Four Corners really ripped the Greyhound racing industry a new one with that expose on the use of live baiting, and what a disgrace that practice is.
Here in NSW, the board of Greyhound Racing and their chief executive have been stood down and the fallout continues on a daily basis.
Clearly this issue is deep seated and firmly entrenched across the racing fraternity and it will take some very strong leadership to clean up the whole mess.
Nothing short of lifetime suspensions & jail sentences will rid the industry of the dodgy practitioners.
An industry I would like to see the back of altogether. The death toll of failed racing dogs is an outrage apart from anything else.
An industry I would like to see the back of altogether. The death toll of failed racing dogs is an outrage apart from anything else.
And like horse racing!
But I suppose you have to be more objective about this, if the inference is you would be saving the greyhounds that seems wrong. Really your inference talks to any human endeavor that breeds animals, from Free-Range Chickens to Endangered Species in Zoological Gardens.
So the request for a wholesale end to the industry is really arguing elimination of the animals, as it is the commercialization that keeps the breed viable! Greyhounds would probably go the way of the dinosaurs if there is no racing industry, they have no real advantages as a domestic breed. Furthermore, there are veterinary techniques applied to all animals globally, domestic and endangered natives, that probably would not exist today if not for those commercialized industries including the racing industry!
Be careful what you ask for, you might get it!
Don't want to become the crazy person pushing a shopping trolley full of starving greyhounds around the CBD asking for donations! ;)
Clean it up, make it transparent and let them get on with what to most is just a hobby!
Your inference about saving greyhounds is wrong LP. I fully accept that the numbers of such dogs would diminish over time and be limited to a few enthusiast owners.
I have a Staffie, the origins of that breed being bull baiting. Not too many of them following that career path these days but they are certainly very popular as pets.
Your inference about saving greyhounds is wrong LP. I fully accept that the numbers of such dogs would diminish over time and be limited to a few enthusiast owners.
I have a Staffie, the origins of that breed being bull baiting. Not too many of them following that career path these days but they are certainly very popular as pets.
True, but your terrier may need a hip surgery one day using techniques that were probably sponsored, developed and paid for by the racing industry.
I understand the concerns of the good hearted, but I see the hypocrisy as well! It's like people who refuse vaccination for their children, happily contributing to potential pandemics that kills thousands of others. It is the difference between seeing and observing, there will be a price to pay on both sides of the ledger, there always is!
Seriously, banning anything is almost as useless as banning breathing. Turn cleaning the greyhound industry up into a profit center, and you will achieve both goals!
A good example is farming crocodiles, two or three decades ago they were endangered. Hunters legal and illegal were cleaning them out faster than they could be counted. Once the farming started the rivers and beaches became littered with crocs, so much so that now people call for them to be culled! Commercialization saved a species, and it could do the same for most others!
@LP
You sound like an apologist for the Greyhound racing industry LP. What you say is certainly a piece of creative propaganda but I think the cause of canine welfare could be quite adequately furthered without Greyhound racing.
@LP
You sound like an apologist for the Greyhound racing industry LP. What you say is certainly a piece of creative propaganda but I think the cause of canine welfare could be quite adequately furthered without Greyhound racing.
Not at all, I don't own one, I don't work in the industry and I don't bet on them.
But I am not blind the way my own pets, the pets of others and the endangered species benefit from advances made by industrialization.
I wouldn't close all banks because there are bank robbers, and I wouldn't hang an entire industry because of some bad eggs.
Think deeper, there are solutions without the need for anarchy! ;)
@LP
You sound like an apologist for the Greyhound racing industry LP. What you say is certainly a piece of creative propaganda but I think the cause of canine welfare could be quite adequately furthered without Greyhound racing.
Not at all, I don't own one, I don't work in the industry and I don't bet on them.
But I am not blind the way my own pets, the pets of others and the endangered species benefit from advances made by industrialization.
I wouldn't close all banks because there are bank robbers, and I wouldn't hang an entire industry because of some bad eggs.
Think deeper, there are solutions without the need for anarchy! ;)
Now you are getting dramatic........again. ;)
Oh, and what you are doing doesn't sound like deep thinking, more rationalisation.
Now you are getting dramatic........again. ;)
Oh, and what you are doing doesn't sound like deep thinking, more rationalisation.
