What Happens to a slow dog?

Resonator75

Hello all,

This is a genuine question I only ask as I own a rescue Lurcher type dog for the last few years and he is the Boss.

I was never attracted to these types of dog until I met one, mine now, and its been great.

I had all the wrong impressions - ie, to some, not the most beautiful and possibly aggressive - hence the muzzles and hyper active.

I have found out that I was wrong on all three counts , hounds are passive, lazy (after the run) and loving dogs.

I used to go to the dog races but I'm not sure how I feel about it now I have got one and been forced to think about it.

I have worries about the Sport/Industry.

There are only so many dogs someone can manage and thousands are involved in the sport. I think there is a big grey area regarding the welfare of the animals concerned.

Am I wrong?

Resonator75

2 months later , not one of you people in this forum even bother to answer.


Why?

You should be outlawed.


Ill bump this post forever in here. Its the least I can do.

endacl

Apologies for the laxity! We had to take your question to committee level, and it kinda got lost in the pile. You know how it goes...

Anyway. Slow dogs? They generally come last.

Resonator75

endacl wrote: »

Apologies for the laxity! We had to take your question to committee level, and it kinda got lost in the pile. You know how it goes...

Anyway. Slow dogs? They generally come last.

What a great wit you are. I dont get the sense you are bothered about dog welfare then?

Im not implying that all dogs in the industry are treated badly but your post does not do anything to quell any worries.

brandon_flowers

EDIT: And in defense of this forum it is not very busy, even I am not a frequent poster here so that would explain the slow response.

http://www.igb.ie/Welfare/Greyhounds-as-Pets/

Here would be a good place to start reading. A lot of them get re-homed or adopted. It's a lot higher percentage than what you probably have in your head. Some get kept as pets by their racing owners and more are kept for breeding.

http://www.gbgb.org.uk/Welfare.aspx

Also as there is a lot of BAGS racing in England slower greyhounds can race against each other, again lots of them get re-homed.

And I can safely speak for at least 98% of racing greyhound owners including myself who adore their dogs and make sure they are properly looked after once they have finished racing. I'm not sure I can say that about 98% of parents I know.

You should watch this video all the way to the very last word to see what I mean about how much we love our dogs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tqaa2lXp5o

convert

Resonator75 wrote: »

2 months later , not one of you people in this forum even bother to answer.


Why?

You should be outlawed.


Ill bump this post forever in here. Its the least I can do.

Resonator, can you please mind your tone while posting in this forum. As you may have noticed and as has already mentioned, the forum is not all that busy, and so your post may have been overlooked, and posting in an accusatory and aggressive fashion will not encourage people to reply to your initial post.

To all posters: can you please keep your posts civil and helpful.

Resonator75

Many thanks Brandon for a decent response, the lack of any so far was confirming my suspicions or making me more skeptical.

Do we have any equivalent to the GBGB in Ireland ? Is there any legislation in place to specifically regulate racing hound welfare in this country?

I cannot see anything after a quick google

Ive been reading the GRAI website and its pretty sobering reading:

"Where Do They All End Up?

Some are kept for breeding, a few kept as pets, a small number re-homed in Ireland and abroad, others exported to countries such as Pakistan and Spain for racing. However a great many are either abandoned or destroyed when they are no longer of use. "

The stats on that website are pretty sad also.

The thought of Irish dogs ending up in Pakistan is pretty worrying, Ive traveled that area and seen how animals are treated.

Im not trolling and Im not implying that most of you guys dont love their dogs but dog welfare in Ireland is a joke and makes me very worried re: the racing industry.
It is an Industry at the end of the day and some folks are less scrupulous than others.

Resonator75

convert wrote: »

Resonator, can you please mind your tone while posting in this forum. As you may have noticed and as has already mentioned, the forum is not all that busy, and so your post may have been overlooked, and posting in an accusatory and aggressive fashion will not encourage people to reply to your initial post.

