Bans For Greyhound Suffering

Rebecca Hagger (20) and Rosemary Hagger (51) both received 10-year bans at Peterborough Magistrates Court on 28 April after previously pleading guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to three greyhounds and failing to meet the welfare needs of another four greyhounds.

Rosemary Hagger was banned from keeping dogs for 10 years and her daughter Rebecca was banned from keeping all animals for 10 years. Rebecca was also ordered to do 200 hours of community service and Rosemary was given a 12-month conditional discharge. The pair from Edgerley Drain Road, Peterborough, were each ordered to pay £250 in costs.

The RSPCA was contacted in September 2007. Inspectors found three greyhounds which were emaciated and had infected sores, contrary to section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act, 2006. The remaining four were underweight and had flea infestations and were living in dirty conditions with no food or water available, contrary to section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act, 2006.

A vet estimated that two of the dogs had been made to suffer unnecessarily for at least two months and one dog for at least one month.

In mitigation the defendants said that the dogs had belonged to Rosemary's husband (Rebecca's father) who had passed away.

The court heard that both defendants had worked in the greyhound racing industry and decided to impose a ban, despite Rebecca still having a job in the industry.

RSPCA inspector Kat Parfitt said: "Animals deserve much better than the conditions these dogs were kept in and should have access to veterinary treatment when they need it.

Three of the dogs from the case still need new homes. White and black Boris and Tyler and Wilson, who are both black with white chests, are lovely, friendly dogs who are happy to laze around with just short bursts of exercise. Anyone who feels they can give a greyhound a good retirement home should call the RSPCA Peterborough & District Branch on 01733 248116.

Rebecca Hagger – licensed kennel hand, trainer and owner

Rebecca (known as Becky to her friends) Hagger was formerly a kennel hand for her father Frederick John Hagger; a trainer and owner attached to Peterborough greyhound stadium (one of 30 stadiums that come under the regulation of the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC)).

In 2007 Rebecca obtained a temporary trainers licence and was running the dogs at Peterborough stadium herself. It is reported that Rebecca shared ownership of the greyhounds with her father and was the sole owner after his death.

Racing Manager of Peterborough stadium Martin Race refused to say whether Rebecca was still allowed at the track and Noel Thompson representing the NGRC said: “As far as I am concerned if she is a licence holder or not has got nothing to do with matters has it?”

Wolverhampton Greyhound Action have expressed delight at public sympathy for their campaign to persuade the local Mayor, Councillor Trudy Bowen, to cancel a Night at the Dogs she is planning to host next month at the city's Monmore Green Stadium.

The campaigners staged a two-hour demonstration outside the Wolverhampton Civic Centre on Friday, March 7th and distributed hundreds of leaflets asking members of the public to boycott greyhound racing and to contact the Mayor, requesting that she call off the Monmore Green event.

Amongst the many people who expressed support, were two who'd had personal experience of the greyhound racing industry.

One man told campaigners: "I used to work at Monmore Green Stadium. While I was there I saw many greyhounds 'put down'. There were also a lot of dogs being raced while suffering from injuries. Many dogs just ran once and then you never saw them again. Greyhound racing should be stopped."

Another made the follwing statement: "My mother used to work for one of the country's biggest greyhound trainers. He has as many as 300 dogs in his kennels. Many ended up being shot if they were no good for racing. They were trained by cruel methods, including being hit with sticks. Greyhounds were often fed a big meal before racing, to slow them down, so the odds on them would be better in their next race. My mother was always trying to rescue dogs from being 'put down', but in the end, she left the job because of what she'd witnessed."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3466712.ece

Greyhound Action comment:- It is somewhat strange that Alistair McLean, chief executive of the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC), should be “flabbergasted” by the trade in greyhound body parts. He most know it is inevitable that this sort of thing should happen when many thousands of greyhounds are discarded by the British dog racing industry every year. It is hardly surprising that someone is happy to make money by offering a killing service for "unwanted" greyhounds and then selling bits of them for research. Mr McLean, apparently, finds this "completely and utterly unacceptable” and "quite scandalous”. Those two phrases could also be applied to the activities of the NGRC, which oversees an industry responsible for the putting to death, according to our calculations, of approximately 20,000 greyhounds every year. Thankfully, the public can help put an stop to this appalling situation, by not attending or betting on greyhound races, so that commercial dog racing is brought to an end through lack of financial support.

For a related story about the use of greyhounds in vivisection in Australia click here

The ultimate in virtualization is occurring in the racing industry.