Should we ban all monsters because of the bad ones? ;)
I'm not opposed to greyhound racing but I am outraged by the cruelty exposed in the Four Corners program. I am opposed to the euthanasia of young healthy dogs that couldn't quite run fast enough. I am also extremely opposed to the exsanguination of greyhounds as they are euthanised. Furthermore, the practice of allowing the greyhound industry (and other industries across the board) to self-regulate is a recipe for disaster. Governments and big business proposing to cut 'red tape' are simply allowing bad practice and, in this case, extreme cruelty, to thrive.
My first exposure to the greyhound industry was in the early years of high school when one of my classmates gave a talk on his greyhounds during which he explained that he used a .22 rifle to dispose of any that weren't fast enough. In complete contrast, one of my fellow students at university had racing greyhounds that were treated as family pets and stayed with the family when they retired. He was appalled at the live baiting that was going on then and, quite correctly, maintained that sight hounds didn't need to be 'blooded' in order to speed after the lure.
That to me is one of the worst aspects of this live baiting scandal; it's unscientific mumbo-jumbo that subjects defenceless creatures to agonising deaths.
If the greyhound industry is to continue, there must be strict supervision of trainers so those still living in the dark ages cannot get away with cruelty. There should also be a limit on greyhound breeding so that unwanted dogs aren't euthanised willy nilly. Perhaps greyhound owners should be prohibited from adding to their dogs unless they successfully re-home unwanted dogs.
The greyhound racing industry has proved to me repeatedly over the years that it cannot be trusted to do the right things. It's had plenty of chances but where the interests of greedy people govern matters of animal welfare then we all know what will take precedence. It cannot be sensibly reformed IMO, I don't believe that a lot of the people involved in it are capable of that.
The greyhound racing industry has proved to me repeatedly over the years that it cannot be trusted to do the right things. It's had plenty of chances but where the interests of greedy people govern matters of animal welfare then we all know what will take precedence. It cannot be sensibly reformed IMO, I don't believe that a lot of the people involved in it are capable of that.
I think that's the crux of the matter Cookie; the greyhound industry is incapable of self-regulating (as are most sporting and other industries). Unless greyhound racing is overseen by an independent body (with animal welfare body participation), we will continue to see mistreatment of greyhounds and other creatures.
I think some people react too quickly with matters relating to animals. There was an outcry when 2 horses died on Cup day with calls for the racing industry to be shut down. People are now wanting the greyhound industry to be shut down. We didn't have this outcry that the AFL should be shut down with what was happening to humans at Essendon
I've been mixed up with the racing world 20 or so years back and there are some racehorses that get better treated than some people treat their children. I've also know greyhound trainers who do the same.
Unfortunately in many walks of life where there is money involved greed and the dark side tend to take over
I think some people react too quickly with matters relating to animals. There was an outcry when 2 horses died on Cup day with calls for the racing industry to be shut down. People are now wanting the greyhound industry to be shut down. We didn't have this outcry that the AFL should be shut down with what was happening to humans at Essendon
I've been mixed up with the racing world 20 or so years back and there are some racehorses that get better treated than some people treat their children. I've also know greyhound trainers who do the same.
Unfortunately in many walks of life where there is money involved greed and the dark side tend to take over
Well said c4e.
I also know a few greyhound owners/trainers and they are damn good people despite what Cookie says.
About 20 years ago I was in a pub and two brothers came in. After a few drinks one urged his brother to tell the story. He told of taking 2 dogs to Sale and putting then through trials. The black dog was considerably faster than the white dog but he entered the white dog. Turns out he had coloured the black dog from white. At the meeting his 'white' dog was at long odds, which he took for quite a bit. His 'white' dog duly won and he went to the ring to collect. His pockets were full of notes when he got the 'tap-on-the-shoulder' to meet with the stewards. The stewards knew something was wrong but could not really work out what. Had the dog been given a stimulant? A ring-in? So they said to him we can take this matter to Melbourne or we can deal with it here. When it was explained that 'dealing with it here' meant a fine of $200 he agreed to that. He said that the hardest part of the night was to slip only $200 out of his pockets (which were loaded with notes) without showing the stewards how much he had won. He went on to become a horse trainer around Cranbourne and was banned for doping.
@c4e and Sandsmere
We'll surely the good people then would love to see the industry cleaned up and the rogues excluded. Otherwise this stuff will continue to haunt them?
Personally, and I repeat personally, I put dog welfare way ahead of the fiscal interests of the greyhound racing industry. Greyhounds are a beautiful, intelligent and affectionate breed in general. It's gut wrenching to hear of them being mistreated.
Looks like a grubby business to me....
@ cookie2
Correct with greyhounds. One of the most placid animals you would come across
When the lowest common denominator causes a closing/eliminating an entire sport/industry we're in strife.
