# Have Greyhounds run their course?



## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

Just seen the following story and wondered what your thoughts are?

A greyhound protection group was inundated with calls from concerned viewers after a dog was fatally
injured at Belle Vue Stadium during a race broadcast live by Sky Sports.

The greyhound, a 2 year old male, called Frisby Foreman, fell badly during the 8pm race last Tuesday
and was carried from the track in agony.

After receiving dozens of calls from viewers, Greyhound Action investigated the incident and has now
learned that the dog, who was racing for the first time at Belle Vue, sustained a broken shoulder
and was subsequently put down by a vet.

Following the incident, the group has renewed its calls for an end to greyhound racing at Belle Vue
and for the public to totally boycott the dog racing industry.

Greyhound Actions UK Co-ordinator, Tony Peters, said: Last Tuesday evening our office received
dozens of calls from people whod been watching the greyhound racing on Sky Sports and were shocked
at seeing a dog fall very badly during the 8pm race at Belle Vue.

We immediately contacted one of our investigators, who has discovered that the greyhound, a 2 year
old male, called Frisby Foreman, broke his shoulder as a result of the fall, was carried from the
track in agony and was subsequently put down by a vet.

Sadly, such horrific injuries to racing greyhounds are all too common and we are often contacted by
members of the public who have witnessed them.

Thousands of injuries to racing greyhounds occur every year, many of them serious. The main reason
for this is that the shape of the tracks, with fast straights leading into tight bends, creates a
very dangerous environment for dogs to run in.

Because track owners fear they will lose money through racing being called off, races are quite
often run in unsuitable conditions, which increase the risk of injuries to the dogs. This appears to
have been the case last Tuesday, where the racing was allowed to continue during torrential rain.

The injury to Frisby Foreman was obviously serious, but we would question the decision to put him
down. Broken shoulders in greyhounds can be repaired and they can go on to live long and happy lives
afterwards.

Obviously, such a dog would no longer be any good for racing, which is why we believe that Frisby
Foremans life was ended for commercial reasons, rather than out of genuine concern for his
well-being.

Sadly, even less serious injuries, which spectators may not be aware of, can still end up being
lethal, as greyhounds are often put down, if its considered to be not worth the money to get them
fit for racing again.

Ex-racing greyhounds often suffer considerably in later life because of the unnatural stresses and
strains imposed on their bodies through racing on the tracks.

Even more serious than the large number of injuries to racing dogs is the fact that many thousands
of greyhounds get put to death every year, simply because they are considered not good enough for
racing.

Our latest research indicates that over 15,000 greyhounds are put down annually after being judged
unsuitable to race on British tracks or when their racing careers come to an end, either through
age or injury.

This means that each of Britains 29 major dog tracks, including Belle Vue is, on average,
responsible for the deaths of more than 500 greyhounds annually.

According to an RSPCA statement at least 20 greyhounds a day - either puppies which do not make
the track, or retired dogs aged three or four - simply disappear, presumed killed.

In recent years, national media exposés have highlighted the wholesale slaughter of ex-racing
greyhounds and several mass graves containing the bodies of shot greyhounds have been discovered in
various parts of the country.

In 2006 the Sunday Times carried a story about large numbers of greyhounds, including many from
Belle Vue, being put to death for £30 a time at a so-called Dogs Home in Leigh.

There are local greyhound rescue groups, who do excellent work in finding homes for some of the
dogs that retire from racing at the stadium, but this only amounts to a minority of the greyhounds
disposed of because of the existence of the Belle Vue track.

Greyhound racing also causes the death of many thousands of other dogs apart from greyhounds, as
places in homes and rescue kennels, which could go to other stray and unwanted dogs, are taken up
by greyhounds got rid of by the racing industry, meaning that those other dogs are put down
because there is nowhere for them to go.

The rules of the National Greyhound Racing Club, the body that controls dog racing at Belle Vue and
Britains other major tracks, encourage greyhounds to be treated as disposable commodities, by
allowing racing owners to get rid of dogs, including having them put to death, once they are no
longer of use for racing.

Greyhound Action believes that the only real solution to this horrific state of affairs is for
commercial greyhound racing to be ended. Six states in the USA have banned greyhound racing in
recent years, so there is no reason why a ban shouldnt be imposed in the UK.

In the meantime it is important to educate the public to boycott greyhound racing. If enough people
refrained from attending greyhound racing and stopped betting on races, then the activity would die
out through lack of support.

