RTE Investigates programme on greyhound racing industry

Muahahaha

Igotadose wrote: »

Been awhile, but one of the trainers mentioned in the programme, was just convicted of having banned substances in his possession.

Still appears to have his trainer's license though. Can't get some pesky conviction get in the way. I wonder if he'd actually gone to prison rather than had that part of his sentence waived, would he still be able to "train" greyhounds.


https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/greyhound-trainer-convicted-of-possessing-controlled-animal-remedies-1.4605664

So he is caught with the drugs used to dope greyhounds to win races and he doesnt even get a ban from the training greyhounds?

Anyone placing bets on greyhound racing is an absolute mug when the participants are basically cheating and there are no sanctions whatsoever.

18 million of taxpayers money given to this charade every year, its an industry built on quicksand

tritriagain

Muahahaha wrote: »

So he is caught with the drugs used to dope greyhounds to win races and he doesnt even get a ban from the training greyhounds?

Anyone placing bets on greyhound racing is an absolute mug when the participants are basically cheating and there are no sanctions whatsoever.

18 million of taxpayers money given to this charade every year, its an industry built on quicksand

I would say the drug issue applies to every "sport" in Ireland.

My thoughts with the neglected Greyhounds this Christmas, struggling and neglected in charity funded dog pounds. May the Greyhound industry wake up soon and admit they mis-treat their dogs and sacrifice their welfare for money.

And if they really cared, we'd see the industry funding the great work the dog charities up and down Ireland are doing. But they don't because they're callous money grabbing bstards.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233191#Comment_118233191

Thank God for all the loving owners who keep their retired greyhounds as pets until the natural end of their lives.

muddypaws

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118233191#Comment_118233191

Dog pounds are council funded, do you mean rescues?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237200#Comment_118237200

Some believe that Irish greyhound owners throw unwanted greyhounds into pots of boiling water or use axes to send them on their way to their maker. Same as some believe that destroying greyhounds earmarks makes them unidentifiable, despite their DNA being on record 🤨

muddypaws

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237605#Comment_118237605

Don't quote me as if to intimate that I agree with anything you post about greyhounds and how they are treated by their "beloved" owners. I've volunteered in rescue for long enough to know how they are disposed off when no longer viable.

Mysterypunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237193#Comment_118237193

I was at the dogs last night and they were all very well looked after, cold evening but they all had plenty of layers and blankets, and I met the nicest dog ever, a lovely brindle bitch trained by a Wexford man, he said she is the boss of the house, and I’m not surprised, the amount of rubbish spouted about mistreating animals is ridiculous, at least you are in the game and you know about it, I believe the same stuff was rehashed from 10-15 years ago to give the government an excuse to reduce funding to Bord na Gcon

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237734#Comment_118237734

Government shouldn't fund addictions, like gambling. If you couldn't bet on the dogs, they'd be just another dog.

So, when you were at the track, none of the dogs died? That's a thing you know; if they weren't racing, they wouldn't die from injuries sustained during racing.

Also, Bord na gCon funds coursing, which is just plain animal abuse for some wealthy punters (probably TD's) to enjoy. That should be stopped.

Plus, the government needs the money, we're in debt up to our eyeballs. Let the 'greyhound industry' fund for itself. This is why it's only a 'sport' in a few holdout places like Ireland.

Jequ0n

Some strange comments on this thread, though I appreciate that most of these are historic.

It’s a truly awful industry and needs to be stopped for animal welfare reasons. Some people are clearly more bothered about the use of their tax money though…

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238152#Comment_118238152

One glaring falsehood is that Greyhound Racing Ireland, formerly Bord na gCon funds coursing!

The other is that funding for GRI comes from all taxes. It doesn’t. It comes from a levy on betting.

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237734#Comment_118237734

There's plenty of caring owners out there but also lots of people who only care about the money and treat the dogs like a commodity. My issue isn't so much with the racing as with the governing body allowing this kind of treatment to continue. You'll always get soulless chancers attracted to anything where money can be made. So far they don't seem to be showing any appetite for addressing it. It always feels like a "everything is fine now leave us alone" type response

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237664#Comment_118237664

During your volunteering, were you aware of the grants rescues receive from the government or the GRI subsidised neutering? Funded from a percentage of all greyhounds winnings?

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238634#Comment_118238634

Rescues get almost nothing in funding. This was already covered in this thread but you're back again trying to pretend like the greyhound industry is just the poor misunderstood victim in all this. Subsidised neutering is a joke. The levy from gambling that funds the GRI would be far better spent on animal welfare and gambling addiction support.

It's people like yourself that make me think the industry can never be reformed and is rotten to the core. It's all about ye being the poor victims.

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118239689#Comment_118239689

There's nothing respectable at all about greyhound racing. It glorifies gambling, which is pathetic in so many ways. Many of the high-level 'trainers' get caught doping and cheating, slapped on the wrist and back they come as soon as the media's passed them by. End the government support and it'll go away like it has in so many countries.

The dogs are overbred (far more than are needed for this 'sport') and disposed of. The RTE documentary features a dog's owner taking it to the knackers, having it shot and waiting for it to bleed out so he can get the collar. Wouldn't want to be out the cost of a collar, of course.

https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/rt%C3%A9-investigates-greyhounds-running-for-their-lives/104051751967

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118239689#Comment_118239689

Here is a list of grants to animal shelters. http://ms-test.ptools.net/en/news-room/releases/minister_mcconalogue_announces_record_funding_of_3_200_000_to_animal_welfare_organisations.html

What part of subsidised neutering do you find funny? Millions of Euro is spent by GRI every year on welfare, rehoming etc If my dogs details are not up to date in the traceability database, they cannot run.