Put in place some tough laws to protect the industry from d1ckheads, yes. But don't let the d1ckheads ruin it for everyone. Throw the book at the d1ckhead... punish them severely, make them hurt... especially in the hip pocket and ban them from anything to do with greyhounds.
I'm betting that many if not most folks in the dishlicker business love the critters and treat them well.
They're a beautiful animal and deserve to be treated well.
It's not the dogs being treated poorly though Baggers.
They should go by the EFC/Hird playbook.
Sure, they've tried to run the rogue operator line, but they haven't been able to keep repeating it in the face of criticism.
Next, they need to find some possible crime or breach of ethics committed by those who took the incriminating video. Make it about their conduct rather than the trainers'.
And of course they should bog on about how the dogs were duped and they shouldn't lose the right to compete just because some rogue operators messed it up for them.
It's not the dogs being treated poorly though Baggers.
Wasn't it piglets, rabbits and possums ?
Just goes to show you how evil people can behave when life is all about the money.
It's not the dogs being treated poorly though Baggers.
You should read DJC's earlier post Carrots. There is some serious abuse of the dogs going on in some sectors of the industry.
The animal lobby needs to take a good hard look at itself too. I believe that they effectively sat on this story since November last year. How many possums, piglets, cats, rabbits, etc have suffered because they didn't inform the RSPCA immediately?
Racing is a grubby business...my bro in law used to race trotters/pacers and gave it away after the threats, damage to property, car park attacks etc when he wouldnt nobble his horses.....
Told me the Dogs was equally as bad......said you could smell the deep heat on the dogs at the end of the race, deep heat on your nutsack would probably get you hopping around too... :(
Cruelty to animals is unforgivable and these morons should be jailed and banned from owning animals...
I know a couple of Greyhound owners and they think this issue will just go away.
I remember one of them told me to keep my cat locked up.... and a couple of months later kitty went missing :( (about 10-12 years ago).
I know a couple of Greyhound owners and they think this issue will just go away.
P1ssing into the wind LR!
The greyhound industry has got up the noses of three state governments; two are new and want to make their mark, the other is about to go to an election. I suspect that there are more votes among those who are opposed to animal cruelty than among those who want the dishlickers left to look after themselves. Government action to stop animal cruelty is inevitable.
As long as there is a greyhound industry, there will be owners and trainers who will attempt to get their dogs to run faster by allowing them to maul defenceless creatures. It's going to get a lot harder for them to get away with their senseless cruelty.
Cruelty to animals is unforgivable and these morons should be jailed and banned from owning animals...
That is the sort of action that is required, not the anarchist demand to punish every participant just because of the bad apples.
I know a couple of Greyhound owners and they think this issue will just go away.
P1ssing into the wind LR!
The greyhound industry has got up the noses of three state governments; two are new and want to make their mark, the other is about to go to an election. I suspect that there are more votes among those who are opposed to animal cruelty than among those who want the dishlickers left to look after themselves. Government action to stop animal cruelty is inevitable.
As long as there is a greyhound industry, there will be owners and trainers who will attempt to get their dogs to run faster by allowing them to maul defenceless creatures. It's going to get a lot harder for them to get away with their senseless cruelty.
I agree all Governments will do something to deal with this.
The industry wont be fforced to shut though. Too many billions at stake.... including to rural and regional areas
I know a couple of Greyhound owners and they think this issue will just go away.
P1ssing into the wind LR!
The greyhound industry has got up the noses of three state governments; two are new and want to make their mark, the other is about to go to an election. I suspect that there are more votes among those who are opposed to animal cruelty than among those who want the dishlickers left to look after themselves. Government action to stop animal cruelty is inevitable.
As long as there is a greyhound industry, there will be owners and trainers who will attempt to get their dogs to run faster by allowing them to maul defenceless creatures. It's going to get a lot harder for them to get away with their senseless cruelty.
I agree all Governments will do something to deal with this.
The industry wont be fforced to shut though. Too many billions at stake.... including to rural and regional areas
Agree ..a few state greyhound admin boards will be sacked, think the one in NSW has already resigned on mass and few trainers will be offered up as fall guys and it will be onto the next
corrupt method to influence the outcome of races....
Actually I don't believe it is that big of an industry. In one news report I think it was put at $300 Million nationwide.
I know a couple of Greyhound owners and they think this issue will just go away.
P1ssing into the wind LR!