Our local supporters demonstrate and distribute leaflets every Saturday evening out side Belle Vue,
as part of their campaign to end dog racing at the stadium.

This latest horrific incident will, without doubt, cause them to redouble their efforts to end
commercial greyhound racing in Manchester.

For more information, contact Tony Peters on 01562 700 043 or 07703 558724.
See also the Greyhound Action website at Greyhound Action


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## JANICE199 (Feb 1, 2008)

*for what its worth.i DON'T agree with greyhound, or horse racing...they are for peoples pleasure imo. *


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Greyhound racing should be banned, absolutely no good comes from it, other than idiots pleasure. So many greyhounds are killed each year, thousands, because too many are bred and are not 'suitable' for the track, and just disposed of.

It's completely uneccessary and cruel. I've got the dogs that have been on the tracks, I've seen the scars (physical and emotional) and its just not needed.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2008)

i own a retired racer and i enjoy watchin the dogs race. maybe lots could be done to improve things but nobody can deny the fact that a Greyhound stands alone when it comes to running. they really are in their element and what they are perfectly built to do.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2008)

having said that i do wish more could be done for the dogs when they retire or simply dont make the grade.


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## testmg80 (Jul 28, 2008)

shan said:


> i own a retired racer and i enjoy watchin the dogs race. maybe lots could be done to improve things but nobody can deny the fact that a Greyhound stands alone when it comes to running. they really are in their element and what they are perfectly built to do.





shan said:


> having said that i do wish more could be done for the dogs when they retire or simply dont make the grade.


I have to disagree with this one, Greyhounds are not treated as humanely as you were led to believe, esp. in Spain. Over there, if a dog is doen't make the grade, they are usually put down by shooting them, and their bodies are dumped into a huge pile of other Greyhounds and cremated as a whole. Back in the late 90's there was a petition circulating to Queen Isabella to put a stop to this "sport". I have seen the pics of a pile of dead dogs waiting to be burned. you were lucky to have one 'rescued' to have as a companion. And for what it's worth, I don't like horse racing, Greyhound racing, etc.

Steve


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## gazt (Mar 31, 2008)

will there be any thing left to do in life ban this ban that you can,t just come up with statements like this a lot of poeple enjoy there dog racing there is nothing better than getting your dog fit and watching it run the dogs love it thats what there for not to lay in front of the fire all day when they retire they do that ,but i do agree there should be more done to get rid of the sharp bends at tracks and after their racing days they should be respected and found good homes or may be some of the owners should take them home after they have given them so much pleasure


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## JANICE199 (Feb 1, 2008)

gazt said:


> will there be any thing left to do in life ban this ban that you can,t just come up with statements like this a lot of poeple enjoy there dog racing there is nothing better than getting your dog fit and watching it run the dogs love it thats what there for not to lay in front of the fire all day when they retire they do that ,but i do agree there should be more done to get rid of the sharp bends at tracks and after their racing days they should be respected and found good homes or may be some of the owners should take them home after they have given them so much pleasure


*Sorry to disagree with you, but all dogs can get exercise without having to run around a track to make money for people..and how many greyhounds are looking for homes because they are now too old to race?if these people love their dogs then why dont they keep them as pets?because they only wnted them to earn them money..just my oppion.*


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2008)

testmg80 said:


> I have to disagree with this one, Greyhounds are not treated as humanely as you were led to believe, esp. in Spain. Over there, if a dog is doen't make the grade, they are usually put down by shooting them, and their bodies are dumped into a huge pile of other Greyhounds and cremated as a whole. Back in the late 90's there was a petition circulating to Queen Isabella to put a stop to this "sport". I have seen the pics of a pile of dead dogs waiting to be burned. you were lucky to have one 'rescued' to have as a companion. And for what it's worth, I don't like horse racing, Greyhound racing, etc.
> 
> Steve


i wasnt talking about Spain.. in my opinion spain isnt a nice place whether you're a bull or a Greyhound.. (dont set me off about Spain)


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2008)

JANICE199 said:


