Injured Hestor retired
By Jonathan Kay

THE racing career of Tyrur Hestor is overafter the Charlie Lister-trained three-year-old broke a
hock in the heats of the William Hill Classic at Sunderland on Saturday.

“It’s not very good at all and he won’t race again,” said Lister.“I wasn’t there but I’m told he
went up well, checked wide at the second bend and then broke down round the last two.

“It’s a real sickener for everyone because he was a real fast dog,his track records show you that.
He was a sprinter really, but we put him up in distance and he won 480m at Wimbledon. I’ve not have
an awful lot of luck at Sunderland over the years.”

Perhaps the highlight of Tyrur Hestor’s career came at Sheffield in March this year on the night
Lister ran away with the Betfair Trainers’ Championship.

Tyrur Hestor slammed his rivals in the sprint contest, breaking his own 280m track record in the
process when clocking 15.78sec.

In all, he won 14 of his 26 British races, including his first six of this year which led to him
being touted as a live Blue Square Derby candidate only to exit in round two behind Toosey Blue.

*Mill Pinpoint (lame, 10.20am) was on Monday withdrawn from the William Hill Classic leaving trap
five in Saturday’s second semi-final vacant.

News Post TV video of Dougie

He was covered in blood and had had both ears entirely removed.

He also had pieces of black electrical tape stuck to his legs and on his back.

The member of the public took the dog, which was not microchipped or
wearing a collar, to Robson & Prescott Veterinary Centre in Morpeth
before contacting the RSPCA.

The dog is currently recovering at the vet surgery and receiving the vital treatment he needs.

Now the RSPCA is urging anyone who knows who the dog once belonged to,
or who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to get in touch as
soon as possible.

RSPCA inspector Ian Smith said: "This is an horrific and sickening act of cruelty.

"It is clear this dog's ears have been removed by a
sharp implement, which must have caused him unimaginable pain and
distress.

"Thankfully he was rescued early and taken to safety, else he easily
could have died.

"We just hope someone will now come forward with vital information to help us discover what happened.

"If anyone was in the area at the time and saw or heard anything
suspicious, or if anyone knows who this dog may once have belonged to,
we would urge them to contact us as soon as possible."

If anyone has any information they should contact the RSPCA National
Cruelty and Advice Line on 0300 123 4999 and ask to leave a message for
inspector Ian Smith.

BBC Look North video of Dougie

The animal was found on a grass verge in Bedlington, Northumberland. His ears had been cut off and electrical tape was stuck to his back and legs.

He was taken to a veterinary surgery in Morpeth for treatment and is making a good recovery.

It is thought his ears were deliberately severed to get rid of identification tattoos.

'Unimaginable pain'

The RSPCA is urging anyone who knows who the dog once belonged to, or who may have seen or heard anything suspicious, to get in touch as soon as possible.

Inspector Ian Smith said: "This is a horrific and sickening act of cruelty.

"It is clear this dog's ears have been removed by a sharp implement, which must have caused him unimaginable pain and distress.

"Thankfully he was rescued early and taken to safety, else he easily could have died.

"We just hope someone will now come forward with vital information to help us discover what happened."

The origins of the stricken animal are unknown, but greyhounds which are registered to race have tattoos inside their ears.

It is thought they may have been cut off to stop the animal being traced.

The dog was discovered by the side of a country lane, between Trimdon Village and Kelloe.

The woman who discovered the dog and took the grim pictures, does not want to be named as she fears there could be reprisals if the dog is linked to anyone in the local area.

She said: "It looked like it was only about four, and must have been a beautiful brindle dog at one time.

"I burst into tears when I saw it, and was then physically sick.

"It looked like it had starved to death, and both its ears had been cut off."

A spokesman for the RSPCA said an inspector visited the scene and has removed the body.

She said: "Unfortunately, as the body is so decomposed, it's impossible for us to establish whether or not this dog suffered before its death.

"There does appear to be some trauma to the dog's chest and its ears are missing, but we have no way of knowing whether these things happened before or after the animal died.

"Obviously it is quite an unpleasant thing to come across and, although the responsibility for the removal of the body lies with the local authority, the inspector went back to remove the animal."

Terry Rushmer, a former inspector with the Retired Greyhound Trust, an organisation which rescues dogs which can no longer race, said she was shocked.

At her home in Hartlepool she said: "It is solutely disgusting.

"People who do this should be jailed and banned from keeping animals for life.

"This is the sort of thing we have fought against for decades.

"Removing the ears is sickening, but was probably done to stop the tattoos being identified."

Greyhound Crusaders Appeal:

If anyone has any info on this case please call the Hartlepool Police on 01429 221151 and the RSPCA cruelty line immediately on 0300 1234 999

We are now asking all our national and international supporters to please take action by inundating the authorities asap, please urge the authorities below to take immediate action on finding the perpetrator of this heanus crime and bring them to justice. Nothing less than a maximum prison sentence and a life ban on keeping animals is acceptable for this evil person(s).

