RTE Investigates programme on greyhound racing industry

Bannasidhe

strandroad wrote: »

Yes exactly what I am wondering about; it was mentioned up thread, both "greyhounds are treated as livestock" and the killing requests. I am compiling a list of talking points for one of my TDs so if anyone has any research on where these originate from I would appreciate it.

Also the fact that the Owners and Breeder Federation raised their concerns with ministers several years ago - the info is here https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=110617697&postcount=1293

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Deleted User wrote: »

It was totally unbalanced. IGB commissions a report to ascertain the number of dogs at any stage of their lives, in order to tighten regulations and its being used as a stick to beat them! Most of the footage shown was either years old or in another country. The sale of greyhounds to China has been banned already. The Cork transporter has already been dealt with. One greyhound was found years ago with its ears cut off. They didn’t show any follow up as all breeding greyhounds are DNA tested.

I would say it was made years ago and delayed.

It wasn't. I was present at some of the filming, a matter of weeks ago. I work in rescue.

Discodog

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

It wasn't. I was present at some of the filming, a matter of weeks ago. I work in rescue.

RTE told me the same thing.

Snugglebunnies

strandroad wrote: »

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

So if people do something what is it to be??

Kill the other side with cuteness.

Interestingly enough you never see greyhound puppies in rescues, why is that I wonder.

You do, the rescue I'm involved in have them. Normally due to being too small, injuries or birth deformaties so they'd never race.

Discodog

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

You do, the rescue I'm involved in have them. Normally due to being too small, injuries or birth deformaties so they'd never race.

My girl was small & someone probably took her to Galway to try & sell her. I literally found her running down Shop Street.

And some of those pups never get chipped as they are supposed to. Mine wasn't or tattooed.

It just made me smile looking at the old Act specifying that Greyhounds must be muzzled in public - that alone makes them harder to rehome. I remember Michael D & dozens of Greyhounds walking on Salthill Prom without a muzzle in sight

Tilikum17

A friend of mine works for a rescue here. They send dogs to England every month has they actually have a shortage over there. They don’t have the problem with puppy farms like we have. Birmingham dogs home. Collies were always the most common dogs that would be sent as we have so many here. Farmers not bothering to neuter.

Now its greyhounds that top the list.

Discodog

Tilikum17 wrote: »

A friend of mine works for a rescue here. They send dogs to England every month has they actually have a shortage over there. They don’t have the problem with puppy farms like we have. Birmingham dogs home. Collies were always the most common dogs that would be sent as we have so many here. Farmers not bothering to neuter.

Now its greyhounds that top the list.

The UK definitely don't have a shortage & there have been some who question why they should take Irish dogs & that it's an Irish problem. It's one reason why Dog's Trust didn't just want to set up here but also to be self sufficient.

A lot of the Collies go to Germany. I met two of them on my beach - their German owner joked about bringing them home for their holidays

Tilikum17

Discodog wrote: »

The UK definitely don't have a shortage & there have been some who question why they should take Irish dogs & that it's an Irish problem. It's one reason why Dog's Trust didn't just want to set up here but also to be self sufficient.

A lot of the Collies go to Germany. I met two of them on my beach - their German owner joked about bringing them home for their holidays

I can only tell you what I’ve been told. They also send them to Germany where some have been trained as therapy & search & rescue dogs.

Copied from Facebook

“LAUNCH OF “GREYHOUND ADOPTION CLONMEL”
A meeting took place at Clonmel Track on Sunday evening in order to formulate a Committee that would fundraise and organise the rehoming of greyhounds in the area. This was organised in response to the recent RTE Investigates program and the recent loss of major sponsors in the industry.
There was unanimous agreement for the establishment of Greyhound adoption in Clonmel and we received a commitment from at least 20 breeders who were willing to rehome 4 dogs each for a small fee. The will then work closely with the Committee to get permanent homes for these dogs locally. An interim committee was appointed and it was agreed that sponsors should be sought to sponsor stakes to raise money for adoption.
The target for Clonmel would be to rehome 100 dogs within a 20 mile radius of Clonmel. All the 16 tracks in the country have been contacted and each one has given a positive response. If all tracks come on board with the same commitment, the Greyhound fraternity would commit to rehoming almost 1,500 greyhounds. There are also proposals to set up 3 or 4 Retirement kennels for greyhounds throughout Ireland. There is already a proposal on the table from a prominent Tipperary breeder, who is confident of rehoming between 300 to 400 per year. In order for this to work, we need a substantial increase in funding. We are also hoping to have an area set aside at the track to accommodate retired greyhounds so the public can view on race nights.
The launch was covered by Trudy Waters of Tipp FM and she presented a 30 minute program with Fran Curry on their Channel this morning. It was a great opportunity to get our message out to the community and to retract a lot of the inaccuracies from the RTE program.