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240562#Comment_118240562

Your link is broken so not sure what it's saying. Hopefully it includes a breakdown of where the money goes or it's not much use

I said it's a joke. Never said it was funny. The joke being that you're trying to paint token efforts by the GRI as proof that they've the dogs health at the top of their priority list and that everything is all good. These are all token efforts to tick boxes so they can say "See we're doing everything we can! But also there is no issue and never was one so leave us alone".

It's great that you look after your dog(s). You're not the kind of person we're complaining about. But you are enabling the scumbags by repeating the "everything is fine" mantra and not pushing the governing body to clean house.

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240838#Comment_118240838

It can't clean house. It's a victim of 'regulatory capture' like so many Irish institutions (here's looking at you, HSE.) If the people working for the institution have to clean it up, there's no incentive.

Oh, and the subsidy is now closer to $20m. Hadn't read the 2020 annual report, sad to see the "industry" needed more $$ to keep afloat.

The Nal

I love the "my greyhound is the king of the house" nonsense.

"What about his 8 brothers and sisters, where are they?"

"And the litter before that? 9 puppies and theres only 1 around?"

https://media.giphy.com/media/V2joiGW3kjbVEeMBHT/giphy.gif

xckjoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240858#Comment_118240858

Yet it's all those animal rescue people that are apparently making bank from government assistance. They hide it well that's all I'll say. Any of the ones I know of are constantly asking for basics like old bedding and the staff appear to be living on the poverty line. Most of them make massive sacrifices in their lives and do whatever they can to help any animal in need. Certain people trying to make it look like they're the ones getting massive amounts of money in order to take the spotlight off their own industry should be ashamed of themselves. Specially when their industry has contributed to the need for a lot of them to exist in the first place.

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240983#Comment_118240983

This is the key to the whole issue & why there is no alternative to banning. You simply cannot produce enough potential race winners without breeding unwanted dogs.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118240838#Comment_118240838

Try this link. https://assets.gov.ie/139292/2dc481a0-23ec-46a9-b620-898e01706320.xlsx

I agree that there are bad eggs in every sport. Huge efforts (not token ones) are being made to weed them out and improve welfare and traceability.

I know that no matter what proof is provided that some minds are already made up and nothing I say will change this.

phonypony

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118237734#Comment_118237734

"Cold evening but they all had plenty of layers and blankets". Of course they did, they aren't going to do much good racing from cold.

They are well looked after insofar as an investment is well looked after. That's all they are.

LawBoy2018

My neighbour is the most caring greyhound owner/trainer you could meet, however he openly told me that he has shot several of his greyhounds after they've broken their legs while racing. He wouldn't even pay to have them euthanised. The industry as a whole needs to end.

Mysterypunter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238152#Comment_118238152

I was working out there, I didn’t have a bet, that’s probably why none of the dogs died, 4 weeks ago a dog died after winning a race, that’s just unlucky

greyday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241427#Comment_118241427

He must be some man to get the dog out of the track with a vet in attendance willing to put the dog to sleep if the injury is serious enough.

You can also get a grant from GRI for injuries sustained on the track to pay vets fees.

Maryanne has been very straight in her posts on this thread while some others just seem to be making things up or taking the RTE fiasco as factual when it was very wide of the mark.

For those that think people are into greyhounds for the money, you could not be further from the truth, about 5% of people involved make a profit, the rest are losing and dont expect to make money.

Every single sport has cheats and greyhounds are no different.

Just to add, Greyhound get injuries out exercising normally as much if not more than on the Track, same as horses, banning greyhound racing will certainly not stop greyhounds sustaining life ending injuries.

Discodog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241501#Comment_118241501

Even a leg break isn't a life ending injury for a pet dog but it is for a Greyhound. The pet owner will do everything they can to get the dog treated. The greyhound owner will have his dog put down.

What part of the RTE program wasn't factual ?

jackboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241625#Comment_118241625

Ah now in fairness pet dogs in Ireland are treated appallingly, worse on average than racing greyhounds.

greyday

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241625#Comment_118241625

I won't laugh at your assertion as we can see from pounds that pet owners have their bad apples also.

Greyhounds love to run and a broken leg can result in the dog not being allowed off the lead for the rest of his life, vets will advise if the injury is bad enough to PTS or not, unfortunately some leg injuries can be horrific and dogs will be PTS in those circumstances.

Many greyhounds suffer leg injuries that end their racing careers but are kept by owners as pets once the injury will not require them to be kept on a lead for the rest of their lives.

The 6000 greyhounds unaccounted for, Greyhounds only being exported to UK as there are plenty of other Countries in Europe that import Irish greyhounds for racing, The VET stating EPO was widely used when there has only ever been one positive test for EPO in Ireland.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118241625#Comment_118241625

A broken leg doesn’t mean the end for most dogs. A vet will decide what is the best for the dog.

What part of the RTE program wasn't factual ?

The number of dogs “Disappeared” every year. They hadn’t included coursing greyhounds, ones sold to UK, ones kept as pets by families and those who may have died of natural causes.

Dogs routinely having their ears mutilated in order to avoid their owners being identified, despite the fact that all breeding greyhounds have their DNA stored.

Dogs being routinely fed with EPO, despite there being no detected cases in years.