Greyhound Racing
Happy Wednesday! Thankyou for joining me on our blog section!
So today I thought I would write about a controversial topic - Greyhound Racing.
As you probably know, we sell Greyhound items where 10% from each sale is donated to Hounds First Sighthound Rescue, an amazing charity who help to rehome not only Greyhounds, but other Sighthounds including Whippets, Lurchers and Salukis.
I decided to support Greyhounds as one of the first dog breeds we offer on items, this is because high numbers are found across the UK waiting to be rehomed, all you have to do is scroll down rescue centres available dogs online, and no doubt you'll find greyhounds waiting for their forever home. Not only to mention the many Greyhound only rescues you can find who support this breed.
A question you might be thinking is, as someone who's supporting Greyhounds via my business, what's my opinion on racing?
Well, to be polite, I can't stand it.
Some early supporters of Care to be Cosy on Facebook will know themselves I had some trouble with pro racers, attacking the business online for stating that many Greyhounds end up in rescue centres once their racing career is over.
I was so baffled by the situation, I couldn't understand how these people were arguing with me when I was sending them links to UK Rescues with Greyhounds listed on them waiting for adoption, the evidence was right there?!
Luckily, the amazing Caged Nationwide came across the Care to be Cosy post and stepped in, I received so much support from fellow Greyhound lovers, it was so heart warming.
Pro racers will always argue against those campaigning to end the exploitation of Greyhounds, as the racing is a part of the gambling industry there is a lot of money involved, its hard to believe they supposedly care about the dogs over the money as they say they do.
In case you are new to the issue, here's some reasons as to why Greyhound racing is so cruel, and the troubles surrounding the dogs welfare (facts are from Caged Nationwide) -
.It has been known for use of class A drugs, amphetamines and steroids being administered to dogs in order to fix races. (this can cause organ damage and fatalities).
. Some have been drained of blood (exsanguinated) by veterinary medics before being euthanized (Blood is then sold on to companies who will use the blood for transfusions of ‘pet’ dogs.
. Dogs are confined to dirty kennels/sheds, with no light, poor ventilation, no heating, poor bedding. If you follow Caged Nationwide on social media, there are always many sad images being posted with proof of this.
. Dogs sometimes have their ears mutilated, cut off with a knife or scissors to prevent them being traced back to the owner via the ear tattoo when they have been abandoned.
. Greyhounds are exported to Pakistan, India, Spain, China and many other countries where there are little or no animal welfare laws to protect them.
. There are cases where the dogs have been killed inhumanly, by free bullet and their bodies disposed of, masses of dogs killed by use of the Captive bolt gun on private land and in abattoirs, Dogs put to sleep by the stadium vet for minor injuries, as well as being drowned, others are bludgeoned to death and dumped. Although these are vivid issues to raise in a blog post, they are a devastating reality that needs more awareness. As Caged Nationwide say, You Bet, They Die.
I could go on and on about this cruelty, there's so much more to say.
Here's a story of a Greyhound called Rusty, I think it speaks for itself.
On Sunday May 2nd 2004, a young black male greyhound (later found to be called Rusty) was discovered by a dog walker, who heard him whimpering in agony in a rubbish tip on Fochriw mountain, in the Rhymney Valley, South Wales.
Rusty had been injured in several ways, including being shot in the head with a captive-bolt pistol and his ears had been hacked off, because they contained tattoos that could identify him and trace him back to an owner.
Despite this appalling torture, Rusty was still alive and wagging his tail, but his injuries were so extensive, that he was later put to sleep by a vet.
Toward the end of that year, at Caerphilly Magistrates court, greyhound ‘executioner’ Andrew Gough, was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for torturing Rusty and banned from keeping animals for life.
It emerged in Gough’s trial that both Rusty’s owner and trainer had handed him over to Gough with £10 to kill him after a toe injury had ended this greyhounds racing career.
You can read more about this here.
Recent reports also found that as many as 16,000 greyhounds are born in Ireland every year – the place where the British greyhound racing industry sources 83 per cent of its dogs. Devastatingly, around 5,987 are culled because they don’t perform fast enough. Not to mention the vast numbers who are abandoned once they’ve been used and exploited for gambling.
To summarise, this isn't a sport, it's neglect.
Greyhounds are just like any other loving and affectionate pets, maybe you have a dog member of your family sat next to you as you read this, who you love dearly, imagine if they had to endure this, imagine if their life was ended in the cruel, painful way that many Greyhounds have faced. This is why we need to raise awareness, share the posts you see on Facebook, sign the petitions, if you're looking to adopt, consider a Greyhound, and very importantly, please do not support the racing industry!
In the meantime, if you are a Greyhound fan, go check out our products here, they aren't as cute as the dogs themselves but they're up there!
Thankyou for reading, Dana x