> *Sorry to disagree with you, but all dogs can get exercise without having to run around a track to make money for people..and how many greyhounds are looking for homes because they are now too old to race?if these people love their dogs then why dont they keep them as pets?because they only wnted them to earn them money..just my oppion.*


i disagree.. Greyhounds run.. thats why they're supreme athletes (only beaten by cheetahs).
have you seen these dogs race? they are so excited. they are doing whats in their blood. moor could be done to improve track design etc, to reduce stress on the bends and such.
the sport will never be banned.If it was then horse racing should be banned to and horses not used for racing, cross country, show jumping etc. and horses only kept as pets.
i love my Greyhound and prob will always have a retired racer in the family, hes the softest natured most loving dog ive ever met. (except if you're a cat)


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## Fireblade (Sep 7, 2008)

shan said:


> i disagree.. Greyhounds run.. thats why they're supreme athletes (only beaten by cheetahs).
> have you seen these dogs race? they are so excited. they are doing whats in their blood. moor could be done to improve track design etc, to reduce stress on the bends and such.
> the sport will never be banned.If it was then horse racing should be banned to and horses not used for racing, cross country, show jumping etc. and horses only kept as pets.
> i love my Greyhound and prob will always have a retired racer in the family, hes the softest natured most loving dog ive ever met. (except if you're a cat)


I used to rescue greyhounds in the 80's.one i rescued was 6 mths old too nervous to race so was due to be put down,so home he came with me,i already had others at the time.You could not let him off the lead or he would have just dissappeared.So i took him to our local track(Closed down now ) and let him run round the track he loved it.So i did let him have a few races.
Everytime we was getting to the track in the car, he knew where he was going and went crackers,he was that excited.We retired him when he was 2 yrs old and he went on to live until he was 17 yrs old.
I have been to the track and watched the idiots that were only there for the money, one injury and they were dumped out of the car on the motorway home.When the track has been icy and they have still raced them,when the genuine animal lovers have withdrawn there dogs.
I think if it is done properly and the owners look after there dogs it is okay.
Its just all the idiots out there that do it for money and dont care anything about their dogs.
Greyhounds are the most faithful dogs you can have.I still have a 3 legged one here,Lady, she is 11yr old now,but she will remain here loved for life.xxxxx


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

Fireblade said:


> I have been to the track and watched the idiots that were only there for the money, one injury and they were dumped out of the car on the motorway home.When the track has been icy and they have still raced them,when the genuine animal lovers have withdrawn there dogs.
> I think if it is done properly and the owners look after there dogs it is okay.
> Its just all the idiots out there that do it for money and dont care anything about their dogs.
> Greyhounds are the most faithful dogs you can have.I still have a 3 legged one here,Lady, she is 11yr old now,but she will remain here loved for life.xxxxx


I could not agree more. Great post.


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## gazt (Mar 31, 2008)

not every owner does it for the money there are a lot of lady owners who do it for a hobby and men as well , there is nothing better than looking after your dog giving him good food plenty of excersise then watching them race and they do enjoy they nearly pull your arms out to get on the track


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## Methical (Jul 11, 2008)

Not that im a huge expert but, Greyhounds dont require any intense training to race do they ? I mean people widely accept that Lab's are gundogs...but the training thats required to actually get them to perform is immense. They dont just DO it for the fun of it. Im fairly certain greyhounds do....they just run.

YouTube - Ouch - Football Broken Leg

Maybe we should ban american football, these terrible conditions they are put though. Most players sustaining these kind of injuries are dropped from the team as they are never going to be as strong and thier QOL suffers as a result

YouTube - Soccer Broken Leg Accident

Woah, there goes football, gonna have to ban that. Sometimes, players are forced to play in the rain and cold  Which leads to a greater likelyhood of injuries.

Point being is that i should imagine Greyhounds really REALLY enjoy the racing. People are just making a huge fuss over completely the wrong reasons. We see a dog getting injured and we want to ban the racing...why ? So dogs dont ever get injured again ? Not gonna happen. Why not try and ban the mistreatment of them after the racing ? Why not try and place some value on a dog that doesnt race. Much like they are doing with the Amazon rainforest so it is worth more money full of trees than as garden furniture and the jewelery you are wearing.

Argh, makes me angry when humans get on the 'ban everything that moves' wagon. Honestly, just TRY and learn something in an A-Level chemistry course. You cant do a THING cos parents have written in over the years and systematically banned every practical experiment known to man


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2008)

good post. theres a debate about this on the link below. seems people get up in arms about it when theres an injury. dogs can get injured on a saturday afternoon run thru the woods.


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## Methical (Jul 11, 2008)

> dogs can get injured on a saturday afternoon run thru the woods.