The October 2007 issue of International Gaming and Wagering Business (see page 12) reports that virtual horse races (also called "Plastic Ponies") and virtual greyhound races are generating 700 Million Pounds (US$1.424 Billion) per year in revenue.

Bookies love this, of course, because they don't have to share money with the race tracks and, of course, they don't have to worry about punters actually being able to use skill and knowledge to gain an edge.

They also don't have to worry about races being canceled to weather or disease (the UK suffered an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001 and 75 races were canceled this year due to bad weather)............

Some of his very revealing statements are below:

"I have two bitches (greyhounds) in my garage outside, some would say that's cruel making them live outside! I wil say go and feckin mind your own business and get a life!

“If I want to have my bitches put down I will, just like the farmer down the road if he has his sheep dog put down or kills one of his pigs, that ain't my business and it ain't no business of any anti.

“I think you all live in cloud cuckoo land if you think there aren't hundreds of greys put to sleep before they even reach the track in the UK. Hundreds of pups are too slow to grade, some don't chase others fight, injuries as pups etc etc. That is a fact, if you don't like it get out of the game.

“I am a realist............ and I am also knowledgeable enough to know that we pander to the anti's to much. Feck em! Let them come to my place here in Cork and see how my pups are reared and how my broods live their lives. I'd love to take out an anti down to the forest I go to every day with my pups in the hope my pups catch sight of something and chase it down and kill it. Sorry if that offends you but my pups are being bred to chase, and hunt and eventually show enough courage on a track to go through the rigours of racing.

“Fecks sake a greyhound is what it is. If you don't like the hard facts of quarry being hunted by greys or any other hunting dog then I think you is in the wrong game.

“I breed my pups If they don't or can't race then they have to go. Hard but true and not easy for me to take that trip to the vets but alas it has to be done otherwise before to long if every breeder were to keep every pup alive there would be thousands more greys being given away to abusers and the like because it would not be possible to rehome every one of them without real retirement options in place.

“Not only that there are still a great number of people, certainly in Ireland that see their greys as livestock and no more than that. A few have them rehomed but the majority are put down after their use is over. Again, hard true fact.

“And don't tell me that the majority of BAGS trainers see their inmates as anything other than livestock? I doubt the majority of BAGS dogs get a daily gallop out in a field or a hunt in a forest, more like 10 minutes emptying out twice a day and a trip to the local track once a week running lame for £15 to line the pocket of a caring Bookmaker

“I'm so glad I moved away from England. Where I live now there are folk out hunting with dogs most night's. Nobody where I live bothers the hunter or his dogs, in fact they are mostly welcomed onto their land to hunt.

“Our vet recognizes and readily accepts that my greys are bred for a purpose and are not pets. Whatever anti thought of the slogan "Greyhounds make great Pets" very clever, it's been dished out to the public so much they only associate the words Greyhound and Pet and there is your problem, the public now see greys as pets!“

Greyhound Action comment:-

Many may feel, from what he has to say, that Newell is a callous and evil animal abuser, but his honesty about the mass-slaughter that lies at the core of commercial greyhound racing has given us another nail to hammer into the coffin of the dog racing industry.

According to our research, about 15,000 greyhounds, bred for the British greyhound racing industry, are put to death before they even reach the tracks. Most of these dogs are bred in Ireland, and many of them are killed there, after being considered unfit for racing in Britain.

Although many of these dogs may never even reach our shores, the British greyhound racing industry is nevertheless responsible for their slaughter, as it is demand coming from the British tracks that has caused them to be bred in the first place.

Newell's comments reveal, once again, the connection between greyhound racing and bloodsports and the fact that many of those involved in the racing industry have little respect or consideration for animals of any kind.

BAGS stands for Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service and applies to dog races run at many stadiums in the afternoon to cater for the needs of the betting shops. Dogs running in BAGS races tend to be slower than those taking part in the traditional evening races and are therefore treated as even more of a disposable commodity by the racing industry.

The elite - dogs like Westmead Lord, hot favourite for the derby - are the lucky few. At the end of their careers, they'll be put out to stud. As for the rest - the majority - a short, miserable life will be followed by a brutal and needless death. Most will suffer a fate similar to those buried in a "mass grave" next to David Smith's bungalow off a secluded farm track in County Durham. The method of execution for those unfortunate animals was a bolt gun, a weapon that fires a metal bar with enough force to shatter the toughest skull. Smith had been providing a £10-a-time canine killing service for sections of the greyhound racing industry for up to 15 years.