Interim committee:
Chairman: Maurice Organ
Treasurer: Sean O’Donnell
Secretary: Tom Caffrey
PRO: Noelle O’Brien”

Bannasidhe

Deleted User wrote: »

Copied from Facebook

“LAUNCH OF “GREYHOUND ADOPTION CLONMEL”
A meeting took place at Clonmel Track on Sunday evening in order to formulate a Committee that would fundraise and organise the rehoming of greyhounds in the area. This was organised in response to the recent RTE Investigates program and the recent loss of major sponsors in the industry.
There was unanimous agreement for the establishment of Greyhound adoption in Clonmel and we received a commitment from at least 20 breeders who were willing to rehome 4 dogs each for a small fee. The will then work closely with the Committee to get permanent homes for these dogs locally. An interim committee was appointed and it was agreed that sponsors should be sought to sponsor stakes to raise money for adoption.
The target for Clonmel would be to rehome 100 dogs within a 20 mile radius of Clonmel. All the 16 tracks in the country have been contacted and each one has given a positive response. If all tracks come on board with the same commitment, the Greyhound fraternity would commit to rehoming almost 1,500 greyhounds. There are also proposals to set up 3 or 4 Retirement kennels for greyhounds throughout Ireland. There is already a proposal on the table from a prominent Tipperary breeder, who is confident of rehoming between 300 to 400 per year. In order for this to work, we need a substantial increase in funding. We are also hoping to have an area set aside at the track to accommodate retired greyhounds so the public can view on race nights.
The launch was covered by Trudy Waters of Tipp FM and she presented a 30 minute program with Fran Curry on their Channel this morning. It was a great opportunity to get our message out to the community and to retract a lot of the inaccuracies from the RTE program.

Interim committee:
Chairman: Maurice Organ
Treasurer: Sean O’Donnell
Secretary: Tom Caffrey
PRO: Noelle O’Brien”

Forgive me if I don't break out the bunting for the announcement of a meeting where they came up with proposals to do what rescues have been doing all along. For years.

Why can they not just reach out to the Rescues who already have the experience and work with them?

strandroad

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Forgive me if I don't break out the bunting for the announcement of a meeting where they came up with proposals to do what rescues have been doing all along. For years.

Why can they not just reach out to the Rescues who already have the experience and work with them?

Please also note that "In order for this to work, we need a substantial increase in funding".

Snugglebunnies

strandroad wrote: »

Bannasidhe wrote: »

Forgive me if I don't break out the bunting for the announcement of a meeting where they came up with proposals to do what rescues have been doing all along. For years.

Why can they not just reach out to the Rescues who already have the experience and work with them?

Please also note that "In order for this to work, we need a substantial increase in funding".

They're brazen! How about substantial funding for the rescues that have been picking up the pieces for years!

Snugglebunnies

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

They're brazen! How about substantial funding for the rescues that have been picking up the pieces for years!

And how will that “substantial increase in funding” be monitored ?
How can we be sure our taxes go to the welfare of these dogs ? Can some new Greyhound “committee” really be trusted after the appalling welfare record in this industry so far ? These people knew about the poor practices!

The rescue centres have being doing this work for nothing for decades. Give them the “substantial funding” to continue their good work.
There should be protests if some new greyhound committee get additional funding . I certainly don’t want one single cent of my taxes going to any organization unless it’s run by rescue centres ! These very people knowingly contributed to the horrific practices in the greyhound industry by overbreeding and culling of surplus dogs for years. Too little too late !!

Bannasidhe

strandroad wrote: »

Please also note that "In order for this to work, we need a substantial increase in funding".