OMG ! Ban it, no dogs in woods ! It got hurt ! This cannot happen 



> theres a debate about this on the link below


I click and i just get another forum. I have scrolled up and down the page but dont see a link anywhere, must i register with that forum. I dont think my brain capacity could handle another password


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2008)

yeah u do.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

My ex racer loves it when the greyhound racing is on the telly. She goes mad when she hears the bell ring and starts looking or the hare.

A woman I know has 2 greyhounds and one of them yesterday had to have a 3 1/2 hour operation on a broken wrist. He did it in the garden playing with her other greyhound. This sort of injury happens quite often the reason this one has been so publisiced is because it happened on the sky greyhound racing.

Last night I spoke to my friend who got Button for me she was at her local dog track a couple of nights ago and a dog there was carried of the track with a broken leg. I have no idea what happened to the dog though but nothing has been said about this dog.


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Maybe greyhounds (and other breeds) do get injuries, thats not the major problem with greyhound racing. The problem is when the dogs are being dumped or killed after losing or being injured on the track by bad trainers.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

Methical said:


> Maybe we should ban american football, these terrible conditions they are put though. Most players sustaining these kind of injuries are dropped from the team as they are never going to be as strong and thier QOL suffers as a result


People have a choice, animals do not.

I do not think that anyone is disputing the Greyhounds instinct to run. It is the Greyhound industry that is being called into question here. Racing Greyhounds do not know real affection, never see the inside of a home,or have the opportunity of curling up in front of a warm fire.

Their racing lives I believe (I stand to be correctly though), are over at the age of between 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 years, and if they are lucky, they will go to an adoption centre. Some suffer an horrific death, others can be turfed out in the street. However, their lack of socialisation and manners, mean they prove difficult to rehome.

Is this a good life for any animal? :angry:


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Button came to me straight from her trainer /breeder. She had super manners she walks better on a lead than my show greyhound. I took her to ring craft 4 days after collecting her from my friend who picked her up for me. At our ringcraft there is mostly toy breeds and she was fine with them she never showed any sign of been unsocialised she happily excepted other dogs both smaller and bigger than her. She also met our cat and was fine with him. It took a couple of weeks to house train her but she's been fine ever since and we have had her for just a year
My friend collected her from the race track for me and kept her at her house for the first week she has italian greyhounds, whippets and lurchers. She also has a serverly disabled son who could do anything with her. Thomas is in a wheel chair but in the house can get round the house on his knees which he prefers to do than be in a chair all the time. All my friends dog know to be carefull around him but Button was a reack dog who had never been in a house before and certainly never met a disabled child but she was very aware of him and always went round him and was gentle. We took my show greyhound when we went to stay with her for a week and we had to be very carefull that William was not left around Thomas as William is stubborn and wouldn't move to let Thomas by.

Yes there are bad greyhound trainers we were offered 2 greyhounds when we went to the track to get some food unfortunately I was not in a position to take them and god knows what happened to them but do not tar them all with the same brush .We are still in contact with Button's trainer and let her know how she does at shows.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

Freyja said:


> Button came to me straight from her trainer /breeder. She had super manners she walks better on a lead than my show greyhound. I took her to ring craft 4 days after collecting her from my friend who picked her up for me. At our ringcraft there is mostly toy breeds and she was fine with them she never showed any sign of been unsocialised she happily excepted other dogs both smaller and bigger than her. She also met our cat and was fine with him. It took a couple of weeks to house train her but she's been fine ever since and we have had her for just a year
> My friend collected her from the race track for me and kept her at her house for the first week she has italian greyhounds, whippets and lurchers. She also has a serverly disabled son who could do anything with her. Thomas is in a wheel chair but in the house can get round the house on his knees which he prefers to do than be in a chair all the time. All my friends dog know to be carefull around him but Button was a reack dog who had never been in a house before and certainly never met a disabled child but she was very aware of him and always went round him and was gentle. We took my show greyhound when we went to stay with her for a week and we had to be very carefull that William was not left around Thomas as William is stubborn and wouldn't move to let Thomas by.
> 
> Yes there are bad greyhound trainers we were offered 2 greyhounds when we went to the track to get some food unfortunately I was not in a position to take them and god knows what happened to them but do not tar them all with the same brush .We are still in contact with Button's trainer and let her know how she does at shows.


