Greyhound Rescues - Propping Up The Racing Industry?

[Fee]

What it says in the title really

 

I've had several ex-racing greyhounds over the years including one of my current dogs, and love them as a breed. I chose greyhounds originally specifically because there seemed to be so many needing homes.

 

Like (I would imagine) the majority of people here, though, I'm totally against greyhound racing. It's a vile sport where dogs are used as commodities and discarded - or worse - as soon as they are no longer of any use.

 

Are we (both those who rescue and those who adopt ex-racing dogs) actually propping up this industry by taking away the problem of unwanted dogs and continuing to give most of the public the impression that all ex-racing dogs go on to a comfortable retirement? Would it make a difference if greyhounds weren't rehomed and the industry was forced to destroy - or support for life - all retired racing dogs?

 

Is there any difference between adopting from - say - an RGT rescue which may be closely affiliated with the racing industry or adopting from an independent rescue?

 

I've heard many times the argument that rescues who take ex-breeding dogs from breeders and puppy farms are supporting breeding by taking away the problem of unwanted dogs and making space for new 'stock'. Is the situation with racing greys any different? Are we just clearing up the mess so things can continue unchallenged?

 

Just interested to hear what others think on this

[Jacobean]

I don't think you are propping up the breeders or racing industry. You are helping those particular dogs. The breeders would still get their new stock and the old dogs would be discarded. The trainers would still get their new racers and discard those no longer needed. Those dogs taken in get to keep their lives or get a better one than they may have had left where they were.

 

My thoughts are that the word isn't being spread at large so people are blissfully unaware of what goes on. I think there needs to be a media campaign to highlight the plight of dogs in general across the UK at the moment. There is a huge percentage of the public that has no idea that fit and healthy dogs are pts every day because they have nowhere to go, that when racing is over Greyhounds are in deep trouble and are lucky if they get to keep their lives, that dogs are kept in dreadful conditions and what puppy farming is all about. Sadly I haven't the time to do anything or to try to spread the word. I wish to God someone would get the word out there.

[Ian]

Personally I think that whether you apply it to Greyhounds or ex breeding dogs it's a very naieve argument to suggest the rescues who take dogs are in any way propping them up.

 

The fact is they do what they do, make a lot of money from it and will therefore continue to do so whilst it's legal.

 

If the rescues weren't there the dogs would at best be taken to a vet and euthanised or in the case of some of these people quite possibly be taken into a field and killed in a far less humane fashion.

 

I don't believe it makes any difference whether it's an RGT or an independant rescue - both exist to help the poor dog. In my opinion what is needed is legislation to the effect that if you want to race greyhounds you get a license part of which requires that that dog is cared for for their entire life, or at worst responsibly rehomed not just disposed of in any old fashion after their racing career ends.

Edited October 13, 2007 by Ian

[mooandboo]

For my mind rescues do the most important job of all - especially for racing greyhounds - they bring them into the public eye as dogs allowed to show their true worth, not commodities to be bred and discarded at will.

[jackin]

Whatever the rescues do or do not do unless there is a sudden change in the world greyhound racing and puppy farming is going to continue because they make money.

At least for a certain number of dogs their lives will be save from a possible horrific death and they will know love because of the rescues taking them.

[fee4]

well...

considering the Maths (puppy farm & greyhounds)

Industry-produces thousands of dogs

Rescue-manages a couple of thousand homes a year (all combined)

 

i dont see that rescue are propping up the industry as such-thousands never make it to rescue...

 

However-in the case of Greys i do worry that inparticular the RGT is able through media savvy to give the impression that rehoming occurs for Most Greys...so i suppose i do have qualms about being involved in what is essentially a propaganda exercise.

 

I suspect that my next grey will come via independent rescue....

 

Fee

[Abigailj]

However-in the case of Greys i do worry that inparticular the RGT is able through media savvy to give the impression that rehoming occurs for Most Greys...so i suppose i do have qualms about being involved in what is essentially a propaganda exercise.

That is what I have an issue with too. Always have done. If I start explaining myself I will be here for hours, so perhaps tomorrow

[Red Rotties]

Racing and breeding happens, fact. Those doing it will "dispose" of unwanted dogs fact. it will happen whether rescues help rehome dogs or not. I sleep easier knowing that until these practices stop that there are rescues that will help find good homes for at least a percentage of these dogs

[~Canis-Equus~]

I dont think 'in general' that greyhound rescue props up greyhound breeding/racing.... although it may ease the concience of one particular trainer if he knows he has somewhere to offload dogs...

