‘Airlines should ban flying them to their deaths’

THOUSANDS of dogs are shipped to the Far East from the UK and Ireland each year, claims Rita James, founder of Caged which campaigns for the welfare of greyhounds.

She said: “This is a huge problem. Greyhounds are mass bred to race and those who don’t make the grade are thrown away. Some are sold for peanuts to Chinese buyers – and sent to a terrible fate. We hear of puppies and champion racing dogs shipped there and bred or raced until they can go no more, then sold for meat.

TERRIBLE

“Greyhounds are extremely sensitive. They suffer high blood pressure and struggle with extreme cold and heat. They’re travelling for up to 40 hours in terrible conditions.

“It’s horrific. We intercepted a vehicle carrying 24 greyhounds to Heathrow to fly out to China last year. We’ve heard them screaming in terror and trying to eat their way out of cages.” Rita is working with other charities to lobby airlines to stop flying greyhounds for commercial use to China and other countries with very few animal welfare laws.

She said: “The UK is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers yet dogs are being sent to such a cruel fate.”