Within the last month, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain has embarked on one of the boldest initiatives ever contemplated by a racing regulatory body. They aim to wipe out the flagrant unnecessary destruction of greyhounds that have reached the end of their racing lives.
The practice is only carried out – as detailed in the Managing Director’s statement below – by a very small number of trainers. They abuse two loopholes in the rules. Euthanasia is necessary in cases where: 1) veterinary treatment is not practical or 2) the greyhound is unsuitable for re-homing.
The practice utterly undermines the industry as a whole and the vast majority of owners and trainers who do their very best for their ex-racers.
It is surely obscene that one owner might spend £3,000-£4,000 on an operation for an injury to save a loved hound, only for another to refuse a few hundred pounds for re-homing.
Bird also considers the practice in greater context in terms of the tracks who have turned a blind eye to their trainers behaviour, and the veterinary surgeons who are too quick to comply. It has been suggested that there is a regional and cultural bias relating to the worst offenders.
THIS is a groundbreaking move by GBGB and a pillar of the fourth pledge of the Greyhound Commitment (see below).
We believe that it will be wholeheartedly supported by the vast majority of the greyhound industry and will receive absolute unequivocal backing on this website.
Floyd Amphlett – Editor
Bird said: “Since GBGB launched the Greyhound Commitment last year, it has been encouraging to see so many people from across the industry come out in support of its aims, expectations and aspirations for the future vitality of our sport. Under the Commitment, we have already delivered some excellent initiatives, such as the Apprenticeship Scheme, Greyhound Ambassadors and, of course, the Injury Recovery Scheme (IRS).
“But as we continue to further our welfare ambitions, GBGB has also pledged to reduce the number of dogs being put to sleep on economic grounds by half by 2022. Clearly, the IRS is part of our overall strategy to reduce these numbers, but that won’t solve the problem entirely. Last year, I highlighted a small number of trainers that had a seemingly disproportionate number of greyhounds being euthanised in the 2017 data and we were watching closely to see whether those numbers had changed in 2018. In some cases they had, but in other cases they had not. We are therefore stepping up our measures to tackle the issue once and for all.
“I recently had the pleasure of meeting up with some owners and trainers to talk through what GBGB is doing around the issue of dogs being put to sleep on unnecessary or avoidable grounds. It is clear that this message is being taken seriously by the vast majority of those within the sport. I have been heartened by their determination to reduce these numbers significantly, as well as the level of support for GBGB to simply remove licences from trainers that do not take the proper action and continue to see racing greyhounds as commodities.
“Earlier this month I tasked our Stipendiary Stewards with arranging appointments with 20 trainers who featured on our radar, who will remain nameless for now, asking them to account for why together they were responsible for 145 dogs being put to sleep in 2018, on either economic grounds or because they were deemed unsuitable for homing. That means that between the 20 trainers or owners they were responsible for 43% of the total number of dogs being put to sleep as ‘unsuitable for homing’. They also account for 12% of the overall economic euthanasias. With a total trainer population of around 880, they collectively account for a disproportionately high number of dogs being put to sleep.
“However, the strategy for remedying this isn’t just a question of warning the trainers, it is also about alerting stadia to the extent of the issue, particularly if much of this is taking place away from track. Not only will they want to look at their own processes but it is also important that track vets understand and fulfil their responsibility towards these greyhounds and ensure they aren’t contributing to the problem.
“There is therefore a level of complexity towards finding a solution to this issue. There is no simple answer; it will require the commitment and determination of all involved in the sport to work towards reducing these unnecessary and avoidable deaths. But the good news is that collaborative talks between trainers, owners, tracks and veterinary surgeons are well underway and it is our combined efforts that will drive these numbers down. Indeed, all of us at GBGB are focused on working with those in the sport in the hope that we can achieve our target in a much shorter period than our pledged three years.
“Let us be clear, however, that if people fail to change their attitudes and behaviours and help us reduce these numbers, our only alternative will be to remove them from our sport. It is a minority that are lagging behind, and I know the vast majority of trainers and owners are incredibly dedicated, caring and responsible individuals, but that is the only way our sport can continue to thrive in the future. Just as importantly, I know that many within the greyhound racing community will give us their full support to sanction this if it cannot be resolved otherwise.
“Therefore, as part of a series of articles on the subject I have asked the Greyhound Star to speak to people who are involved in this work and I think it will highlight some of the complexities but also many of the opportunities to do the right thing for our greyhounds and ensure their health and happiness remains at the heart of our sport.”
