This is not a requirement in Ireland and, therefore, owners who pass their dogs on irresponsibly cannot be penalised. Measures should be implementrd to prevent the irresponsible transfer of greyhounds.

If you would like to write to the Irish Coursing Club (the greyhound registration body in Ireland) and the Irish Greyhound Board (Bord na gCon) to urge them to enforce regulations which make owners and breeders accountable for their greyhounds, the contact details are below.

Irish Coursing Club

Davis Road

Clonmel

Ireland

Bord na gCon

Limerick

Ireland

Website: http://www.igb.ie

Email: admin@igb.ie

GA International