 

Ditto puppy farming although again, for the individual puppy farmer who knows he can offload 'useless' animals to a specific rescue that might be a consideration in them continuing to breed (not much because they could just bash them all on the head, but they MAY say 'well i am nice, when my bitches cant breed i send them to rescue for a new life' and there ARE people who would think that was nice)...

 

I do wonder if in the eyes of 'Joe Public' though.... that certain greyhound rescue makes racing more acceptable, i think there definateyl ARE those people who think 'well they all get new homes in the end so its ok' who perhaps wouldnt think that if there were no greyhound rescues. (Telling them 'only some get into rescue' doesnt really work because 'some' is easily transformed into 'all' in their minds when its far harder to contemplate the reality - its the same stupid human reaction to knowing that smoking kills, but some people dont die of it thus its ok, i know, i am a smoker!).

 

I dont think that means we should stop rescuing though!

[greyhound pal]

Is there any difference between adopting from - say - an RGT rescue which may be closely affiliated with the racing industry or adopting from an independent rescue?

 

I was on my way to bed First of all, I may offend people here but I'm going on what my beliefs are here which is what this is all about.

 

Firstly a dog is a dog and if it needs a home, then it needs a home. I'd personally hate to see greyhounds die because rescues stopped picking up the pieces. I am aware of the point of view that rescues 'mask' the issue though and I have other issues with some 'rescues'.

 

What I would like to see is the RGT stripped of its charitable status immediately. Let people fundraise for the small rescues or for a greyhound fund which is independant instead of for the welfare wing of the multi-million pound industry itself (and if anyone wishes to send this to the RGT as has happened before, please do - its fact!)

 

Its probably best that instead of going off on a rant, I explain how GA Scotland came into place. We decided to get a family dog. One of my friends told me that greyhounds made fab pets - she did voluntary work in the local pound. I phoned an advert in the local paper for the RGT. Within two days a couple who introduced themselves as greyhound trainers brought round the biggest greyhound, told me he was too nervous to train and had a terror of men which made him urinate himself as well as display a range of other very distressing behaviour patterns. He had been homed before but I was his 'last chance'. I was told NOT to neuter him and that if it didn't work out with me, he'd be sent to Ireland for stud. They then left and that was the last I saw of them.

 

As it transpired, i tried to do research into what had happened which made this dog like this - I was advised by someone to forget the past, look to the future and to consider that at least my dog was alive which made him one of the lucky ones. That stunned me and seven years later, I'm rushed off my feet with this campaign which grew bigger than what I'd ever imagined. To this day, i can't believe how naive I was when I took him on. It was sheer determination that it wasn't going to fail. he's never going to be a balanced dog but he's happy if sheltered. But I'm determined to do all in my power to try to stop any dog suffering like he has in the future.

 

Now I'm sure I don't have to explain what is so weird about the above story - this was a 'charitable rescue' telling me not to neuter in case they used him for stud. What I didn't mention was that the trainer couple who appeared at my door with this dog and left him and me completely unprepared for him WERE the RGT in Scotland - they used charitable status to rehome their own waste product! Things have changed within the RGT from then but my opinion of the RGT has remained unchanged. thats not to say I wouldn't take a dog from them if I had more room however I do doubt these days that they would rehome one of theirs with me

 

The RGT are morally wrong. the whole thing stinks. For the industry itself to set up its own charity for PR purposes and churn out disputable figures on how many dogs they've rehomed each year... The only way, in my book, they could get away with this is a) don't use charitable status and b) rehome EVERY single dog they use and dump.

 

 

This is where I stick my neck on the line further. Some greyhound rescues pizz me right off. Yep okay maybe for one second I accept the 'best mates' act with the industry is to help save more dogs because trainers might not want to hand over dogs to people who aren't nice to them but I have two arguments against this. the first is the majority of trainers who hand over dogs don't care what the opinion of the person who takes it off their hands thinks/feels/does. The second point leads on to that - do you know how many 'take the dog or it dies' emails I get each week though the GA email? I mean talk about handing over ammo - they don't give a stuff. If someone is going to kill a dog, they'll do it - simple. Someone crawling up their bottom may help build a relationship but for the majority of those who use and kill, no one is ever going to change them.

 

Then of course there is another side which is slightly more worrying. I am a member of several forums for racing people (some of them even know I'm anti-racing). One which I post under an alias also features someone from a prominent position in a prominent Scottish greyhound rescue. Fair enough talking about homing dogs, but where does this git get off pointing the finger of blame at GA Scotland for damaging a track??? Sorry but thats plain dangerous sh*t stirring.