To all posters: can you please keep your posts civil and helpful.

Point taken, I had a few beers on me and maybe took the bait, that is confirmed my own thoughts. It is a quite forum and I should not have been so narky.

Stheno

Resonator75 wrote: »

Many thanks Brandon for a decent response, the lack of any so far was confirming my suspicions or making me more skeptical.

Do we have any equivalent to the GBGB in Ireland ? Is there any legislation in place to specifically regulate racing hound welfare in this country?

I cannot see anything after a quick google

Ive been reading the GRAI website and its pretty sobering reading:

"Where Do They All End Up?

Some are kept for breeding, a few kept as pets, a small number re-homed in Ireland and abroad, others exported to countries such as Pakistan and Spain for racing. However a great many are either abandoned or destroyed when they are no longer of use. "

The stats on that website are pretty sad also.

The thought of Irish dogs ending up in Pakistan is pretty worrying, Ive traveled that area and seen how animals are treated.

Im not trolling and Im not implying that most of you guys dont love their dogs but dog welfare in Ireland is a joke and makes me very worried re: the racing industry.
It is an Industry at the end of the day and some folks are less scrupulous than others.

We have the Irish Greyhound Board.

They have a welfare section which should give you some information

Just in the interests of full disclosure, I have no background/involvement in greyhound racing, I actually come from the dog rescue side of the fence (was involved in it up until about six years ago), and in the approx 10 years I was involved, the engagement with rescue groups that the IGB fostered increased enormously.

While no industry is perfect, compared to 1999, they have made significant advances.

There is a law called the Welfare of Greyhounds Act which got passed in 2011 concerning greyhound welfare


One of the most horrific cases of greyhound specific cruelty was actually in the UK a couple of years ago, when a man was found to be operating illegal euthansia services and burying hundreds if not thousands of dogs over years. I can't at this time find a link.

I know people in the greyhound industry who love and cherish their dogs, one I knew used handmake homemade food every day, the dogs got plenty of exercise and company, but if the time came that a dog could not race/was too slow/badly injured, and could not be rehomed as a pet, I had no problem with the owner choosing to humanely euthanise the animal.

I've no major ethical issues with that, nor with any responsible grey owner.

That said, I am not in anyway claiming there is not a rogue element in the industry, but having had once severe views on the industry, and gotten to know a few owners, I learned not to tar all with the same brush.

However, I'd still not go greyhound racing

Btw in terms of people in dog rescue, greyhound folk would class me very much as a moderate, many others in dog rescue have far more militant views than I, to the point of refusing to engage with greyhound folks!

Stheno

Also ref muzzles, dogs wear them when racing, and by law, under the control of dogs act, iirc it specifies that if you are walking five or more greyhounds they must be muzzled out in public.

So what you are seeing in that regard is responsible ownership!

roy rodgers

Doesn't matter how slow a dog is there are races for them as races are all graded according to the times of the dogs pervious trials and races.
even the slowest of the slowest will win races now and again. I for one have nothing but slow dogs but thats fine its a hobby for me and when the night click when you do win its a great feeling and the dog will be eating steak at the table that night.
but there is a time when the dog has run his last race so personally will rehome them or they somethings continue to race in the uk on the bags meeting. These are the dog racing you see in betting shops. There is a big demand for these greyhounds in the uk so alot of them will go over there is a owner or trainer thinks they are to slow for them..
Alot of people do think its a barbaric sport but if your not in you dont see half of it. I really dont know any irish trainers that destory geryhound just for the sake of it as they are after investing so much time and effort into them. It does be a ridiculous
Statement I hear from time to time.

Resonator75

Thank you for the replies, some light has been shed on this for me. I will say that I am a bit less skeptical now than before and maybe a bit less worried.
I am still not 100% comfortable with the sport but I acknowledge that it seems that most trainers appear to be acting the right way.

Nowso

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38w5ND6EPaM