Swansea Council Prosecute Dog Track Owners
30.10.09
Inspectors found dogs kept on soiled bedding and kennels smelling of urine at Swansea's greyhound stadium.
One animal had an open cut on its tail with blood smeared across its kennel wall, magistrates in the city heard. Other dogs were roaming loose and there was an open bin bag and a block of frozen meat dumped on the floor.
Francis Short, 64, who lives at the track in Fforestfach run by his ex-wife, admitted one offence under the Animal Welfare Act and must pay £515.
Kelly Byrne, prosecuting on behalf of Swansea council, told the court environmental health officers visited the stadium on 5 March this year. She said they found the greyhound kennels were of a "very poor standard". As well as the soiled bedding and general disrepair some dogs were kept in poor light "with some kennels in complete darkness".
A vet who was called to look at the dog with the open wound thought it was at least a week old, said Ms Byrne. Short told officers that he had been treating the dog but it must have "eaten the bandages".He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and was before the court for sentencing.
In mitigation Craig Davies said his client had been involved with racing dogs for 55 years and had never been in trouble before. He said Short was in poor health which had made it difficult for him to care for the dogs kept at the track, although he did receive daily assistance from the Greyhound Trust.
Mr Davies argued that many of the problems "were cosmetic" and that Short had been treating the injured animal. He said since the incident the kennels had been refurbished but Short's ex-wife only had one year left on her lease for the site so the stadium would close within a year.
Short was fined £250, ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8332622.stm
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'Emily Rose' Loses The Will To Live
21.10.09
As with all greyhound rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing centres, the pressure of having to cope with thousands of retired greyhounds, annually - is constant.
But behind the scenes of the fantastic work carried out by an army of volunteers, are the stories of cruelty which are rarely published for fear the abusive owners or trainers will cease to ‘hand over’ or ‘give up’ any further unwanted dogs.
Tia’s latest News page offers an insight into the distressing situations rescues are faced with every day and the frustration felt when forced to deal with abandonment, abuse, threatened or immanent destruction and even death itself.
Royal York - suffering a nasal abcess due to a rotten mouth
One of which was Emily Rose, a 4½ year girl, found dead and covered in fleas, having lost the will to live. She is listed on Tia’s Wall Of Shame, in her racing/gambling name - Pablos Jacqui – which now catalogues 777 greyhounds.
Sadly, Emily Rose’s death may have been prevented, had the racing industry prosecuted her owner, a licensed trainer – Nick Bradman - under the Animal Welfare Act, for the cruelty he inflicted on his greyhounds throughout 2008.
For his criminal abuse and neglect and in a court of law, Nick Bradman would have undoubtedly been banned from keeping animals.
Although completely within their jurisdiction, the racing industry does not enforce the Animal Welfare Act but merely the Rules of Racing - affording owners and trainers protection from criminal prosecution - awarding lenient penalties and the freedom to continue to abuse, neglect and destroy healthy greyhounds, simply to supply the demands of the gambling industry's requirements for betting ‘units’.
Please click here to view Deb Rothery’s disturbing News article
http://www.tiagreyhounds.org.uk/Product_Item.asp?Set=&itemid=1969
And here to view Tia’s updated Wall Of Shame
http://www.tiagreyhounds.org.uk/WallOfShame.htm
‘Emily Rose’
January 2005 ~ August 2009
Run fast sweetheart ~ Run free at last
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Ruby For Sale – New Stock Arriving
13.10.09
Clive Ellis - founder member of Greyhound Watch - has written an excellent and extensive article following a series of frank discussions with Michael Peterson, a professional trainer attached to Oxford dog track.
Michael Peterson
The article catalogues the 'wastage' of greyhounds under Peterson’s ‘care’ and the callous attitude adopted by Peterson – affording these greyhounds, little or no compassion – when pressured by the gambling industry to supply that all important betting medium at the cheapest possible price.
Passed from one trainer to another, doped, 'unaccounted' for and destroyed following minor injuries, these gentle creatures endure a life of misery and uncertainty in the inherently cruel business of greyhound racing.
To read the full article please click here
http://www.greytexploitations.com/greyhound-watch/ruby-for-sale-new-stock-arriving
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