The chances are you will be out enjoying yourself at the start of 2008, and so you should be! After all, life is short so every new year should be celebrated with friends and family... but just spare a quick thought for the greyhound. As we celebrate life, the conditions that they live in do not give them much of one at all.
Greyhounds are required to produce as many puppies as possible if they are used for reproduction. From there, the puppies are fed the cheapest, worst food available. However, some do not get to sample it for long at all because any puppy that does not have what it takes to win races will be killed. This can happen at any point, and at any age. There is no information available about the number of slaughtered puppies, but estimates place it around the same figure, meaning that 40,000 are slaughtered every year, and that is in one country alone.
Education is the most powerful tool you can wield in an effort to end greyhound racing and the industry's cruel treatment of the animals that keep the industry going. They owe the dogs so much and yet deliver so little in return. All they want is love and a good home to relax in. Tell your friends about this blog, look up a few articles and email them on! Just spread the word and make 2008 a better year for the greyhound!
Happy New Year people, have a good one!
Monday 31 December 2007
Saturday 29 December 2007
Greyhound Racing – Change the Record
For over 75 years now, the greyhound racing industry has been “self regulating”. Successive governments have ignored the need for change, the need for proper records and systems which would help to protect the welfare of the dogs. A culture of secrecy prevails, facilitating the cover up of the most unpleasant facts and figures, which if made public would alarm and disgust animal lovers worldwide.
Here is why we need this change:
Ø At any one time, over 35,000 dogs are racing on tracks in the UK. But this is just an estimate as the tracks in the independent sector keep no records. No one is even sure exactly how many independent tracks are currently operating.
Ø Thousands of races are run every year, with no limit on how many times a dog can be raced.
Ø Around 10,000 dogs are callously discarded by the racing industry every year. But this is a conservative estimate, the number that the National Greyhound Racing Club is prepared to state. There is no verifiable record.
Ø No records are kept of dogs destroyed whilst training or racing, although one vet reportedly put down 10 perfectly healthy dogs in one week.
Ø There are no figures available for the numbers of dogs abandoned or dumped. And even on the rare occasion that the owner can be traced, little or nothing is done to discipline them.
Ø No records exist of the injuries that dogs suffer whilst competing.
Ø No-one knows how many dogs are “retired” from racing every year, or what happens to them afterwards.
Without these facts, it is easy to hide the full extent of the abuse and cruelty that goes on behind the scenes. It´s time to change that, time to keep proper records, time to protect the dogs.
We are campaigning to change legislation within the racing sector, and to highlight the suffering and abuse that greyhounds are subjected to in the name of “sport”.
Here is why we need this change:
Ø At any one time, over 35,000 dogs are racing on tracks in the UK. But this is just an estimate as the tracks in the independent sector keep no records. No one is even sure exactly how many independent tracks are currently operating.
Ø Thousands of races are run every year, with no limit on how many times a dog can be raced.
Ø Around 10,000 dogs are callously discarded by the racing industry every year. But this is a conservative estimate, the number that the National Greyhound Racing Club is prepared to state. There is no verifiable record.
Ø No records are kept of dogs destroyed whilst training or racing, although one vet reportedly put down 10 perfectly healthy dogs in one week.
Ø There are no figures available for the numbers of dogs abandoned or dumped. And even on the rare occasion that the owner can be traced, little or nothing is done to discipline them.
Ø No records exist of the injuries that dogs suffer whilst competing.
Ø No-one knows how many dogs are “retired” from racing every year, or what happens to them afterwards.
Without these facts, it is easy to hide the full extent of the abuse and cruelty that goes on behind the scenes. It´s time to change that, time to keep proper records, time to protect the dogs.
We are campaigning to change legislation within the racing sector, and to highlight the suffering and abuse that greyhounds are subjected to in the name of “sport”.
Friday 28 December 2007
Something To Think About In 2008
This is text from a petition I set up quite a while ago now to try and draw attention to the plight of the greyhound and I thought it was a good a place as any to start this blog!
FACT: Greyhound racing is not a regulated sport in that when greyhounds retire, the owners are free to do whatever they want with them.
FACT: The greyhound life expectancy is lower than any other breed, and not as a result of natural causes.
FACT: In the UK alone, 40,000 greyhounds are needlessly slaughtered every year.
FACT: These practices occur in Australia, Sweden, the USA, the UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Ireland, Spain, China and countless other countries aroud the world.
FACT: Puppies that are not good enough to race are mindlessly slaughtered before their first birthday.