It's easier, and cheaper, to dispose of greyhounds whose careers are curtailed through age - or because they cannot run fast enough to make their owners money - than to re-home them. It's the equivalent of putting down an Afghan Hound or Cocker Spaniel because their coats are no longer shiny enough to compete at shows like Crufts.

The true scale of the scandal came to light when Mr Smith was convicted of breaching Environment Agency regulations and fined £2,000 (with £2,000 costs) earlier this year. It is illegal to bury dead greyhounds in your garden, but not to put a metal bolt through their heads. Hundreds, possibly thousands of carcasses, still lie beneath neatly-planted rows of beans, rhubarb, leeks and onions on Mr Smith's land.

As a symbol of the cruelty inflicted on greyhounds all over Britain, it could not be more chilling. At least a bolt gun is quick - and preferable to being battered to death, killed with rat poison or thrown into a river weighed down with bricks. These are some of the other ways, say animal charities, that unwanted greyhounds are routinely disposed of. There is, undeniably, a ruthless element in greyhound racing. Some dogs are even fed cocaine, preventing them from running on top form: crooked punters, in league with trainers and owners, cash in by betting on the doped dogs to lose.

But it is the slaughter of unwanted animals that is most disturbing. A recent Parliamentary report said that at least 4,700 greyhounds a year are being killed unnecessarily. And the figure, it said, could be a "significant underestimation" of the problem. This is the disturbing background to actress Annette Crosbie's outspoken attack on the industry, reported in the Mail this week.

Miss Crosbie, who played Victor Meldrew's long-suffering wife Margaret in TV's One Foot In The Grave, owns three greyhounds and is a member of the Retired Greyhound Trust. At a public speaking event, she launched a passionate assault on those who she says abuse and murder thousands of dogs every year."Hundreds of greyhounds are bred in the hope of getting a winner," she says. "The remainder are surplus to requirements and have no future. "It is, bluntly, a state of affairs which reflects little glory on Britain as a so-called nation of animal lovers. I have to mention them because no one cares."

The timing of her comments - before an audience who had paid £16 to hear her speak about her illustrious acting career - may be open to question, but surely not her sentiments. They are shared by many both in and outside of dog racing, which generates a colossal £2.3 billion in off-course bets, and more than £87 million in Tote on- course bets at the UK's 29 licensed tracks.

Few "insiders" are prepared to go on the record. But today, two women who worked for trainers between 2004/2005, have come forward to speak to the Mail. Their accounts make uncomfortable reading. The nearest most people get to this world is a TV screen. Greyhounds themselves are just a fleeting blur on the screen in pursuit of an artificial hare. But, unlike horse-racing tracks, dog tracks can be almost gladiatorial.

"It was common to see cut ears, sprains, holes in faces, dropped muscles, ripped claws or toes torn open - all this happens in the race itself," said Louise, 22.

"It was my job to bathe them and treat their wounded claws. The claws could get pulled out as they were running and the dogs would come back in foaming at the mouth."

The attitude of the trainer who employed her was "patch them up and send them back out", rather than pay for a vet to treat injured animals. "He had no respect for his dogs, and he was not alone," says Louise.

"I once saw a dog that had been injured as a puppy being forced to hurdle but it was still not fully recovered.

"As he struggled round the track, he fell badly at the last hurdle and was carried off yelping in pain. I found out the dog was put down the next day.

"Dogs were put down all the time. At least one a week was put down at the stadium because the animal was no longer able to race.

"The vet would come in to put them down. There was a special room with a blue door where they were killed. Everyone knew that if a dog went into that room it wasn't coming back out.

"Every week it was the same thing, another dog gone. It was very common.

"The person I worked for was only interested in making money out of his dogs. Once a dog could no longer race, he wanted rid of it.

"I was very attached to one particular greyhound and walked him for a year. I was hanging on in the job waiting to adopt him when he retired. But it wasn't to be.

"The dog's shoulder was shattered in a race. Afterwards, the head kennel hand came back holding the dog's lead. I asked where the dog was. She just said 'get on with your work;. This became a familiar pattern."

Marie, 30, worked for a different trainer. On one occasion, she says, a dog was put down simply because it hurt its paw. "The dog hadn't been winning races for a while and I think the trainer just wanted to get rid of it," she explains.

She adds: "He only injured his paw - it wasn't even broken. But he was killed regardless. In the end such unnecessary killings were too much for me and I had to leave."

