Letter for the Workplace
A free to print letter that states 10 of the top greyhound welfare issues in the racing industry that are not going away
A Night at The Dogs
Three leading animal welfare charities are calling for a ban on greyhound racing.
83% of British greyhounds are Irish bred.
On average 16,000 Irish greyhounds are bred for both British and Irish racing each year;
Less than a quarter of these dogs remain in Ireland to race; On average 6,000 go unaccounted for (missing)
and 6,250 are imported by Great Britain for racing.
See figures; Preferred Results Limited (PRS)
PRL was paid by the Irish Greyhound board (now Greyhound Racing Ireland) to produce the report in 2017. The report was hidden for 2 years by the IGB, until its existence was leaked to RTE. It was later published on the Irish Greyhound Board website
Greyhound Welfare Concerns
1/Greyhounds were filmed being shot at Irish abattoirs. One greyhound was shown writhing in agony.
See RTE Greyhounds Running for Their Lives – Award winning Documentary broadcasted in 2019 on Prime time TV in Ireland.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain is a self regulated governing body for the British Greyhound Racing industry. The Greyhound Board is compelled by Defra to publish annual retirement and injury data.
Source; Efra Parliamentary Review 2015/16 Government response.
2/There are on average over 4,000 injuries to dogs across race tracks each year.
Source; GBGB website
3/Greyhound Racing Kills - Greyhound racing tracks are designed to be unpredictable, causing unnecessary fatalities.
In 2022, a Billboard in Sheffield displayed the text ‘Greyhound Racing Kills’ alongside an image of a sad greyhound. Objections were made by the Greyhound Board to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
The organisation responsible for the billboard showed evidence to substantiate their claims. The ASA agreed that ‘Greyhound Racing Kills’ and the dispute was settled in their favour. The GBGB lost the dispute.
The findings were published by the ASA
Every licensed greyhound race track has a freezer to store the dead dogs
Source; GBGB rule 110B
4/Greyhounds are legally exported to China, Pakistan, and Spain for breeding and racing. There are no greyhound welfare laws to protect them. Greyhounds are found in the meat trade.
Source;
Candy's Hound Rescue International
Pakistan Trade Customs Data
Greyhound Protection UK
Leading animal welfare charities, The Dogs Trust, The Blue Cross and the RSPCA are calling for a ban on Greyhound Racing with a phase out period.
Source; The named charities.
The GBGB launched the Greyhound Retirement Scheme where a bond is paid for each dog that retires to a rescue on their re-homers list. The GBGB refuses to pay this bond to rescues who object to greyhound racing.
5/Greyhounds are backing up in trainer kennels with nowhere to go. Greyhound rescues claim to have up to a year waiting list with up to 80 dogs on their lists.
Source; The Greyhound Star – Online Publisher for the Greyhound Racing Industry
6/ Greyhounds can be destroyed for the following reasons;
1) Injury not treated on economic grounds
2) No home or retirement placement found
3) Unsuitable as a pet
Source; GBGB retirement form Section D
7) The British Greyhound Board 'Greyhound Commitment and Welfare - A good life for every greyhound' was launched in 2018
The most recent greyhound cruelty case involved Professional Greyhound Trainer Rebecca Perkins who was imprisoned in 2023 after she abandoned her greyhounds in their kennels. Dogs were found dead and dozens of others, starving and emaciated. The GBGB greyhound commitment and kennel inspections failed to prevent the cruelty.
Evidence can be provided on request, for this case and other cases of cruelty and neglect.
8) Captive Bolt Gun
In the UK, it is fully legal for any lay person to use a captive bolt gun to destroy a greyhound, you do not have to be licensed.
See UK legislation
9) Greyhound trainers who are banned indefinitely (given a lifetime ban) by the GBGB for doping greyhounds can have their bans overturned and continue to work with racing greyhounds.
See GBGB calendar November 2023
10) Greyhound trainers who are disciplined for doping dogs are often given meagre fines and will reoffend.
See GBGB Calendar - Disciplinaries.