Oh, I noted it.

I was being charitable by not completely raining on their little announcement parade.

The best that can be said is that it is an acknowledgement that concrete steps need to be taken to ensure greyhounds are rehomed.. as pets?? That isn't clear is it.
Nor is there any mention of homechecks, neutering, etc etc.

Then, of course, there is the 'for a small fee', 'substantial increase in funding'. 'sponsors sought'.

So they propose to set up an internal network re-homing greyhounds with apparently zero experience of doing so (I am sure if that had they would have mentioned it) and not only are they ignoring the fact that there already exists a very experienced greyhound re-homing network - that homechecks and neuters - they are going after any potential funding.

As I said, why on Earth if they are serious did they not look to work with the rescues already doing this important work rather than try and re-invent the wheel?

Discodog

Rehome 1500. What happens to the minimum of 4500 (probably closer to 8500) remaining dogs.

Rehoming Kennels - doesn't sound like being treated as a Pet

Where is the prominent Tipperary breeder going to put the 300 to 400 dogs per year ?

Where is the control, the monitoring, the traceability & the proof ?

Who's going to pay for clearing up the IGB mess - us the taxpayer ?

Snugglebunnies

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

They're brazen! How about substantial funding for the rescues that have been picking up the pieces for years!

Rescues already get funding. This will be for greyhounds only.

batgoat

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Rescues already get funding. This will be for greyhounds only.

You're ignoring the point, why not use experienced resources rather than this which seems more like an effort to get good pr rather than genuine concern.

Discodog

Deleted User wrote: »

Rescues already get funding. This will be for greyhounds only.

A paltry €50 per dog & an undertaking not to criticise the industry.

Discodog

batgoat wrote: »

You're ignoring the point, why not use experienced resources rather than this which seems more like an effort to get good pr rather than genuine concern.

Exactly. There will be news items, glossy photos of happy dogs with happy families & no explanation of where all the other dogs have gone.

Discodog

Discodog wrote: »

Rehome 1500. What happens to the minimum of 4500 (probably closer to 8500) remaining dogs.

Rehoming Kennels - doesn't sound like being treated as a Pet

Where is the prominent Tipperary breeder going to put the 300 to 400 dogs per year ?

Where is the control, the monitoring, the traceability & the proof ?

Who's going to pay for clearing up the IGB mess - us the taxpayer ?

Where's the proof that 6,000 were being killed? Where's the proof that dogs are having their ears mutilated in order to hide their identity despite microchip ping and DNA testing? Where's the proof that a vet was inundated with greyhounds pumped full of EPO, When the last EPO positive was 15 years ago? Where's the proof of that vets impartiality? Where's the proof that those men were coursing illegally on Whiddy Island and not members of a licensed open coursing club? Where's the proof of the length of a greyhounds racing life being months rather than years? And finally, where's the proof that the dog boiled alive came from Ireland?

batgoat

batgoat wrote: »

You're ignoring the point, why not use experienced resources rather than this which seems more like an effort to get good pr rather than genuine concern.

Rescues claim that they don't have the facility to take in many large dogs. IGB already pay for neutering and rescues get grants from the government for all dogs.

Discodog

Deleted User wrote: »

Where's the proof that 6,000 were being killed? Where's the proof that dogs are having their ears mutilated in order to hide their identity despite microchip ping and DNA testing? Where's the proof that a vet was inundated with greyhounds pumped full of EPO, When the last EPO positive was 15 years ago? Where's the proof of that vets impartiality? Where's the proof that those men were coursing illegally on Whiddy Island and not members of a licensed open coursing club? Where's the proof of the length of a greyhounds racing life being months rather than years? And finally, where's the proof that the dog boiled alive came from Ireland?

Um ? Who to believe ? RTE or a bunch of proven Greyhound killers that have allowed hundreds of thousands of dogs to be killed ? The sickness in the Greyhound Industry has been known about for decades & people have constantly provided proof of dead dogs - 10,000 bodies on one farm. We don't need anymore proof.

You can't start to put a problem right until you acknowledge the wrongs.

Bannasidhe

batgoat wrote: »

You're ignoring the point, why not use experienced resources rather than this which seems more like an effort to get good pr rather than genuine concern.