What Louise and Marie describe makes a mockery of National Greyhound Racing Club regulations that dogs should only be put down as a last resort and then only under the supervision of a vet. Indeed, Louise claims her boss sometimes even arranged for dogs to be killed outside the track; on those occasions their ears were cut off because owners can be identified by a serial number tattooed on a greyhound's ears.

"He told me he buried the dogs but I think he just burned them," she said.

This week, the Mail discovered numerous other tales of widespread cruelty; dogs being killed at every stage of their lives, from being drowned as puppies if they don't show signs of being fit to race, or killed when they are adults because they can no longer perform.

We have been told about one man, who collects unwanted dogs in his van from race-tracks all over Ireland and takes them home, where they are shot with a bolt gun.

Those who have attempted to expose the scandal have been thwarted. One is Pauline Harrison, a greyhound owner from Barnsley, who was faced with evasion and lies when she tried to find out what had happened to her race-winning dog, Stormy Silver.

He was five years old when she decided to retire him in 2002. A registered trainer offered to find Stormy Silver a new home for a £10 fee.

"He was a lovely dog but I already had four greyhounds at home so I didn't have room for another," Mrs Harrison told the Mail.

"The trainer told me he would make sure he went to a safe retirement home, so I agreed that was the best thing, but when I tried to find out how Stormy Silver was a few weeks later, he kept avoiding me.

"In fact, the trainer had given him to a woman he knew. Finally I got to speak to this supposed new owner and she said Stormy Silver was doing fine and was curled up on the sofa watching TV.

But Stormy Silver had a toe missing and when I asked her from which foot, she didn't know. "She said she would call back but never did. I kept trying to get through but the number became unobtainable. I contacted the police and RSPCA but they couldn't help."

It doesn't take a genius to work out that Stormy Silver probably went the way of so many other retired racing dogs. Owners of some 52 other dogs entrusted to the same trainer also want to know where they went. The man in question was eventually stripped of his licence, but owners like Mrs Harrison still don't know where their dogs are. The suspicion is that they are now buried under David Smith's vegetable patch in County Durham. Four people have also lost their training licences for using the services of Mr Smith.

Back in Barnsley, the news is little consolation to Mrs Harrison. "I gave up greyhound racing after that," she says. "I have not been back to a race-track since.

"Those poor dogs are just used and abused. I am sure what happened in the North-East is happening elsewhere in the country. I just wish I had kept Stormy Silver myself."

Stephen Rea, spokesman for the Greyhound Racing Association said: "Every greyhound, upon arrival at the track, is thoroughly checked by a veterinary surgeon and then again just before it races.

"To infer that professional trainers who rely upon greyhounds for their livelihood would risk them in this way, and therefore that the owners would also stand buy and allow it, and finally a veterinary surgeon would jeopardise his or her career by condoning this, is quite honestly too ridiculous for words."

Tonight, members of a group called Greyhound Action will be demonstrating outside the Wimbledon stadium with placards saying "You bet, they die" . . ."Say No To Greyhound Racing" . . . "Kill Greyhound Racing, Not Greyhounds" . . . "Dying To Entertain You".

Greyhound Action was among the organisations which gave evidence to the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, which produced that damning report on the dog racing industry. It wants the Government to make it illegal for anyone other than a vet to put down greyhounds, and has called for the sport's governing bodies to incorporate animal welfare groups like the Dogs Trust and the Retired Greyhound Trust, for whom Annette Crosbie is such a passionate campaigner.

As Miss Crosbie says: "Greyhounds usually start racing at 15 months. They will have to run in all weathers and all conditions on tracks that vary from good to disgraceful.

"They will suffer injuries that will go untreated, and in approximately 18 months their career will be over. They will be judged too expensive to 'mend', and the owners will want rid of them.

Some are kept as pets, more are given homes by voluntary helpers, but most will be killed.

"Every year some 30,000 are bred to race, but only 15,000 are registered. No one knows what happens to the other 15,000."

Campaigners at Greyhound Rescue Wales say they know the identity of the executioners and have passed
their names to the RSPCA, which has pledged to investigate the practise of putting down dogs who are
no longer fast enough to compete.

In the big money world of dog racing, bookies annually rake in more than £2bn while the Government’s
coffers benefit from more than £70m. But welfare activists say little goes back into caring for
dogs, many of whom are retired aged four but have another 10 years of active life .

While the killings are widely regarded as immoral, they are not necessarily illegal. Since 1997,
anyone can own a bolt gun to kill animals without a licence but can be prosecuted if the animals are
put down inhumanely.

