Irelands cruel greyhound Industry

FYP

MickySticks wrote: »

That's Woof

It's an absolute disgrace that this still happens, but the thread title is very emotionally charged and reactionary. It really does not reflect the state of Ireland's greyhound industry as a whole.. two of the main official bodies even strongly condemn it in the quoted article, and you wouldn't find a whole lot of breeders that would condone it either.

Oh wow, this subject makes my blood boil. Those poor dogs :mad:

The greyhound industry is horrendous, especially in a country like Ireland, where we pride ourselves as leaders in this 'industry'. There is little regulation, and most dogs are 'retired' before their 4th birthday. The dogs (in general) are considered no more than a commodity, and are often 'disposed of' once they're no longer useful/profitable. Make no mistake, greyhound racing is a business, and there's surprisingly little consideration for animal welfare in many cases.

My family have always owned greyhounds, and we usually get them through animal shelters, DSPCA, etc. There's a shocking amount of greyhounds (and greyhound types...lurchers, etc) that are abandoned and unwanted in the shelters (and these are the lucky ones). They're probably the most common type of dog you'll see in the shelters actually (esp lurchers).
They're actually very difficult to re-home, and often get either left in the shelters or put down. It's terrible because they're lovely dogs and have the sweetest disposition. There is a widely held misconception about greyhounds/racing dogs needing extra care/exercise/diet, etc, which isn't true!