I don't know a lot about greyhounds. But what I do know is that just because they may not be allowed to run around a dog track chasing a hare that really isn't a hare but just a bit of fluffy stuff, they don't have to die. But Rebecca Perkins, from Hull, thinks otherwise. This woman trains 30 greyhounds, and told a reporter in the Hull Daily Mail: "Greyhounds are my life. They are effectively on death row. It upsets me." They are "effectively on death row" because Rebecca Perkins has consigned them to death. The organisers of Hull Greyhound Racing were shown the door at the greyhound track housing Boulevard after a dispute over a lease. They were then evicted due to the unsafe condition of the historical stadium and, at the same time, the National Greyhound Racing Club revoked their licence and now there is no greyhound racing in the city. I'm not sure that that is a great loss, really, but each to their own. If Rebecca could bundle her dogs into the back of a van she could still race them at Doncaster, which, along with her trips to the track at Pontefract, would earn her some money. But, no, that is impossible for her, because she loves her dogs too much. So she is contemplating having them put down which, even though the dogs are fit and healthy, is, amazingly, legal. Let's just remind ourselves of Rebecca Perkins 'heartfelt' words: "Greyhounds are my life. They are effectively on death row. It upsets me." Ah, killing them makes sense, then.
She is not alone. Hull geezer John Thompson, says the report, has been "a trainer for 14 years, has 12 dogs in kennels." He adds that "You can't afford to keep dogs that are not racing." Maybe you shouldn't have had them in the first place, eh John?
Despite this sport's many flaws, at least the National Greyhound Racing Club's Noel Thompson appears to have some compassion. He's quoted as saying: "I find it disgusting greyhounds are being put down. Dogs should be retained as pets or re-homed."
According to the Retired Greyhound Trust, up to 150 greyhounds could be destroyed by Christmas. These might not be human lives we're talking about here and maybe you have to be a pet-lover to feel severe outrage, but isn't killing 150 greyhounds just because John and Rebecca and their ilk "can't afford to keep dogs that are not racing" a disgusting, heartbreaking prospect? Shame on the murdering bastards.
There are plenty of Greyhound Rescues out there. In this area, the Retired Greyhound Trust will be doing what they can.
Full story here. Not sure this warrants a front page story, frankly, and the tone of the piece seems to offer more than an inkling of support to the dog killers.
Listening: Damien Rice - B Sides.
2 comments:
Back in July this made the front page of the Daily Mirror:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17395720&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=the-man-who-s-shot-10-000-greyhounds-name_page.html
This guy can kill 40 a day and buries them in his garden!
And the BBC's North West regional news programme has done a fair bit on this.
It's all a bit like the fox hunters who warned that a ban on hunting would force them to destroy all their hounds because they love them too much to see them rehomed with Townies.
There can be no excuse for killing a perfectly healthy animal, but it goes on relentlessly to satisfy the eating habits of most of the nation. I know this story is not the same and i agree with all you've written, especially the "murdering bastards" bit, but I couldn't stop myself.
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