This is an excellent article by Greyhound Watch and for the stadium’s management to declare ‘such action’ is only taken in extreme cases, is unfortunately an attempt by the industry to deceive the public on the true reality of greyhound racing.

Owlerton stadium stages two Bookmakers Afternoon Betting Service – BAGS – meetings every week, which are televised to betting shops or streamed online to the internet. BAGS meetings are not held as social events, they are exactly what the name suggests,a service run by the bookmakers, in the afternoon purely as a betting medium for gamblers. BAGS meetings are very lucrative for the bookmakers, generating 99% of funding for the greyhound racing industry.
Despite earning millions of pounds profits for the bookmakers, the BAGS greyhound is the most exploited and abused of all racing greyhounds. Costing less than £200, these greyhounds are afforded very little, if any, in the way of welfare and if injured or too slow, are as dispensable as their price tag.

Gosling Moor Farm, the Sheffield a branch of industry’s Retired Greyhound Trust, can only claim on their website, to have re-homed 160 greyhounds in 2007, not 200 as general manager Dave Perry states in this article.

Which if with £150,000 funding would calculate a cost of £937 - on average - to re-home each of the 160 greyhounds in 2007.
NGRC rules allow for the euthanasia of a greyhound by the stadium’s vet if the injury is ‘uneconomical’ to treat or temperamentally unsuitable for re-homing.

Is Dave Perry therefore suggesting that this highly commercial industry is affording the £940 cost of re-homing, to a greyhound which cost less than £200 or is he suggesting that those who make a living and therefore profit out of greyhound racing are spending in excess of the initial cost of the dog, in veterinary treatment rather than take advantage of the free euthanasia service offered by the stadium’s vet?

The RSPCA reports ‘at least 20 greyhounds a day, either puppi

As I was saying..........
The RSPCA reports ‘at least 20 greyhounds a day, either puppies which do not make it to the track, or retired dogs aged three or four, simply disappear, presumed killed’

www.greytexploitations.com

Well done to Greyhound Watch for exposing this. This stadium of death should close now!!! Greyhound racing should be banned. Why should animals die for human entertainment??
Helen Stevens
Greyhound Crusaders

This track should be closed. The bottom line is, greyhound racing is about entertaining humans and making money. The fact that some people involved in racing make contributions to greyhound welfare is a drop in the ocean compared to the many deaths of racing greyhounds. It is about time the human race realised that animals are not on this planet for our amusement and profit.

Since when is a dog an object that "Breaks down". This whole thing is wrong. Maybe if the "punters" had to shoot the dogs themselves, they would be less keen to attend.

Nationally, the scale of injuries has remained one of the most sensitive subjects within greyhound racing and one that industry officials remain very tight-lipped about.

The main organisation collecting such data is the Racecourse Promoters Association (RCPA) who has turned down all requests for information. The National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) hold figures relating to greyhounds PTS following injury but are equally guarded.

And there can be little doubt about the reason why: With research indicating a five figure number for injuries incurred annually on the 30 official British tracks and hundreds of greyhounds PTS solely on economic grounds the information would prove highly damaging for the business of greyhound racing.

Greyhound racing is an outdated,corrupt and cruel excuse for a sport. Tracks are closing all round the country for a reason-the message is finally filtering through to the public about the cruelty that goes on behind the scenes,the drugs used to speed up/slow down the dogs to fix races,the 1000's of young dogs shot,hung, poisoned or dumped with their ears hacked off to remove their tattoos and therefore make them untraceable to their trainers. This may all sound shocking to some,but this IS going on and has been going on for far too long and in a so called civilised society. Anyone who is an animal lover should be doing their bit to spread the word and get this 'sport' banned. If people have money to throw away down the betting shop-let them bet on human sports such as rugby and football,not on defenceless animals who have no choice and will be destined for the scrap heap by the age of two leaving the already overloaded dog rescues and charities further bursting at the seams.
Greyhounds make wonderful gentle pets,we have rescued many over the years and know many friends who are lucky enough to have a greyhound in their lives. You only have to look into their soulful eyes to see the pain they have been through but yet still they will reward you with all the love you will ever need.

The greyhound industry does not acknowledge that dogs are self aware and capable fo feeling pain and distress. The training methods are a disgrace and cause severe irreversable injuries, often at young ages. Failed and aging dogs are considered waste to be dumped. The industry has had long enough to clean up its act and has failed. Time now for it to be closed down.

It is thought the total figure for greyhounds injured at Owlerton last year is far higher than 309. Injuries in trials forms a significant proportion of any such figure and Greyhound Watch believe track stewards failed to indicate many injuries sustained.

And race results to date, point towards an increase in injuries for 2008. In July alone stewards recorded 37 greyhounds lame and 6 not finishing but with a race time not given for 19 runners the latter figure is likely many more.

There is, however, no such thing as a safe track and the number of injuries as a percentage of races held will not differ greatly across the country.

Thank you for doing this article, the more people who talk about it and know about it the sooner this will stop.
Greyhounds should not be made to race. As I volunteer in an animal shelter (for over a year now) I see what this "sport" does to these gentle dogs. In my experience they prefer to be cuddled than running around as any time I take them for a walk, they always stop me and nuzzle me with their nose looking for pets and attention. They also love to sleep loads. In America and the U.K they cherish these dogs and see them as companions not entertainment or a way to make money. In America they are called the 45 MPH couch potato.
Please take a stand against this "sport" and also please take a stand against the government giving this industry grants amounting to €105,000,000 since 2001. Just think of what that money could have done for education or health especially now that we are in a recession.