Alain Thomas, founder of Greyhound Rescue Wales, said: “About 500 dogs are meeting some kind of
unacceptable fate here every year. GRW has been given the names of five individuals who are
responsible for killing the dogs.

These individuals buy large quantities of dogs from the registered sector, trial them discreetly,
then keep the fastest and best one or two dogs in each batch. They dispose of the other three or
four by shooting them and incinerating the bodies.”

The organisation also claims the killers make an extra living out of putting down other people’s
greyhounds and lurchers at around £10 a go.

Mr Thomas said: “They make money from charging other owners to shoot and incinerate their unwanted
dogs. This has led to the establishment of an informal but well organised and commercially-based
system to shoot and incinerate greyhounds.”

A report produced by the Assembly in 2003 found Wales was a dumping ground for dogs no longer fast
enough to race on registered tracks in England.

Lorraine Barrett AM, who chairs the Assembly’s All Party Animal Welfare Group, said: “I have no time
at all for anyone who is prepared to shoot a dog just because it is no longer needed for racing.

“I would like to see those people prosecuted.

“The Animal Welfare Act, which will come into effect at the end of the year, will mean that
greyhound tracks will all have to have a vet in attendance. I doubt very much whether they will be
able to survive having to pay to have a vet on site.

“There is an issue about what will happen to greyhound racing in Wales. A lot of people would like
to see an end to it. In a perfect world I would not like to see any animal used for entertainment.
However I would like to see it regulated rather than go underground.”

John Rabaiotti, from Swansea’s Fforestfach greyhound stadium, one of Wales’ two remaining and
unregulated tracks, the other being Valley in Ystrad Mynach, claimed the estimates of dogs killed
were exaggerated.

He said: “Greyhounds tend to be picked on as it is a good story – if you believe the figures, there
are more dogs killed than race.

“I’m not saying killings don’t happen because they do. But I think the figures are distorted. I don’t
think the problem is anything like it is quoted by animal rights organisations.

“The way to deal with it is to hit the perpetrators with a lot harder penalties than have been used
in the past.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA, which says 12,000 greyhounds disappear and are unaccounted for every year
in the UK, said they would be “looking into the matter” of killings in Wales.

james.mccarthy@wme.co.uk

Helen, Tees

Greyhound racing is a commercial industry and the dogs are seen as mere tools of the trade.

Cris, Devon

New legislation is all well and good, but would be quite impossible to police. The only way to put an end to this needless slaughter of these gentle loving greyhounds is for a complete ban on this vile industry. The greyhound racing industry has the front to call itself a sport. What kind of sport murders thirty thousand of its competitors every year?

Dave, Wiltshire

Wherever money is made out of using animals, you are sure to find cruelty. These poor dogs are bred, kept in an unnatural environment and when their racing days are over are often discarded like trash. No matter how much the greyound racing fraternity protest their concern and re-homing policies, there are never enough places for the end-of-the-line dogs.

Margaret, Surrey

How can a 'sport' that ends up in the deaths of thousands of greyhounds every year still be an active practice in this country? Greyhound racing should be brought to an end and become at most a distant memory.

James, Devon

We are the South Devon branch of the national Greyhound Action group lobbying for a ban on commercial greyhound racing. Thousands of greyhounds are discarded every year when they are no longer deemed fit for the purpose of racing. This is a throw-away evil industry and we are talking about animals' lives here that obviously do not matter to those that breed and exploit them, as obviously profits come before animal welfare. Greyhounds are often abandoned, ears hacked off to remove identifying tattoos that can originate the owner, puppies drowned and shot if they don't make the grade and serious often fatal injuries are sustained on greyhound tracks throughout the country. There is evidence that this is a dying sport as more and more people boycott greyhound racing due to its inherent cruelty.

Helen, Devon

As one of the thousands of volunteers working to re-home greyhounds I cannot believe Lord Lipsey's attitude. Thousands of hounds are put to sleep every year and the industry has failed to do anything about this until the industry was exposed by the Sunday Times. The industry is unable to self-regulate and independent scrutiny is way overdue.

Dawn, Shropshire

We have a retired greyhound from Ireland - the sweetest animal you could ever meet. The comment I wish to make is that in addition to British greyhounds for re-homing, many are also in the same plight from Ireland - which workers in the UK are trying to save as well.

Gareth, Wales

I re-homed a greyhound last year but after 10 days had to give it back as it bit one of my children. Gorgeous dog, shame she wasn't more humanised as she was very frightened of us and kept barking at us. We would definitely consider re-homing another greyhound once our children get older. So many greyhounds need homes and they are normally very placid and walk fantastically on the lead.

