Snip Nua – Rest In Peace
Update - 28.01.10
Many of you will already be aware, confirmation has officially been received of Snip Nua’s destruction at Harolds Cross dog track on December 14th after sustaining a broken hock, in what we now know to have been her last and fatal race.
Snip Nua, at the tender age of 19 months, competed in just 7 races before she was deemed a financial liability by her 16 affluent syndicate members, to include the Business Editor of the Irish Times – Frank McNally and of course the ‘joker’ in the pack, Dara O’Briain.
Perhaps the track vet - who advised Snip Nua be destroyed - should have considered the valued opinion of specialist greyhound vet Dr Alessandro Piras. Alarmed by the number of greyhounds destroyed because of injuries, Dr Piras claims "The only cases where fractured bones need result in a greyhound being put in sleep is for a broken spine and even then, not in all cases.”
There are many greyhounds, who due to sustaining a racing injury, have a leg amputated and have gone on to live perfectly happy normal lives.
But of course the decision to destroy Snip Nua was not based on the probability of her recovering to live out a happy and normal life as a companion animal but purely on the probability of her recovering to race again - without the need for the syndicate to ‘bleed more cash’.
A campaigner has at least managed to obtain a response from O’Briain – a response lacking in any form of remorse or compassion but one which served only to direct criticism at the campaigner – stating “You have no monopoly on compassion - your presumption that I didn't find the whole thing really sad reflects badly on you”
If you are a registered Twitter user and would like to send a personal message to Dara O’Briain, his page can be found here
http://twitter.com/daraobriain
Please scroll down for a full list of who to complain to and please remember to be polite with all communications ~ thank you
And finally please spare a thought for Snip Nua – who like so many before her was 'Raced to Death for the Price of a Bet' - Rest In Peace sweetheart
Snip Nua
27.04.08 ~ 14.12.09
Run Fast ~ Run Free at last
Did the BBC Callously Dismiss the Deaths of Two Greyhounds?
20.01.10
On New Years day the BBC aired another shameful piece of pro racing propaganda – Three Men in a Boat - and on a day when last year’s Christmas Special had the BBC’s highest rating over the festive period, with 5 million viewers.
The Three Men in a Boat – Rory McGrath, Griff Rhys-Jones and Dara O’Brian – as part of their travels across Ireland, visit Mullingar dog track on October 10th, to gamble on O’Brian’s jointly owned greyhound, - Snip Nua - in an aptly named race “Three Men In A Boat 525”
In preparation, the programme’s producers – Liberty Bell – attend the track a week in advance and according to Philip Peake, the tracks General Manager, ‘were very impressed with the facilities and atmosphere at the Stadium’ and added ‘the visit of one of the BBC's top rating programme's is not only great publicity for greyhound racing and the Stadium but also with other activities planned around the locality it's a fantastic opportunity to showcase the region to an international audience’.
Snip a 19 month old female puppy with only 3 recorded races finishes 5th but at least she finishes to race again – unlike Redwood Rio who crashes into Snip Nua - off camera - and hasn’t raced since.
On December 14th, at least two weeks before Three Men in a Boat is aired, Snip runs her 7th and what has been alleged to be her last race at Harolds Cross dog track.
Whilst punters are celebrating the festive season and gambling on the survival of the fittest, Snip is knocked over soon after the dogs leave the traps. She can be seen desperately struggling to continue the race – with her hind leg flailing in mid air before the cameras leave her to follow the race.
Not only do the cameras leave her but so does everyone else and Snip - clearly suffering an horrific injury - labours another 200 yards to the back straight before she is caught by the rest of the pack.
In an interview with the Sunday Times -2006 – O’Brian, when asked ‘What has been your worst investment?‘ replied ‘I once joined a greyhound syndicate with some journalists, barristers and the business editor of The Sunday Times (Ireland). We have owned six dogs so far, with one victory in total, in the last seven years. Instead we have just bled cash, and there’s no sign of clotting yet. I haven’t even lived in the same country as the dog in the past five years, but still the standing order keeps going out’
The 'Three Men in a Boat' at Mullingar Dog Track
Snip Nua’s 7th and Alleged Last Race
Regardless of Snip’s fate the promotion of an inherently cruel ‘sport’ by the BBC is unacceptable and misguided to say the least.
Please complain to the BBC and the programme makers listed below – request the public must be made aware of the harsh reality of greyhound racing - Snip Nua’s and Redwood Rio’s fates must be published.
Please also complain to the agents handling Rory McGrath, Griff Rhys-Jones and Dara O’Brian and avail them of the TRUTH behind this exploitative industry.
Please add this link to the video of Snip’s horrific accident and please remember it is important to keep correspondence polite.
http://s428.photobucket.com/albums/qq1/Greytexploitations/Private/?action=view¤t=SnipNua-ChristmasPartyPostRacing.flv
BBC
Standard Complaint Form - https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/
Points Of View - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Liberty Bell – Programme Producers
Please make FAO Roger Pomphrey and Andrew Fettis
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The Three Men in a Boat
Griff Rhys-Jones This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rory McGrath This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Dara O’Brian This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Many thanks, as always, for your care and compassion for the greyhounds