The tote board gave odds of 20:1 for “Speedy Sam”. Sadly for Sam, this wasn´t an accurate figure. In reality, the odds were stacked against him and he was faced with a gamble he just couldn´t win.
Four years old; in pain from his previous untreated injuries his racing days almost at an end, Sam trailed in behind the field. Sam had become a “dead cert” and the key word here was “dead”.
No longer fast enough to race against the younger, stronger, fitter dogs, and not wanted by his owner as a pet, Sam was put to sleep. And he was one of the lucky ones. He was killed humanely.
For most ex-racing greyhounds, the reality is :
*Too slow to race in the registered sector, the dogs are sold on to sometimes unscrupulous owners in the unregulated independent sector.
*Some greyhounds are kept in appalling conditions, and the dogs are only let out to race.
*Injured dogs may be given painkillers to mask the pain, and forced to run regardless.
*An injured dog is just one step away from abandonment or slaughter. Shooting, drowning and starvation are popular methods of disposal.
*Dogs are killed simply because they can no longer run fast enough.
*The life expectancy of a greyhound is less than any other breed. And belive me, they don´t die of natural causes.
*If a puppy does not show promise, it can be killed when it is as young as 12 weeks old.
What can you do to protest about these unjust odds, and help to turn every greyhound into a winner?
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