The greyhound industry has got up the noses of three state governments; two are new and want to make their mark, the other is about to go to an election. I suspect that there are more votes among those who are opposed to animal cruelty than among those who want the dishlickers left to look after themselves. Government action to stop animal cruelty is inevitable.
As long as there is a greyhound industry, there will be owners and trainers who will attempt to get their dogs to run faster by allowing them to maul defenceless creatures. It's going to get a lot harder for them to get away with their senseless cruelty.
I agree all Governments will do something to deal with this.
The industry wont be fforced to shut though. Too many billions at stake.... including to rural and regional areas
I think you're right - no government has mentioned shutting the industry down. I imagine a few public servants will be burning the midnight oil while they come up with an acceptable program to reform the industry.
The NSW Govt has already sacked the board and CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW. Interestingly, the NSW Govt has a current inquiry into greyhound racing. I wonder if it will continue and, if so, with changed terms of reference.
Victoria's response a little weak; an inquiry by the chief vet and an inquiry by the bloke who should have been all over the issue ::)
I think you're right - no government has mentioned shutting the industry down. I imagine a few public servants will be burning the midnight oil while they come up with an acceptable program to reform the industry.
The NSW Govt has already sacked the board and CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW. Interestingly, the NSW Govt has a current inquiry into greyhound racing. I wonder if it will continue and, if so, with changed terms of reference.
Victoria's response a little weak; an inquiry by the chief vet and an inquiry by the bloke who should have been all over the issue ::)
Its a parliamentary sitting week in Victoria, and with about 5 or 6 greens across both houses, I think it is unlikely that they (relevant Ministers) will be able to brush this one under the carpet without being harassed.
I wouldn't mind becoming the CEO of Greyhounds NSW and take on the huge challenge of cleaning up the industry in this state.
I wouldn't mind becoming the CEO of Greyhounds NSW and take on the huge challenge of cleaning up the industry in this state.
You wouldn't have much time to follow the footy but, without knowing your qualifications and ability, you probably couldn't do worse than the last bloke. :)
I don't have the qualifications within the racing industry, however, I am a cricket administrator and have been for many years.
Having no vested interest in racing itself (I have the occasional flutter around Cup time but that it is about it), I would purely be focussed on best practices from top to bottom.
It would be a hard slog initially but would get easier over time. It may take as long as 18-24 months to get it completely right but I'd be hell-bent on cleaning it up and making it a reputable sport.
At the moment, I'm working very hard to dramatically improve the standards across the local cricket association after many years of slipshod and 'she'll be right' management. I see many parallels between what I'm doing now and what needs to be done in the Greyhound industry.
I don't have the qualifications within the racing industry, however, I am a cricket administrator and have been for many years.
Having no vested interest in racing itself (I have the occasional flutter around Cup time but that it is about it), I would purely be focussed on best practices from top to bottom.
It would be a hard slog initially but would get easier over time. It may take as long as 18-24 months to get it completely right but I'd be hell-bent on cleaning it up and making it a reputable sport.
At the moment, I'm working very hard to dramatically improve the standards across the local cricket association after many years of slipshod and 'she'll be right' management. I see many parallels between what I'm doing now and what needs to be done in the Greyhound industry.
It all makes sense now
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/African.field.cricket.arp.jpg)
It all makes sense now
After that lame post, it certainly does !!
I want to know what the crickets are doing on the oyster shells ???
I want to know what the crickets are doing on the oyster shells ???
Best direct that question to a Cricket Administrator
I wouldn't mind becoming the CEO of Greyhounds NSW and take on the huge challenge of cleaning up the industry in this state.
You wouldn't have much time to follow the footy but, without knowing your qualifications and ability, you probably couldn't do worse than the last bloke. :)
Reckon the NSW Greyhound Industry is due a " sacked, cracked and backed list".....I'm thinking the backed list wouldnt contain many names....
Reckon the NSW Greyhound Industry is due a " sacked, cracked and backed list".....I'm thinking the backed list wouldnt contain many names....
If ever there was the need for a "Ground Zero" approach, this would be it.
Scorch the earth and start again with every trainer, breeder, owner, official etc having to become registered under strict new qualifying criteria.
Reckon the NSW Greyhound Industry is due a " sacked, cracked and backed list".....I'm thinking the backed list wouldnt contain many names....
If ever there was the need for a "Ground Zero" approach, this would be it.
Scorch the earth and start again with every trainer, breeder, owner, official etc having to become registered under strict new qualifying criteria.
Agreed, Go the Henry II approach.
Sack everyone and make them swear fealty to the new code.
This is the kind of industry where the old ways will keep surfacing.