Susan, Essex

I think it's amazing that the greyhound industry is claiming that 7,000 dogs re-homed each year is a good thing. There may be 10,000 dogs who retire each year, but there are approximately 100,000 born each year. What happens to the ones that don't make it to the track?

Phil, Edinburgh & East

My partner had 3 racing greyhounds which won many races. They were great dogs and lived with us until sadly they died at the age of 12. I do think it is cruel that people should be allowed to race dogs and put them down because they can no longer race. I think all greyhounds should be registered when born, and once they have passed on. Maybe then we can find the cruel people that are getting away with putting down healthy young dogs.

Kellie, Suffolk

Greyhound racing should be stopped. Dogs going missing in their thousands is one thing, but some dogs that are re-homed are in a terrible condition when they arrive at the re-homing kennels, having sores, bites and needing tooth extractions. Stop the racing, it's the only way.

John, Birmingham

I recently owned a greyhound, but they need a lot of attention as they are very sensitive dogs.

Lisa, Essex

How come these discussions show only the views of people outside the greyhound racing industry? Why doesn't someone put the real facts forward from the racing kennels?

Karen, Coventry

Racing dogs are not treated well, They are worked very hard and destroyed when they can no longer race. It makes no sense that a nation of dog-lovers should use these poor animals in such a way. They are not here for our entertainment.

Joanna, Essex

I think one of the main stigmas attached to re-homing greyhounds is the popular misconception is that ex-racers do not make good pets. Retired race greyhounds make excellent pets and are very clean in the home environment.

Keith, Kent

BGRB Chairman, Lord Lipsey, recently announced that he had changed his view on ignoring extremists’ claims for fear that they would lead to extra publicity.

He also told a meeting of journalists that the negative publicity was having an adverse effect on the industry’s ability to attract major non-bookmaking sponsors.

Now the board have appointed an agency called The Firm to conduct a communications audit within the industry with the aim of correcting many of the unsubstantiated claims made by groups such as Greyhound Action.

A BGRB spokesman said: “If you google ‘greyhound racing’, all you see are extremist views about greyhound welfare. Our hope is that we can redress the problem by presenting an accurate representation of what we do and giving the public the chance to form their own opinion based on fact.”

One of the participants in the study is leading British breeder, Jimmy Fenwick. He said, “I think it is a great idea because a lot of the good work that goes on in the industry doesn’t get publicised. For example, we asked how many greyhounds have been homed by the local homing scheme in the last year and it was 50. Then we calculated that between three locals we have individually rehomed 26 dogs in less than four months. This sort of thing never gets publicity but I know that what we have done is repeated all over the country.”

Where are the figures?

With six months of 2007 already gone, the BGRB are still unable to report the industry tote and attendance figures for 2006.

The Star understands that at least six stadia have failed to file figures and NGRC Racecourse Promoters Limited, the trade association for track owners, are due to announce a crackdown. One track promoter said: “There are big concerns, not just on attendance figures but also on injury data too. Some tracks simply didn’t bother to make returns.

It does not put the industry in a good light given future responsibilities under the Animal Welfare Bill, it cannot be allowed to continue. It seems highly likely that it will become a requirement of membership of the association. Tracks cannot expect to reap the benefits if they are not prepared to take responsibility for their actions.

(The Racing Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) THE Greyhound Racing Association (GRA) has been officially put up for sale. Risk Capital Partners (RCP), owners of the six-track group since March 2005, apparently hope to double the pounds 50.3 million they paid at that time to Wembley plc for the acquisition.

Such figures clearly put into doubt the long-term future of the sport at some of the venues due to their land value.

The decision by RCP is not unexpected, although the timing has come as something of a surprise.

It apparently has been made after the venture capitalists, the investment vehicle of Channel 4's non-executive chairman Luke Johnson, received "unsolicited approaches regarding potential redevelopment on the six innercity brownfield sites, which total around 55 acres," according to Fergal O'Reilly of property consultants King Sturge Financial Services, which has been appointed as advisers in the sale.

Mention of the word redevelopment will send a shiver down the spine of anyone connected with the GRA tracks, of which Wimbledon, home of the Blue Square Greyhound Derby, is the flagship, albeit a somewhat dated one in desperate need of investment.

However, O'Reilly did also point to the financial well-being of the business, stating: "This instruction represents a rare opportunity for a buyer to acquire a profitable business supported by a significant upside from the underlying land values."