For more information contact; [email protected]
Three leading animal welfare charities are calling for a ban on greyhound racing.
83% of British greyhounds are Irish bred.
On average 16,000 Irish greyhounds are bred for both British and Irish racing each year;
Less than a quarter of these dogs remain in Ireland to race; On average 6,000 go unaccounted for (missing)
and 6,250 are imported by Great Britain for racing.
See figures; Preferred Results Limited (PRS)
PRL was paid by the Irish Greyhound board (now Greyhound Racing Ireland) to produce the report in 2017. The report was hidden for 2 years by the IGB, until its existence was leaked to RTE. It was later published on the Irish Greyhound Board website
Greyhound Welfare Concerns
1/Greyhounds were filmed being shot at Irish abattoirs. One greyhound was shown writhing in agony.
See RTE Greyhounds Running for Their Lives – Award winning Documentary broadcasted in 2019 on Prime time TV in Ireland.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain is a self regulated governing body for the British Greyhound Racing industry. The Greyhound Board is compelled by Defra to publish annual retirement and injury data.
Source; Efra Parliamentary Review 2015/16 Government response.
2/There are on average over 4,000 injuries to dogs across race tracks each year.
Source; GBGB website
3/Greyhound Racing Kills - Greyhound racing tracks are designed to be unpredictable, causing unnecessary fatalities.
In 2022, a Billboard in Sheffield displayed the text ‘Greyhound Racing Kills’ alongside an image of a sad greyhound. Objections were made by the Greyhound Board to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
The organisation responsible for the billboard showed evidence to substantiate their claims. The ASA agreed that ‘Greyhound Racing Kills’ and the dispute was settled in their favour. The GBGB lost the dispute.
The findings were published by the ASA
Every licensed greyhound race track has a freezer to store the dead dogs
Source; GBGB rule 110B
4/Greyhounds are legally exported to China, Pakistan, and Spain for breeding and racing. There are no greyhound welfare laws to protect them. Greyhounds are found in the meat trade.
Source;
Candy's Hound Rescue International
Pakistan Trade Customs Data
Greyhound Protection UK
Leading animal welfare charities, The Dogs Trust, The Blue Cross and the RSPCA are calling for a ban on Greyhound Racing with a phase out period.
Source; The named charities.
The GBGB launched the Greyhound Retirement Scheme where a bond is paid for each dog that retires to a rescue on their re-homers list. The GBGB refuses to pay this bond to rescues who object to greyhound racing.
5/Greyhounds are backing up in trainer kennels with nowhere to go. Greyhound rescues claim to have up to a year waiting list with up to 80 dogs on their lists.
Source; The Greyhound Star – Online Publisher for the Greyhound Racing Industry
6/ Greyhounds can be destroyed for the following reasons;
1) Injury not treated on economic grounds
2) No home or retirement placement found
3) Unsuitable as a pet
Source; GBGB retirement form Section D
7) The British Greyhound Board 'Greyhound Commitment and Welfare - A good life for every greyhound' was launched in 2018
The most recent greyhound cruelty case involved Professional Greyhound Trainer Rebecca Perkins who was imprisoned in 2023 after she abandoned her greyhounds in their kennels. Dogs were found dead and dozens of others, starving and emaciated. The GBGB greyhound commitment and kennel inspections failed to prevent the cruelty.
Evidence can be provided on request, for this case and other cases of cruelty and neglect.
8) Captive Bolt Gun
In the UK, it is fully legal for any lay person to use a captive bolt gun to destroy a greyhound, you do not have to be licensed.
See UK legislation
9) Greyhound trainers who are banned indefinitely (given a lifetime ban) by the GBGB for doping greyhounds can have their bans overturned and continue to work with racing greyhounds.
See GBGB calendar November 2023
10) Greyhound trainers who are disciplined for doping dogs are often given meagre fines and will reoffend.
See GBGB Calendar - Disciplinaries.
For more information contact; [email protected]
Download PDF file to print;
| letter_for_the_workplace.pdf |
