Could the pandemic end greyhound racing for good?
COVID-19 has finally forced the closure of Britain’s oldest dog-racing track. Closer investigates why some say the sport belongs in the past…
When Emma
Butler first met four-year-old greyhound Harrison, he was severely underweight, and was in so much pain he could barely walk. The pooch had been rescued after he was forced to compete in races, despite being in poor physical condition.
Sadly, Emma, who works at the Forever Hounds
Trust, a rehoming charity for greyhounds, is no longer shocked by the state in which she sees many of the animals. She says, “I often see neglected dogs with painful injuries, scratches and rotting teeth from lack of dental care. It’s shocking.”
Last year alone, a staggering 4,970 dogs were injured during races, while a further 710 died – either on the tracks, or because they were put down.
The sport has long been blasted by animal welfare groups as cruel, with allegations of doping and poor conditions, including keeping dogs in kennels for 23 hours a day, and forcing them to wear muzzles to avoid fighting.
But now, as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes stadiums to close, welfare groups hope this could finally be the end of dog racing. In September, racing at Poole Stadium, Dorset, was cancelled indefinitely, and in August, the country’s largest and oldest dog racing stadium, Belle Vue, in Manchester, also announced its permanent closure – although allegations of abuse are not being levelled specifically at these stadiums.
DRUGGED
Greyhound welfare group, Greyt Exploitations, says the closures are a step in the right direction. Trudy Baker, Founder of Greyt Exploitations, tells Closer, “We feel greyhound racing is inherently cruel. The dogs are kept in small kennels and receive little interaction with humans or other canines. There have also been cases where greyhounds were found to have been drugged, to mask existing injuries and help them run faster.”
Shockingly, some dogs have even been found with class A drugs in their system. Trudy explains, “Last year,
The Greyhound Board of
Great Britain (GBGB) held a disciplinary hearing for a number of trainers whose animals had produced positive samples for cocaine, as well as caffeine and codeine.”
Trudy adds that greyhounds can suffer horrific injuries on the track. She tells us, “Tragically, hounds crash into each other or sustain painful injuries. Once the dogs are injured, they’ll often be euthanised as it’s cheaper for the trainer not to pay surgical or rehoming fees.
If the dogs survive, they’ll race until they’re three years old, when they’ll be made redundant. But last year,
280 retired dogs were still kept on in a commercial environment for breeding or independent racing.”
FOREVER HOMES
And even if the tracks close, Trudy says the problem is more widespread. She explains, “The races are sold and streamed worldwide to betting markets, which is where much of the income is generated. So, there is still more work to be done to protect these gentle dogs.”
Emma Butler began working at the Forever Hounds Trust five years ago and witnessed just how badly the dogs are treated.
She says, “Currently, we have three dogs in our care with broken legs. Even dogs that are in good physical condition will need months of rehabilitation before we can find them a home. But greyhounds are such forgiving creatures – they just want to be loved.”
There are hundreds of dogs available for adoption across the UK. Becky Burton, 49, from Surrey, adopted two in June 2017. She says, “After our family’s previous dog, Poppy, died in a road accident, a friend recommended walking ex-racers at Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare Centre.
“We didn’t initially plan on adopting, but the next month, my daughter Holly,
21, and I walked a greyhound called Frankie, nine. They say greyhounds choose you, not the other way around, so when Frankie rested her head on us and wrapped her body round my legs during a walk, we knew
she was coming home with us.
“Two weeks later, when we went to sign Frankie’s adoption papers, we met five-year-old Rocco waiting in the yard. He was blind and had been overlooked. We fell in love and kept him, too. Frankie and Rocco are so good-natured that it’s easy to forget about their traumatic past. But Frankie is still petrified of thunderstorms and fireworks – we think the loud noises remind her of the trap doors releasing on the tracks and the noisy crowds.”
WELFARE CHECKS
When approached for comment the Greyhound Board of Great Britain told Closer, “GBGB has a robust anti-doping strategy and a zero-tolerance policy on the mistreatment of greyhounds. Any positive cases are investigated via our independent disciplinary committee and strict sanctions may be applied. Likewise, an Independent Veterinary Surgeon is present at all licensed
GBGB tracks to check the health and wellbeing of every greyhound both before and after racing. Our injury rates are just 1.21 per cent. For everyone involved in licensed greyhound racing, upholding the highest standards of greyhound welfare is at the heart of everything we do. Through our Greyhound Commitment, we have pledged to safeguard the welfare of every racing greyhound – from registration to retirement and beyond. Everyone in the sport works tirelessly to meet the welfare needs of our greyhounds and we are constantly looking for ways to raise welfare standards even further. The protection that registered racing greyhounds receive far outstrips that of many pet dogs. There will always be those opposed to our sport, but annually released and independently verified data demonstrates that the standards of welfare in British greyhound racing are the strongest in the world.”