COMMUNITY’S RACE TO SAVE WALES’ LAST DOG TRACK
MALCOLM Tams has dedicated 49 years of his life to greyhound racing. The 67-year-old, from Blackwood, was introduced to the sport at the age of 18 by his uncle, who kept racing dogs when Malcolm was growing up.
From that moment, Malcolm was hooked and his love for the animals compelled him to make a career in the racing industry. His wish came true when he took over Valleys Greyhound Stadium in 2008.
And Malcolm has been passing down his knowledge of the sport to his sons, who are grown up now.
Valleys Greyhounds, in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly, is the last greyhound racing track in Wales and Malcolm is at the forefront of an effort to keep the sport going despite vocal opposition from animal rescue charities.
The Senedd has discussed whether greyhound racing should be outlawed due to welfare concerns.
It came after a petition was started by Hope Rescue to ban the sport in Wales entirely. It claims to have rescued about 200 dogs from the track since April 2018.
The petition gathered more than 35,000 signatures, the Senedd decided in March that an in-depth consultation should be carried out.
Malcolm believes his track offers people a unique place to enjoy the sport and place bets on the dogs, and also to come together and socialise in a family friendly atmosphere.
Malcolm said: “When people come here, there’s women, children, men and people from all backgrounds.
“We have signs up which clearly say no foul language. We are all about family entertainment and we’ve got CCTV right around the track.
“But the greyhounds love it too because when they race, they’re doing what they were born to do.”
Malcolm’s next big move is to make sure Valleys Greyhounds can become regulated under the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB).
Under GBGB’s rules, all greyhounds would be carefully monitored and supported across their lifetime.
There have been a few key moments that have stuck out at the track over the years, according to Malcolm, including when the first greyhound won there.
The dog, who was known as Boss, completed the 310-yard course in 19.20 seconds on July 20, 1976.
But things have not always been smooth sailing for the business.
It had to close due to flooding in 2020, when the Rhymney River overflowed its banks.
But supporters gave their time and money to help restore the track and repaint the stadium.
And while Malcolm has big plans for the site, there is a huge question mark over whether there is a future in greyhound racing in Wales right now, with such vocal opposition gaining some political momentum.
“It’s not just that greyhound racing is an important part of Welsh history, it’s a big part of all history,” he said.
He has put forward a Senedd petition in support of greyhound racing
in Wales, which hit the 10,000-signature target on Easter Monday after being launched in February.
That means it will now be considered for a full debate in the Senedd.
Malcolm says he is not backing down any time soon, and believes the sport is giving people in the area an invaluable experience.
As part of a new development at the track, there will be a new vets room, and a new room for the judges panel. The changes they have made so far have taken about a year to put in place.
Malcolm said: “The kennels will be fully air-conditioned and will fit 120 greyhounds in.
“It will all be monitored by cameras and they’ll all get bedding put down for the dogs to lie on before their race and after for them to cool down.
“The most important thing in terms of monitoring welfare before and after a race is making sure a vet can easily inspect them.”
At the minute, the greyhounds are taken away straight after races by their carers. The new facilities will give them somewhere to be based afterwards.
And as it stands, about 150 people can go and watch the races at the track. But once they have finished the work, the capacity will grow to 400500, according to Malcolm.
But while the new improvements sounded promising, I was also thinking about what expansion would really mean for the dogs while walking around.
As the original petition started by Hope Rescue outlined, it could mean dogs will be raced there up to four times a week, which could potentially put them at more risk of injuries.
Considering the issues which animal welfare activists have with the sport, Malcolm said: “The dogs only run if they want to.
“If a greyhound doesn’t race, then nothing is going to make them. They enjoy it.”
When we walked out onto the tracks, which campaigners claim is dangerous, Malcolm said he feels he has done all he can to make it safe.
He said: “People have said that the bend is the most dangerous, but there are far more dangerous spots on tracks around the UK.”
“Have you ever witnessed a dog die on the tracks?” I asked him.
“Yes,” he replied.
“It’s not nice if anything gets hurt. I witnessed a dog die here about 20 years ago after I brought a very good greyhound down from London, he went around this bend, he was five lengths in front and he broke his back and dropped dead.
“Have you ever been running or exercising? It’s the same thing for a greyhound.
“You always get injuries sometimes, but it doesn’t stop people from going out and taking a risk. They can get cramp, they can get everything but they haven’t got jockeys on their back or anything like that.
“I love a dog, I always have. I’ve been in greyhounds for 50 years. We love the greyhounds.
“My favourite thing about doing this is see a dog go round the track and breaking a track record but the most important thing is when they come off safe and they go in their kennels and wag their tails – they love people.”
Walking around, it was clear the track offers a unique space for people to come together and socialise.
The bar and social clubhouse stretch down one side of the track, with plenty of spaces for visitors to sit together while having a clear viewpoint out onto where the dogs race.
But it was hard to forget how some people feel about the welfare issues that come with racing dogs, or any animal for that matter.
When asked if he could see why campaigners want the sport banned, Malcolm said: “If they ban greyhound racing, they’ll have to ban horse racing as well. It won’t happen.
“We’ve been told that people want this, they want the expansion to happen in plans that have been outlined for the local area.”
A spokesperson for Caerphilly council said: “Three planning applications – two resubmissions for kennels and extensions to clubhouse and one new application for the conversion of a building on site to kennels – are currently at an early stage in the determination process and these will be determined in due course following the usual planning process.”
The sport is only legal in nine other countries around the world.
On August 3, 2021, SAFE and the Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand handed in a 37,700-signature petition, calling for a ban on greyhound racing in Aotearoa.
South Africa has also enacted legislation to prohibit greyhound racing in all of its provinces, and it is banned in 41 US states, with only 19 greyhound tracks remaining in the whole of the US, in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa and West Virginia.