Tim Wright, a partner in King Sturge's residential team, said: "I anticipate a considerable amount of interest when this portfolio is brought to the market - likely to be during this month and with a price tag of in excess of pounds 100 million."

Such an estimate, even if an optimistic opening gambit, may make it unlikely that the GRA will be sold intact simply as a going greyhound concern, although there are complications in redeveloping the prime site of Wimbledon, where the local council has long been opposed to such a move, while there are also questions about the suitability of the land.

One of the issues facing RCP regarding the decision to dispose of the GRA at this time will undoubtedly have been the increase in interest rates since they made the acquisition some 30 months ago, meaning the debt taken on board then now requires more servicing, although the company was not expected to be long-term owners of the group in any case.

In the time of RCP's ownership, it is understood that profit figures for the GRA have remained at similar levels to before, with the generally depressed state of the greyhound racing market offset by some fairly severe cost-cutting, which has seen many departures from the company.

Stephen Rea, publicity spokesman for the GRA, said: "Staff have been informed of the situation, but there is no need to panic as this could take an awful long time and business will continue as normal."

In addition to Wimbledon, the GRA owns the freehold to Belle Vue (Manchester), Hall Green (Birmingham), Oxford and Portsmouth, and has a long-term leasehold with the local council at Perry Barr in Birmingham.

GA comment: This means 6 tracks are likely to be sold for property development. Affected tracks could be: Wimbledon, Belle Vue (Manchester) Hall Green (Birmingham) Oxford, Portsmouth and Perry Barr (Birmingham). Please see link below for full news report (if asked, skip intro screen to go directly to the story)

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-dog-racing-gra-put-up-sale-/2007/09/01/2904376.htm

Please read the next story for more background information.

Around 55 acres of prime brownfield land could come to market if Channel 4 chairman Luke Johnson bows to pressure and puts his six greyhound tracks up for sale.

The serial entrepreneur’s private equity fund, Risk Capital Partners, has received several unsolicited bids from residential and commercial developers for its six freehold stadiums in Wimbledon, SW19; Portsmouth; Oxford; Manchester; and Birmingham sites in Perry Barr and Hall Green.

Although no figures have been disclosed, the tracks could sell for around £3.5m an acre, valuing the portfolio at more than £190m.

In 2005, the Chandler family put its 11.2-acre Walthamstow Stadium in Chingford, E4, on the market for £40m.

The track attracted bids from several residential developers, including George Wimpey, but was not sold.

Ben Redmond, director at Risk Capital Partners, said: “The land is not on the market and we have not sought offers, but we have been studying the unsolicited bids carefully and will give them due consideration.”

The greyhound racing business has been in steady decline since the 1980s.

Despite investment in the sector, the growing choice of ways to gamble has meant greyhound tracks have been fighting a losing battle for custom.

Campaigners at Greyhound Rescue Wales say they know the identity of the executioners and have passed
their names to the RSPCA, which has pledged to investigate the practise of putting down dogs who are
no longer fast enough to compete.

In the big money world of dog racing, bookies annually rake in more than £2bn while the Government’s
coffers benefit from more than £70m. But welfare activists say little goes back into caring for
dogs, many of whom are retired aged four but have another 10 years of active life .

While the killings are widely regarded as immoral, they are not necessarily illegal. Since 1997,
anyone can own a bolt gun to kill animals without a licence but can be prosecuted if the animals are
put down inhumanely.

Alain Thomas, founder of Greyhound Rescue Wales, said: “About 500 dogs are meeting some kind of
unacceptable fate here every year. GRW has been given the names of five individuals who are
responsible for killing the dogs.

These individuals buy large quantities of dogs from the registered sector, trial them discreetly,
then keep the fastest and best one or two dogs in each batch. They dispose of the other three or
four by shooting them and incinerating the bodies.”

The organisation also claims the killers make an extra living out of putting down other people’s
greyhounds and lurchers at around £10 a go.

Mr Thomas said: “They make money from charging other owners to shoot and incinerate their unwanted
dogs. This has led to the establishment of an informal but well organised and commercially-based
system to shoot and incinerate greyhounds.”

A report produced by the Assembly in 2003 found Wales was a dumping ground for dogs no longer fast
enough to race on registered tracks in England.

Lorraine Barrett AM, who chairs the Assembly’s All Party Animal Welfare Group, said: “I have no time
at all for anyone who is prepared to shoot a dog just because it is no longer needed for racing.

“I would like to see those people prosecuted.