Please remember it is imperative that all correspondence is kept polite

Please email the local MP in the area - Iain Wright wrighti@parliament.uk

Please email the Cleveland Police - http://www.cleveland.police.uk/have_your_say/feedback.htm

(The Cleveland Police website is being re-developed and this is the only feedback form we can find for you to submit a comment).

Please email the RSPCA here Enqserv@rspca.org.uk

Please also write a letter to the editor at the the 'Hartlepool Mail' in response to this article, highlighting the terrible plight of the racing greyhound. To email the newspaper (via a feedback form) please see this link: http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/contactus.aspx

Please note the newspaper requests that 'If it is a letter to the Editor for publication, please be sure to make this clear in the subject header'.
Name and address to be supplied please for letters to the Editor.

If anyone has info leading to the perpetrator of this heanus crime please email us in confidence immediately at greyhoundcrusaders@googlemail.com

Greyhound Crusaders

An animal lover has spoken of her disgust at her grim discovery after she found a dead dog that had been stabbed in the head.

Jean Frost was disgusted when a pal told her she had stumbled across the brutally disfigured greyhound in land near Dene Street, Silksworth when she was walking her dog.

She phoned police, who took a bread knife that lay next to the dog away to be examined.

And the 46-year-old was horrified when she returned to the site a week later and found the animal's body was still there.

Mrs Frost, of Thorney Close, said: "My friend was walking her dog when she found this greyhound with a knife lying next to it.

"She looked at it closer and it had stab wounds to its head and the rest of its body and there was a knife lying next to its legs.

"Its ears were also filled with blood so it was definitely stabbed.

"She called the police and someone came out to take some pictures and they took the knife with them."

Mrs Frost, who has volunteered with several animal rescue centres across the region, said the dog looked as though it had been badly treated and was malnourished.

She said: "It's disgusting and pathetic that anyone could do something like this. There's absolutely no need to stick a knife into a dog's head.

"Even people who are not working can go to the PDSA and get free help or get them put down humanly.

"Or there's greyhound rescue centres they can be taken to.

"There were bones sticking out of its body and it looked extremely thin like it hadn't been looked after. It's so sad."

A police spokesman said: "On Wednesday, February 11, police received a report of a dead dog in woods near to Dene Street, Silksworth. Police attended the area but were unable to locate the dog.

"On Thursday, February 12, police were assisted in finding the dog by the member of the public who had initially reported it.

"The dog was found away from the main walking tracks in a remote part of the wood. Police also recovered a knife at the scene.

"Council cleansing teams were called to remove the dog's body and the RSPCA were also informed about the discovery."

Anyone wanting to report animal cruelty can seek advice from the RSPCA by phoning 0300 1234 999.

'We knew nothing about killing fields'

The racing industry has been thrown into turmoil after David Smith was accused of killing up to 10,000 dogs and burying them near his £220,000 detached house in Northdene Terrace.

The dad-of-three, who runs a builder's merchant and newsagent's in Lord Street, charged £10 a time to shoot dogs, allegedly for 40 trainers, because they were too old to race and too expensive to home.

Animal rights campaigners said they believe most of the slaughtered dogs would have been raced at Sunderland and Brough Park stadiums ­ both owned by bookmaking giant William Hill.

"William Hill knew about this," said Tony Peters, of Greyhound Action. "They've know for years this guy Smith has been killing dogs that come from their tracks."

The firm denied the allegations.

A spokesman said: "William Hill stadia hosts a responsible and regulated sport and has no reason to believe that any owners or trainers from our tracks have been involved with this activity.

"We find the revelations abhorrent and will welcome and support any investigation into the activity to identify any miscreants who may have chosen to euthanase their greyhounds by these means.

"Should an investigation identify any individuals have raced greyhounds at our tracks and who have then engaged in this activity, these individuals will be banned from having any further association with our tracks immediately and will be reported to the NGRC (National Greyhound Racing Club, which regulates 31 licensed tracks)."

Durham police have twice spoken to Mr Smith since revelations of his activities came to light over the weekend

A spokesman said: "We have received no specific complaints about Mr Smith's activities and we have no concerns about the bolt gun and we have now established it is quite legitimately held."

On whether the alleged mass dog grave posed a public health hazard, District of Easington Council said: "We will be working with the Environment Agency to ensure there will be no long-term contamination of the land at Mr Smith's home.

"There are potential health issues surrounding the disposal of animal carcasses and we would therefore strongly advise people to use pet crematoriums or contact the council for further advice."

The NGRC said its North East stipendiary steward Eric Vose would investigate.

But Greyhound Action fears any investigation may be worthless unless the one-acre plot where Mr Smith allegedly buried 10,000 dogs is dug up.