That is a lovely story Freyja. Lets hope that the industry is now moving in the right direction


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2008)

Nina i take exception at your post referring to ex racers as lacking manners and socialisation.
my dog had never seen the inside of a house till i went to his kennels to collect him. u will find that most ex racers are more controllable than lots of family pet dogs. they are excellent on the lead, are used to noise, have good manners, are are usually clean animals. anything said otherwise is way off the mark and misrepresents these fantastic dogs.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

shan said:


> Nina i take exception at your post referring to ex racers as lacking manners and socialisation.
> my dog had never seen the inside of a house till i went to his kennels to collect him. u will find that most ex racers are more controllable than lots of family pet dogs. they are excellent on the lead, are used to noise, have good manners, are are usually clean animals. anything said otherwise is way off the mark and misrepresents these fantastic dogs.


Shan I think you were mis reading my last text, since anyone on this forum would tell you how I am always pushing for people to rehome Greyhounds. Indeed I do a lot for Greyhound rescue and have a page on my website devoted to them.

My point was that working Greyhounds are not socialised in that they do not see the inside of a house, and therefore may not have the initial toilet manners. When rehoming these wonderful dogs, people may have to toilet train them and get them used to living inside a house. This was in NO way down crying the breed.

Take a look at my website under the Greyhound rescue page. For my money, this fantastic breed is probably the best all round family dog you can have  My apologies if I gave you the wrong impression.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2008)

sorry if i misunderstood Nina. we never had any problems with toilet training and i would agree with u that Greyhounds are prob the best all round Family dog, and i own other breeds as well.. thank for wot u do promoting the breed, its a shame more people arent aware how great this beautiful breed are.


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2008)

I don't know much about greyhounds and greyhound racing other than what I read in the media. However, my experience of breeding and showing pedigree dogs has shown me how the media distorts and exaggerates the facts, so I'm guessing that there are good and bad owners in greyhound racing. I'm guessing that the bad owners are in the minority but that the things they do that we read about are so dreadful for the poor dogs that the media focuses on that and not on all the good things that go on in greyhound racing. If my guesses are true, then calling for a ban is not the answer. Wouldn't it be better to tighten up rules, bring in legislation etc to stop the bad things happening?


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## gazt (Mar 31, 2008)

nina why don,t you try owning one i,m sure you will change your mind about there lack of manners how can you say there not sociallised they are around poeple all the time and other dogs i have owned many different breeds and i think the greyhound takes some beating ,very layed back arround the housegood on the leed they are very loyal what more could you want try it before you slate it :angry:


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## Fireblade (Sep 7, 2008)

gazt said:


> nina why don,t you try owning one i,m sure you will change your mind about there lack of manners how can you say there not sociallised they are around poeple all the time and other dogs i have owned many different breeds and i think the greyhound takes some beating ,very layed back arround the housegood on the leed they are very loyal what more could you want try it before you slate it :angry:


Nina rescues them the same as me so she has obviously owned one.
What she is meaning and i am sorry but i agree these greyhounds that are bred at places like chicken farms( and i used to have one near me)have never seen the inside of a house, been toilet trained or socialised.
These are the peoples greyhounds we are talking about.
Genuine owners do look after there dogs.
I bought, YES bought a greyhound from this local breeder,i saw her in her kennel,she was barely 6 months old and too nervous to race so they were going to put her down.I found out later all she had been fed was bread and milk.
I brought her home and let her wander round the house with my whippets, she peed everywhere,which was understandable for her 1st day.But she was that nervous she hid behind the washbasin post in the bathroom.
Now 10 years on she is fine with me and the family.But if you take her out on her lead she slips her collar and belts of home.She is one nervous girl.
I am lucky i live out in the country with a large back garden with only fields behind me,so she always has the run of everywhere and never has to go on a lead,except for the vets of course.
But i have taken several in over the years and they have never been trained, i have had to do it all myself.
There are genuine owners of race dogs out there and my thanks go out to you all.
But there is still alot of owners also out there, that do not think alot of there racing dogs.
And yes they are the most loyal laid back dog you could have, and i for one wouldn't have anything else.
I'll get of my soapbox now, sorry.xxxxxx


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## Guest (Oct 27, 2008)

Fireblade thats awful, poor dog. but id say dogs like that are in the minority when it comes to retired racers. My boy had never lived in a house when i got him but he was almost perfect from the start. certainly better mannered than my bolshy house dogs. we need to stop sending out negative messages about retired racers and promote what fantastic family members they can be. out of all my dogs he is the sweetest, calmest, best mannered, indoors and out and certainly the most gentle around my children.. in fact id go so far as saying he's perfect. not bad for a dog who'd not lived in a family environment till he was 4yrs old.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

gazt said:


> nina why don,t you try owning one i,m sure you will change your mind about there lack of manners how can you say there not sociallised they are around poeple all the time and other dogs i have owned many different breeds and i think the greyhound takes some beating ,very layed back arround the housegood on the leed they are very loyal what more could you want try it before you slate it :angry:


Gazt, PLEASE read my earlier threads. As I said to shan, Greyhounds are WONDERFUL dogs I have even devoted a page on my website and did a radio broadcast from the RSPCA when I highlighted how many languish in rescue centres. So believe me I care VERY much. Thank you Fireblade for pointing that out. Unfortunately I have not owned a Greyhound, since I have not have the space to have two dogs, however, I try to make it up in other ways.


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## sidsassy (Nov 6, 2008)

Sorry, I'm new here, but there is something I have to take issue with: the assumption that there'd be no greyhounds cluttering up our homes if racing was banned, preventing the rescue of other breeds.

As far as I'm aware there's no Boxer or Westie racing, so why do these and many, many other breeds need rescue societies?? Unless the premise is that this beautiful and noble breed (the only one to be mentioned in the Bible, I might add - they're that ancient!) would somehow die out without the racing industry.

Yes, I agree that seeing an injured dog is dreadful and tragic, but have you seen the sheer joy and exuberence of a racer (even my 9 year old retired one) when they get near the track??

It's just as distressing to witness a dog involved in a road accident, but there isn't the wholesale condemnation of SOME irresponsible owners who let their dogs stray.

Anyway, rant over. Thanks for listening.


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## sidsassy (Nov 6, 2008)

P.S. (I know, I'm off again!!) But doesn't EVERY dog have to be housetrained and socialised?? Rescues, re-homed, puppies.... I know that my former Cocker Spaniel caused FAR more trauma, mess and mayhem than all the greyhounds I've since had put together!!

I really think that groups such as Greyhound Action would do better taking a more - shall we say "reasoned" approach, such as campaigning for track shapes to be altered, rather than saying "Right, ban it" whcih immediately puts people into adversarial positions. 

Or, perhaps (a pet cause of mine) negotiating the imposition of a levy on every litter that's registered to help prevent indiscriminate breeding, and provide for the retirement of hounds that don't make the cut.


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## Freyja (Jun 28, 2008)

Sidsassy my show greyhound once escaped from my house I hold my hands up I thought the door was shut but the wind blew it open. He was hit by a car fortunately he has lived to tell the tale and that was nearly 18months ago. I would rather have been hit myself than go through that agian my lovely boy couldn't walk and nearly had his leg amputated. Thankfully he recovered and has now even made it back into the show ring but I dread to think what could have happened.


I will also say the dirtyest dog in my house is actually the irish setter who will purposely wee in her bed when you give her a clean bed and we got her as an 8 week old puppy


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## sidsassy (Nov 6, 2008)

Hi Freyja, so glad your boy's better and back on form. I wasn't referring to people whose dogs accidentally escaped, God knows, it happened to me and watching my 2 yr old blue bitch playing dodgems with the traffic on a busy road is a nightmare that will never leave me.

I was referring to the irresponsible owners who chuck their dogs out in the morning before leaving for work or just let them wander indiscriminately.


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## Nina (Nov 2, 2007)

sidsassy said:


> P.S. (I know, I'm off again!!) But doesn't EVERY dog have to be housetrained and socialised?? Rescues, re-homed, puppies.... I know that my former Cocker Spaniel caused FAR more trauma, mess and mayhem than all the greyhounds I've since had put together!!
> 
> I really think that groups such as Greyhound Action would do better taking a more - shall we say "reasoned" approach, such as campaigning for track shapes to be altered, rather than saying "Right, ban it" which immediately puts people into adversarial positions. .


The point is the way Greyhounds are kept when racing. They do not know the comfort of a warm home, and a cosy place to sleep at night, neither do they have the socialisation. It is not always easy to toilet train larger dogs, and people can and do get put off by this.

A large proportion of Greyhounds come over from Ireland and the lucky ones find homes. What happends to the ones who do not find homes :crying: Personally, I would like to see Greyound racing banned completely, but that is just my opinion.


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