More window dressing combined with the begging bowl out again.
Long on 'promises', short on details. No mention of welfare of dogs - will they be pets? Will they be neutered? Will they spend the rest of their lives in kennels? Who oversees these kennels?!?! Will there be a curb on breeding??

Discodog wrote: »

A paltry €50 per dog & an undertaking not to criticise the industry.

Not to mention the less than €3m a year that is shared out between every single rescue in the country to be used for dogs, cats, wildlife etc.
€16m to the IGB a year and still they want more. The word 'grasping' comes to mind.

strandroad

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Rescuesand rescues get grants from the government for all dogs.

No they don't. Grants are limited and paltry, most initiatives have to go without. It was discussed up thread, with numbers.

Discodog

Every breeder should be forced to lodge - say €500 for every pup they breed. Then, when that dog is eventually rehomed, at their cost & the details publicly recorded, they get the money back.

Discodog

Bannasidhe wrote: »

More window dressing combined with the begging bowl out again.
Long on 'promises', short on details. No mention of welfare of dogs - will they be pets? Will they be neutered? Will they spend the rest of their lives in kennels? Who oversees these kennels?!?! Will there be a curb on breeding??



Not to mention the less than €3m a year that is shared out between every single rescue in the country to be used for dogs, cats, wildlife etc.
€16m to the IGB a year and still they want more. The word 'grasping' comes to mind.

Greyhound people think that kennels are fine. Responsible dog owners only use a kennel for a week or two when they go on holiday.

Dogs belong at home as part of a family - not in Kennels.

The truth is that neither the breeders or IGB can't possibly rehome every dog.

Bannasidhe

Deleted User wrote: »

Where's the proof that 6,000 were being killed? Where's the proof that dogs are having their ears mutilated in order to hide their identity despite microchip ping and DNA testing? Where's the proof that a vet was inundated with greyhounds pumped full of EPO, When the last EPO positive was 15 years ago? Where's the proof of that vets impartiality? Where's the proof that those men were coursing illegally on Whiddy Island and not members of a licensed open coursing club? Where's the proof of the length of a greyhounds racing life being months rather than years? And finally, where's the proof that the dog boiled alive came from Ireland?

Maryanne, when you posted your comment that greyhound racing is your hobby and you enjoy it you nailed your colours to the mast.
I honestly do not believe that you will not accept any proof of wrong doing. But that is just my opinion based on what you have posted here.

Discodog

Discodog wrote: »

Um ? Who to believe ? RTE or a bunch of proven Greyhound killers that have allowed hundreds of thousands of dogs to be killed ? The sickness in the Greyhound Industry has been known about for decades & people have constantly provided proof of dead dogs - 10,000 bodies on one farm. We don't need anymore proof.

You can't start to put a problem right until you acknowledge the wrongs.

Once again most of the horrors in that program were of a historical nature or happened in another country. Greyhound owners have for the most part moved on with improved welfare. Problems still exist and are being worked on.

Choc Chip

Discodog wrote: »

Rehome 1500. What happens to the minimum of 4500 (probably closer to 8500) remaining dogs.

If they are breeding 15k greyhounds every year and have been for many years, then there must be circa 15k greyhounds needing homes every year, whether they are too slow to be raced, injured, retiring, etc. etc.

I don't see any recognition by the industry of the number of dogs they are producing compared to the number that they propose to rehome.

Igotadose

Deleted User wrote: »

Once again most of the horrors in that program were of a historical nature or happened in another country. Greyhound owners have for the most part moved on with improved welfare. Problems still exist and are being worked on.

"Most" when there are no data because the IGB are compromised, is speculative.

Here's a bit of data. A prominent trainer, found guilty of doping with EPO in 2007, was found guilty of using another drug in 2017. This to me indicates a culture that is o.k. with doping, as long as you don't get caught, and as this is a prominent figure in the industry it's likely to be widespread. IGB not finding things through testing may say more about their testing than the prevalence.

https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-industry/u/22015566

Culturally, the industry is broken. The time for remedies is past. Start with banning the live export of the animals, reduce IGB funding and fund rescues for the suddenly available animals. If there is still interest in racing in a few years, establish a system like MarinersBlues recommended to restrict training and racing to a few competent and ethical individuals.