 

i have another example of such tactics when someone in the North of Scotland handed over my name and address without one single thought for the safety of my children to a very deranged trainer and told him I was planning to steal his dogs. Some of you may remember this incident and tbh, I do think I've shut up about it for too long. I wasn't planning on stealing his dogs - i was involved in a planned legal bust wth the appropriate authorities which a greyhound rescue twarted. So not only did they make sure that they screwed up an operation which would have meant no dog would have suffered at the hands of this nutter again, they deliberately put my home, dogs and children at risk. they claimed to have been helping the dogs - what about MY dogs? To this day I think they (and some of those 'involved') were helping their own egos but thats another story...

 

I also do think greyhound rescues could do so much more in the prevention of cruelty by helping name and shame owners and do more than accepting damaged dogs without reporting it. i know the SSPCA/RSPCA don't always do anything but a central database of cases as suggested by the 'march' would have taken us so much further forward. Its not so much individual cases which need to be recorded but evidence needs to be built and used to change laws. This is something rescues could do.

 

Gah - have gone on a but but saw this thread and had to get it all out... If I've offended, well apologies. Isn't everyone entitled to an opinion?

[Jacobean]

Blimey that's an eye opener for me

 

There was a rescue who in the past turned up at my mum in laws house and said can you take these 2 dogs in as fosters otherwise we are going to take them to the vets for pts. Whether they would have done we don't know because mother thought she had no choice but to take them in. She ended up completely stuck with them for the rest of their days. The rescue never contacted once contacted her about them to see how they were doing. One was actually in a bad way when she first took him in but with gentle loving care was fine. She never heard from the rescue again. This rescue still exists. I won't name them as they are well known but I really hope they don't operate in this manner any more. They're not a greyhound rescue.

Edited October 16, 2007 by Jacobean

[merledogs]

The RGT are morally wrong. the whole thing stinks. For the industry itself to set up its own charity for PR purposes and churn out disputable figures on how many dogs they've rehomed each year... The only way, in my book, they could get away with this is a) don't use charitable status and b) rehome EVERY single dog they use and dump.

I agree

[scotslass]

What I would like to see is the RGT stripped of its charitable status immediately. Let people fundraise for the small rescues or for a greyhound fund which is independant instead of for the welfare wing of the multi-million pound industry itself (and if anyone wishes to send this to the RGT as has happened before, please do - its fact!)

 

The RGT are morally wrong. the whole thing stinks. For the industry itself to set up its own charity for PR purposes and churn out disputable figures on how many dogs they've rehomed each year... The only way, in my book, they could get away with this is a) don't use charitable status and b) rehome EVERY single dog they use and dump.

This is where I stick my neck on the line further. Some greyhound rescues pizz me right off.

 

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

I know a small greyhound rescue which has the same pro-racing ethos. The implication is that the nice doggies have finished their fun-filled days at the track and their caring owners now want welcoming firesides for them. I tried to ask questions a couple of times, but they won't respond. I can't decide if they are genuinely self-deluding (the fosterers/adopters) or if they really think they're handling the problem.

 

Och, I'm going to ask them again.

[greyhound pal]

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

I know a small greyhound rescue which has the same pro-racing ethos. The implication is that the nice doggies have finished their fun-filled days at the track and their caring owners now want welcoming firesides for them. I tried to ask questions a couple of times, but they won't respond. I can't decide if they are genuinely self-deluding (the fosterers/adopters) or if they really think they're handling the problem.

 

Och, I'm going to ask them again.

 

Oh G'wan! I'm always interested in the justifications

[Rachel Rumpelstiltskin]

I think that the complete ignorance or people that go to the races is what props up the greyhound racing industry. I would like to see much more campaigning and public knowledge about how severe are barbaric this 'sport' is. Every vets/pet store in the coutry should have AT LEAST 1 poster advertising againest this 'sport'

 

Although i would like to strip the RGT of its charitble status simply because they make out there isnt a proplem, i couldnt argue with true passion for this. A dog is a dog and the RGT take dogs out of what could be a life threatening situation and finds them a sofa i cant argue againest this.

 

I think what this countries problem is in terms of greyhound racing is the fact that it is a self regulated 'sport'. There should be a unbiased nationwide commitee, as such, regulating the ins and outs of this 'sport'. This way a more realistic view and statisitcal figures would be more truthful.