“I’ve seen loads of dogs going there [just because they] have not turned out to be any good for racing.”

Greyhounds are the breed most likely to be summarily put down since they are seen as difficult to rehome and therefore of no profit to the owners, claim ex-employees of the sanctuary. Many greyhounds are brought by their owners or trainers when their racing careers are curtailed through lameness, age or lack of speed.

Most of these will specifically ask for their dogs to be put down. The sanctuary is happy to oblige with no questions asked. While killing dogs humanely, such as with lethal injections, is not illegal, trainers belonging to the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) are required to put dogs down only as a last resort and then only under the supervision of a vet.

But according to former staff at the sanctuary, a vet was rarely present when dogs were killed. “The drill was for the dogs to be kept in an isolation block until they can be checked over by a vet but many greyhounds didn’t even make it that far, they just went straight to Block 8,” said a former employee who asked for her name to be withheld.

“It was the same with any dog which was considered to be ugly or otherwise unlikely to sell,” she said. “If anyone rang back later to ask about a dog we always said it had been rehomed rather than admit it had been put down. The sanctuary is run in a very commercially minded way.

“If it is something pedigree or attractive, it might sell to a member of the public for up to £250, which is a big profit.

“But dogs like greyhounds are considered a burden since they are thought to be difficult to rehome; so instead they just tend to put them down straight away.”

One trainer said: “They can take £35 for rehoming, put them to sleep and then they’ve got £35. They don’t have to feed the animal, they just put it to sleep. It’s money for old rope.”

A reporter posing as a greyhound owner contacted the sanctuary by telephone last week, seeking to have some greyhounds put down. After being told it was £35 per dog he asked if he needed to make an appointment.

Receptionist: “Just turn up any time.”

Reporter: “I’ve got three greyhounds [to put down], is that a problem?”

Receptionist: “No, that’s fine, you can bring them down any time . . . Just remember it’s £35 each.”

Two days later the reporter walked into the reception block and spoke to a member of staff named David. During a perfunctory exchange the reporter told David he had two young greyhounds to be brought in the next day that he wanted putting down because they were “past it”.

David, who declined to ask why he wanted them dead, charged the “trainer” £70 and gave him a receipt. The blue slip included the “trainer’s” name and address and telephone number, but no details about the dogs except that they were greyhounds.
David simply pencilled in the words “For P.T.S” [put to sleep] on the line headed “reason for rehoming”.

When asked if he would lie to the “trainer’s” wife if she called by telling her the dogs had been rehomed, David agreed he would.

All three former staff said dogs were put down by other employees rather than vets. One said: “The dogs would be injected in the chest because that was the quickest way, though vets usually put the needle in a vein in a paw.

“When the bodies were collected by a company to take them for cremation they would write down a figure only about half the actual number we were taking. I suppose that was to make it look as if they weren’t putting that many down.”

Yesterday Linda Buxton, 48, the woman in charge of the sanctuary, refused to comment.

Others are also seeking to speak to Buxton. Alistair McLean, chief executive of the NGRC, said: “Following the Seaham exposé we have had information about a number of places, one of which was Leigh Animal Sanctuary, and we are now investigating to identify those trainers using it.”

Trio banned

Three leading figures in greyhound racing have been banned from the sport for life following The Sunday Times’s exposure of the Seaham scandal.

At a stewards’ inquiry last week at the National Greyhound Racing Club, Gillian Young and her father Sid Fenwick, both licensed trainers, were “warned off” the sport, an effective ban. Young was fined £1,500 and Fenwick £1,000.

Both had been pictured in July delivering two young greyhounds to David Smith in Seaham, Co Durham, to be put down. Smith could face two years in prison and a £20,000 fine.

Young’s husband Graeme, an assistant track manager, also received a life ban and was fined £2,000. Trio banned

GA comment : This comes as no suprise (Click here for full story of a previous expose) we have known for years that 1000's of dogs were just disappearing after they "retired" from racing and 1000's more before they even got to the track ... deemed too slow to even bother training. It is great news to see that more and more of these secret killing fields are being discovered and the true callous and murderous nature of the greyhound racing industry is being revealed.

We also note with interest that 3 people have been banned for life by the racing authorities ... these are the 3 people who were caught in the Times' previous expose of the Seaham killing ground ... the particularly interesting point is that they were randomly caught because they just happened to bring dogs on the day when the newspaper was there ... if every trainer/owner who had had a dog killed at Seaham or similar places around the country was banned for life ... there wouldn't be many left to carry on racing.

Take Action: Please take the time to write or email your local paper about this ... we must keep the pressure on and keep the issue in peoples minds while it is still fresh. Today is the day to act!

"...............i bought my dog Eastwood in good faith from a chap i didn't know through a well known sporting paper,we sent him for his first trial around Belle Vue,he came out fine until the 3rd bend where he was gasping for breath,he got back to the stadium kennels and nearly collapsed.the vet brought him around and she said he is very ill,he needs a blood test,so a week later the result said he had heart worm,kidney infection,he was a week away from dying.now the bloke i bought him off just didnt want to know&he knows who he is!! he wouldnt give me anything for the vet bill or even worse couldnt be bothered!! anyway the dog was off a month.he graded on his 2nd trial still coughing slightly........."

Greyhound Action comment: Apart from the issue of people involved in greyhound racing selling dogs that are sick, the question has to be asked as to why Eastwood was being raced if he was a week away from death. He surely would have shown symptoms of his problems before his first trial. And why was he raced again while he was still coughing?

Greyhound left to waste away

The hunt is on for the owners of a former racing greyhound who let it waste away to less than half its normal weight. The emaciated animal was found wandering the streets of Baguley, Wythenshawe, on Friday and is now being cared for by the Manchester Dogs Home at Harpurhey.

The greyhound, which staff have named George, has distinctive "Irish marks" which show it was once a racer. These are the letters MEL on its left ear and the letters RP on its right.

Dogs Home manager Chris Lynch said it was the worst case they had seen for a long time. "The poor thing is just bones and I'm afraid in this state you've got to say that it's wilful abuse or neglect," she said. "We are working with Belle Vue to try to trace the person concerned from the markings on the dog but it could have had any number of owners since it stopped racing.'' She added: "We would urge anyone who has any idea who has let this dog get into this state to give us a call right away. "In the meantime he's got about five blankets on him and we're trying him on easily digestible food to build up his strength.