Walthamstow's Finally Gone To The Dogs

[lurcherdan]

Guardian's article, Walthamstow's finally gone to the dogs welcomes comments.

 

Here is the comment I added:

 

It is such a shame that in all the media coverage of the closure of Walthamstow 99.9% of the coverage has been misty eyed nostalgia. There is a much more pressing issue in all of this - the greyhounds. Isn't it just very sad that in a nation of so called animal lovers, a building which is a manifestation of animal exploitation is called a "national treasure"?

 

Sighthound Welfare Trust welcomes the closure of Walthamstow track; it is an indication of a declining "sport" which systematically exploits the gentle greyhounds. How much of that £2.9bn do the greyhounds actually see? Very, very little. The organisations that rehome these dogs when they are abandoned or simply surplus to requirements, just because they can no longer race, do an admirable job - and have little or more often no money from the industry.

 

Last week The Guardian quoted Lord Lipsey, Chair of the British Greyhound Racing Board as saying that animal welfare concerns are no longer a blemish on the sport. The man must have his head buried in the sand. Anyone genuinely concerned about the welfare of greyhounds knows that the welfare issues are far from being resolved, especially as at least 20 greyhounds disappear each day, unaccounted for and presumably killed - by an industry that professes to care for the dogs. If Lipsey can now look himself in the mirror then he needs a new one as the current one is obviously warped, just as the statistics that he continually trots out are. Lipsey also makes parallels with politics and greyhound racing. I can make one also. The greyhound racing industry is just spin, spin, spin.

 

It is a great shame that over this whole issue The Guardian has failed to acknowledge the welfare issues, see through the spin of the BGRB and provide greater balance in their reporting.

 

So whilst people might be sad that greyhound racing will no longer be at Walthamstow, I will be happy in the knowledge that it is one less track on which greyhounds are racing for the lives.

 

 

Danny Hassell

Trustee, Sighthound Welfare Trust

(Registered Charity No. 1114709)

[Trallwm farm]

Very eloquently and accurately written Dan.

[owl]

It is indeed, well done Dan

[Jackthelab]

Hear hear Dan x

[ReikiAnge]

Yes, well said Dan

 

Has racing finally stopped there? I keep reading various articles and about people trying to keep it open so am a bit confused.

[Brenda]

Excellent - well said Dan!

[lurcherdan]

Yes, well said Dan

 

Has racing finally stopped there? I keep reading various articles and about people trying to keep it open so am a bit confused.

 

There is a good update about it all in the SWT News Hound - http://www.rykat.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=41424

 

In May it was announced that Britain’s flagship stadium was to close by September. Walthamstow has seen its totalisator turnover fall 35% since 2001. In July, however, the All Party Parliamentary Greyhound Group (APPGG) has pledged support for short-term lease options that could reprieve greyhound racing at The Stow. It was also reported that there could be a consortium to be led by Australian millionaire, Richard Codd, to offer the property developers - to whom the land has been sold – over and above the price they paid in order to ‘Save the Stow’. Most recently it appears that this campaign has lost momentum and no more meetings have been planned with the company who purchased the land in May, until after the track’s closure on 16th August.

 

 

 

The track is now closed and it does seem very unlikely greyhound racing will return to Walthamstow. The last race was on Saturday.

Edited August 20, 2008 by lurcherdan