“The Animal Welfare Act, which will come into effect at the end of the year, will mean that
greyhound tracks will all have to have a vet in attendance. I doubt very much whether they will be
able to survive having to pay to have a vet on site.

“There is an issue about what will happen to greyhound racing in Wales. A lot of people would like
to see an end to it. In a perfect world I would not like to see any animal used for entertainment.
However I would like to see it regulated rather than go underground.”

John Rabaiotti, from Swansea’s Fforestfach greyhound stadium, one of Wales’ two remaining and
unregulated tracks, the other being Valley in Ystrad Mynach, claimed the estimates of dogs killed
were exaggerated.

He said: “Greyhounds tend to be picked on as it is a good story – if you believe the figures, there
are more dogs killed than race.

“I’m not saying killings don’t happen because they do. But I think the figures are distorted. I don’t
think the problem is anything like it is quoted by animal rights organisations.

“The way to deal with it is to hit the perpetrators with a lot harder penalties than have been used
in the past.”

A spokesman for the RSPCA, which says 12,000 greyhounds disappear and are unaccounted for every year
in the UK, said they would be “looking into the matter” of killings in Wales.

james.mccarthy@wme.co.uk

WITH regard to the recent letters from Annette Crosbie, T Hughes and others, I would like to make a few points about greyhound ownership in general and dogs that have finished racing in particular.

I am a greyhound owner, primarily involved for the selfish pleasure of seeing my dogs race and win. I buy and sell dogs regularly, hoping to get one that turns out to be a prolific winner, or is a good gambling dog. This is how I've been for the past 20 years (since I was 18). I've always owned three or four dogs at any one time and have always passed them on to somebody before retirement was upon them, found them homes or had them killed.

I use the word killed not because I had them disposed of in a sinister way; they were all put down by vets in the proper manner. I use the word because it is more accurate and descriptive and honest. I can admit I've had my dogs killed, and although it is a last resort, it is an option I have used purely for practical and financial reasons.

I think it is a fair assumption that some of the racers I have passed on to people, those that have not actually been homed, have ended up abused or neglected or killed when their racing careers had finished.
I console myself that it was not actually me who was responsible for them, because as soon as I handed the dogs over I sent a letter to the NGRC informing them of a change of ownership (many dogs that are sold remain registered in the original name for years later) absolving myself from any further responsibility.

A lot of owners love their dogs and are devoted to them, be they bottom grade or top open class. But how often have we all heard the phrase "I could never have him/her put down, there's a place ready in front of the fireplace." Invariably this is said about dogs that have achieved more for the owner, the same owner that would freely let go of a dog that achieved less.
We must remember that every time a dog goes in to traps for a race we are exposing it to the possibility of horrific injury. If owners loved their dogs so much, would they take a chance like that?
I think it is time the greyhound industry was honest with itself. Greyhound racing is an industry based on exploiting animals, just the same as horseracing, and ultimately the same as pet shops and breeders exploiting domestic and show dogs.

Unfortunately there is not enough money in the sport to care for every dog once its racing career is over. If there was I would not advocate putting dogs down. Anybody who buys a greyhound to race must realise they are exploiting the dog for their own pleasure.

A lot of sentimentality is heard among owners, but at the end of the day the dog exists for their pleasure. The Retired Greyhound Trust does its best, and there is also a lot of hard work done by individual trainers when it comes to homing ex-racers, all of it woefully inadequate to deal with the scale of the problem.

It is the responsibility of an individual owner and ultimately their choice what happens to a greyhound after it has finished racing.
The fact is that ex-racers with no traceable owners, and owners unwilling to pay for them, are a strain on the sport and are the cause of much financial pressure among trainers. I can see the sense of T Hughes' argument and I believe it is sound.

Euthanasia or culling might seem wicked and downright cruel but we must remember that the whole sport is based on finance, and if it becomes financially unviable it will disappear.

STUART J ALLEN
London E17

GA comment: This last line says it all ... we couldn't have summed it up better ourselves! Greyhound racing is a business, re-homing the dogs properly is too expensive and would reduce profits ... therefore a large number of "Greyhound trainers" choose to kill their dogs instead. To reduce costs, many don't even use a vet, but instead either mutilate and abandon them or get an unlicensed person to kill them ... often in a truly horrific manner. For more actual examples of what happens to greyhounds once they are too old to race or just aren't fast enough click here

“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 (read the stories below for more information about this), 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!

For an extended GA press release on this topic click here

Sunderland Today July 18th 2006 http://www.sunderlandtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1107&ArticleID=1634846

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.

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