AN END TO GREYHOUND RACING?

Yesterday I received an invitation to give evidence to an independent organisation considering greyhound racing welfare in UK greyhound racing.

I was aware of that the study had been commissioned, and why. Basically, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA are considering whether to seek a ban on greyhound racing in Britain. GBGB are fully aware. My invitation to contribute did come as a surprise though.

Using the term ‘welfare’ is like a big white flag with a red cross in the middle. No one dare challenge it. And of course it acts as cover for less noble plans. ‘Label it welfare and no one would dare argue’

So what is ‘welfare’? In my view, greyhound racing welfare comes in three flavours:

1) “What will it take to keep the antis/welfarists off our case?”

2) “What are the commercial implications of welfare, plus and minus”

3) “What is actually best for the greyhounds?”

If anything other than the third option is your priority, you are on the wrong website.

Now by any standards, GBGB has achieved a great deal on welfare, not that it had any choice. The Animal Welfare Act that accompanied its formation insisted on it.

The first question is – was the industry’s reputation ever deserved?

In some cases, yes, though it has to be taken in historical context.

I grew at a time when a large number of ex-racers were put to sleep, though not necessarily for the reasons that are generally assumed.

Greyhounds were doped, though the process was certainly never condoned or tolerated but ‘euthanasia on economic grounds’ was definitely a thing.

However, I don’t believe that this is the same industry that I grew up in, though I reckon most of the changes are more reflective of attitudes in society as in anything the greyhound industry has been ‘forced into’.

Society has become kinder and that has been reflected in its attitude to humans as well as animals. Whether it is greater tolerance for human minorities, the ban on fox and hare hunting or even curbs on the use of the jockeys whip, they all appear interconnected.

So what are GBGB’s accomplishments?

In the first instance, achieving a significant level of legitimacy and transparency. The injury and retirement data is open to scrutiny at the highest level.

Every racing greyhound is traceable from registration until retirement and despite welfarists’ claims to the contrary, I see no evidence whatsoever of massaging data or fiddling figures. None.

I have even argued that GBGB – understandably in its effort to remain transparent – regularly shoots itself in the foot with its reporting.

If someone can explain to me why sudden death/terminal illness should be bracketed alongside ‘fatal injuries’ I would be pleased to hear it. Yet they account for more than 20% of the total.

Greater still is the proof that more than 95% of ex-racers are re-homed. That is the first figure I ever quote when asked ‘is it true that they mainly put to sleep at the end of their careers’ and have never had anything less than an astonished response.

The Board deserve great credit for the Injury Recovery Scheme (with some reservations – below) and even more for the Greyhound Retirement (Bond) Scheme.

They have also introduced independent kennel checks for trainers’ kennels along with significant improvements in track kennels and transport.

But still a work in progress

Despite all the efforts to date, more could be done. By the sound of it, No.1 (above) is still in play. No.2 is basically number 1 with a financial element, and No. 3, because it just feels the right thing to do.

In my view, there is still much to be achieved and each of the following thoughts would could be considered in its own right. However, time and space requires a machine-gun like approach. So:

• Has GBGB’s approach to re-homing and particularly injuries just about reached the limit of its scope?
• Is too much money being spent on ‘patching up’ rather than preventing injuries
• What percentage of veterinary costs should be covered by the track?
• Which tracks have the worst injury stats?
• What type of injuries are occurring where?
• Which injuries are easily preventable?
• How does ‘going’ affect injuries?
• Which trainers get the most injuries?
• Which trainers are best at returning dogs to racing?
• How much time is put aside by trainers for treatment?
• How many trainers are competent at finding injuries?
• How many trainers/staff have had any formal training in injury detection or treatment?
• Is there racing office pressure to over-race greyhounds?
• Is there any data to suggest that over-racing is an issue?
• Could more be done to prevent trouble in racing, in terms of grading/seeding?
• For how many hours are greyhounds kept in their kennels?
• How often are greyhounds walked during an average day?
• How many kennels are understaffed?
• Should there be a mandatory staff level per graded runner?
• Would GBGB funds be well spent on a specialist veterinary hospital where trainers could ensure the dogs are efficiently treated?
• How many trainers present dogs for racing or trials in poor condition, in terms of teeth, coat, worms etc?
• How often are those failures pulled up by track vets?
• Should track vets stage random examinations – say 5 per meeting?
• How many lame/sore dogs would a top physio find among 72 graded runners at a typical meeting?
• How many would the track vet detect?
• How many would the trainers find?
• How many lame/sore runners would be detected in 12 Cat One finals?
• Who are the top vets for specialist operations?
• What is being done to encourage further specialist surgical skills?
• Can hours of pre-race kenneling be justified?
• Would racing dogs benefit from a pre-race massage and how practical would that be?
• Is there a breeding/rearing component to racing soundness?
• Could sound dogs be kept in training if more efforts were made on ‘veterans’ and ‘super veterans’ races depending on age group?
• Last but far from least, is it possible for UK greyhound racing to be seen to be prioritising welfare decisions when its regulatory/governing body is racecourse promoter dominant?

Beyond that I’ve got nothing to say!