Greyhound racing is carried out for the entertainment of millions all over the world. We marvel at the beautiful and yet powerful creatures when they race around a track, and yet they apparently have no real value to us.
We as a race should be looking after their welfare when they retire, as we do the elderly members amongst us. After retirement age, people tend to live quiet and happy lives, watching their families grow up and expand, but that is not the case with greyhounds.
When they have fulfilled their apparent duty, we dispose of them as if they were no more than household rubbish.
In others words, when they are no longer useful and cannot do something for us, we brutally slaughter them. At age four or five, many greyhounds are dead and the blood is on our hands.
After all, would you brutally murder your relatives when they pass retirement age and can no longer earn money?
No? Didn't think so, so why are we allowing this inhumane and unbelievably cruel practice to continue?
It is time to stop this mindless violence and give one of the most gentle and loving breeds on Earth a chance to live.
This petition is still going and will be sent to various governments around the world as well as sporting bodies in March 2008 if we have enough signatures by then, so please add your signature today if you care enough to do so.
FACT: Greyhound racing is not a regulated sport in that when greyhounds retire, the owners are free to do whatever they want with them.
FACT: The greyhound life expectancy is lower than any other breed, and not as a result of natural causes.
FACT: In the UK alone, 40,000 greyhounds are needlessly slaughtered every year.
FACT: These practices occur in Australia, Sweden, the USA, the UK, France, Germany, South Korea, Ireland, Spain, China and countless other countries aroud the world.
FACT: Puppies that are not good enough to race are mindlessly slaughtered before their first birthday.
Greyhound racing is carried out for the entertainment of millions all over the world. We marvel at the beautiful and yet powerful creatures when they race around a track, and yet they apparently have no real value to us.
We as a race should be looking after their welfare when they retire, as we do the elderly members amongst us. After retirement age, people tend to live quiet and happy lives, watching their families grow up and expand, but that is not the case with greyhounds.
When they have fulfilled their apparent duty, we dispose of them as if they were no more than household rubbish.
In others words, when they are no longer useful and cannot do something for us, we brutally slaughter them. At age four or five, many greyhounds are dead and the blood is on our hands.
After all, would you brutally murder your relatives when they pass retirement age and can no longer earn money?
No? Didn't think so, so why are we allowing this inhumane and unbelievably cruel practice to continue?
It is time to stop this mindless violence and give one of the most gentle and loving breeds on Earth a chance to live.
This petition is still going and will be sent to various governments around the world as well as sporting bodies in March 2008 if we have enough signatures by then, so please add your signature today if you care enough to do so.
Thursday 27 December 2007
For The Love Of The Greyhound!
It was a little over 18 months ago when I first laid eyes on Molly.
She was a gorgeous black and white, if a little nervous, greyhound. My husband and I had gone to pick her up from her trainer because she had recently retired. Her trainer, a lovely woman called Mary, never allowed one of her greyhounds to be put to sleep on retirement and always found them good homes to go to. We were to provide Molly's good home and boy am I glad we did!
Molly is the best dog a girl could ever have. She's loyal, loving, sweet and no trouble at all... as long as she gets her 20 hours of sleep a day, as per greyhound rules! She does have a penchant for bolting through an open front door if she has the chance though!
I have to say that Molly has opened my eyes in more ways than one. Before we had her I had no idea just what happened to greyhounds after they retire from the track. However, over the past year or so I have cried over articles more than once. More specifically, those that detail the mass greyhound slaughter that goes on around the world. I am determind to help these beautiful creatures in some way... and this is step three.
More on steps one and two later but thank you for reading. Stick with me on this one because there is much more to come!!!
She was a gorgeous black and white, if a little nervous, greyhound. My husband and I had gone to pick her up from her trainer because she had recently retired. Her trainer, a lovely woman called Mary, never allowed one of her greyhounds to be put to sleep on retirement and always found them good homes to go to. We were to provide Molly's good home and boy am I glad we did!
Molly is the best dog a girl could ever have. She's loyal, loving, sweet and no trouble at all... as long as she gets her 20 hours of sleep a day, as per greyhound rules! She does have a penchant for bolting through an open front door if she has the chance though!
I have to say that Molly has opened my eyes in more ways than one. Before we had her I had no idea just what happened to greyhounds after they retire from the track. However, over the past year or so I have cried over articles more than once. More specifically, those that detail the mass greyhound slaughter that goes on around the world. I am determind to help these beautiful creatures in some way... and this is step three.
More on steps one and two later but thank you for reading. Stick with me on this one because there is much more to come!!!
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