Death threats to dog killer

DOG killer David Smith has been forced to boost security at his Seaham home after receiving death threats.

Since the allegations were made against the businessman, malicious phone calls have been made to his businesses and Northdene Terrace home.

Some of the sinister calls were answered by Mr Smith's wife Maureen and his daughter.

To protect his property and family, Mr Smith hurriedly installed CCTV, floodlights and other security measures after the allegations received national attention.

"I am devastated by all of this," said the East Durham builder's merchant.

Durham police said they were not aware of any death threats, but confirmed the Smiths had received a number of malicious phone calls.

Killings 'common knowledge'

PEOPLE in Seaham have backed David Smith, who has received death threats for allegedly killing thousands of greyhounds.

Many people said it was common knowledge dogs were being put down.

"Everybody in Seaham knows what he does" said Frank Prest, of Seaham Pet and Garden Centre. "And have done for a long time.

"As long as he's doing it humanely, he's providing a service. If he didn't do that, they would just smack them over the head with a brick."

Deborah Rochester, 29, from Ropery Walk, said: "I don't agree with the methods he's using but I can't see why everyone is putting up a fuss about it now because he's been doing it for years."

Her friend Angela Peel, 30, from Dawdon, said: "He's not doing anything illegal and people have been using him for years."

They both said greyhound owners should take more responsibility for their dogs.

Pauline Yates, 41, from Seaham, agreed. "It's up to the owners to look after them until they die," she said.

Fifty-year-old Alan Savage, from Parkside, also said blame for the situation should lie with the owners. "It should be the owners held up as well, not just Dave Smith. They're the ones making money off the dogs then just getting rid of them."

Racing told to clean up its act

THE greyhound industry has been told to "clean its act up" by the Government.

Animal Welfare Minister Ben Bradshaw said killing a dog with a bolt gun breached the rules of the National Greyhound Racing Club.

"The National Greyhound Racing Club must launch an immediate investigation," he said. "It must discipline or expel any members who have broken its rules by disposing of their dogs in this way."

"The Government believes racing greyhounds should only be put down by a vet.

"We have long felt self-regulation within the greyhound industry is the most effective way of policing animal welfare.

"If they can't clean up their act, Government will intervene."

Meanwhile, campaigners have called for commercial greyhound racing at stadiums such as Sunderland and Easington to be scrapped.

Greyhound Action says replacing real dogs with computer-generated virtual racing is the only way to ensure thousands of greyhounds a year do not end up prematurely killed.

HEART RUMBLE's positive sample following his run in the Northern Puppy Derby at Sunderland last year - which on Tuesday led to his Irish trainer Paul Hennessy being severely reprimanded and fined £800 by the NGRC - came about after he was treated for kidney problems.

In a written statement, Hennessy explained that the dog had suffered renal failure and had been administered `laurabolin' by his veterinary surgeon in November 2004. He apologised to the Stewards for the positive sample, which was found to contain the banned substance nandolone, and stated that every precaution would be taken in future to ensure that there would be no recurrence.

In other inquries this week, greyhound trainer Stan Dow had his license withdrawn following the positive analysis of a urine sample taken from Billis Picture at Peterborough in November; while former trainer Dean Steward was fined £1,000 and made a disqualified person for failing to look after greyhounds in his care.

Romford handler Kim Marlow was fined £750 and severely reprimanded after the positive sample taken from Charity Case at the Essex track in November, while Sittingbourne handler George Andreas was fined £1,000 after the positive sample taken from Ill Get Him at the Kent circuit in January.

In a separate inquiry, the racecourse executive at Brough Park was fined £750 and reprimanded after Pocket Rocket ran as Pocket Power at the north-east track in January.

THE top division of the William Hill Northern Puppy Derby at Sunderland on Wednesday was voided in tragic circumstances after an horrific first bend pile-up saw three of the runners fall.

Diggers Pride, trained by Gary Patterson for former Sunderland track owner Kevin Wilde, had to be put down, whilst the Harry Findlay-trained Escholido was said to have injured a wrist. Ballybeg Keano, trained by Ted Soppitt, was the other casualty.

"My fella missed the break but bombed up to the turn and I thought he would go round," said Findlay yesterday. "But he went down and then turned back.
"It looks like he done a wrist - I'm taking him to the vet this afternoon - but I really feel for Gary Patterson."

Neither Patterson or Soppitt could be contacted yesterday, but racing manager Jimmy Nunn confirmed that Diggers Pride had been put down at the track. "I think he broke a foreleg," he commented.

"Sunderland used to have a policy of putting injured dogs asleep if they were injured at the track, so unscrupulous trainers were bringing lame dogs then running them and then proceeding to ask the vet to dispose of them thus saving them the cost of a visit and a bill from an outside vet........."

"........in my opinion, Sunderland isn't a safe track, I personally would never run a dog there............."