RTE Investigates programme on greyhound racing industry

klaaaz

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Where are these thousands of greyhounds in rescues?

There not thousands right now on a given day and you're relying on actual websites to be updated daily when rescuers often on a volunteer basis are extremely busy looking after vulnerable animals without access to the internet. Plus some rehoming is done on a private basis without advertising. Notice how breeders who are primarily responsible for the excess greyhounds based on their sheer greed of profit are never accountable for anything.

ILoveYourVibes

klaaaz wrote: »

There not thousands right now on a given day and you're relying on actual websites to be updated daily when rescuers often on a volunteer basis are extremely busy looking after vulnerable animals without access to the internet. Plus some rehoming is done on a private basis without advertising. Notice how breeders who are primarily responsible for the excess greyhounds based on their sheer greed of profit are never accountable for anything.

I am willing to visit them.

Also i can say for the DSPCA that having volunteered there the fb page is entirely representative of the greyhounds I saw there.

Remember I was the one updating their website and writing bios at one point also.
I usually did it once a week. I can't say how often it's done now.

I smell something fishy.

And even according to the Irish Greyhound Rescue associating there are only 600 per year. Which to be honest I still think is higher than the actual figure.

If you like I can ring them all up and ask how many greyhounds they have. And i can keep updated for 6 months.

Unless the DSPCA is REALLY different from other rescues it doesn't add up.

gozunda

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

I have been checking their FB sites.Also it would be very difficult to tell as the Irish Retired Greyhound site seems to take one picture of the same dog over and over. They need a better social media team. Also according to the Irish greyhound recuse association only 600 dogs per year are rescued. The Irish retired greyhound association according to gozunda claims to rescue 1000 dogs per year. If they are going to make these claims they have to make certain they are correct. Also the assertion that in rescues that rehome all dog breeds 80& are greyhounds isn't holding up for most rescues.

Yes that figure was quoted from a source listed previously. I'll look it up again for you. Took a quick look and I believe the IRGT have updated their FB with dogs available for rehoming. Here's the link anyway: Theres some 122 photos listed (multiple shots of different greyhounds?)

https://www.facebook.com/pg/greyhoundsaspets.rgt.IRL/photos/?tab=album&album_id=867348506677584. Dont think they are all of the ssme dog though

They also have some lovely photos of retired greyhounds which were in attendance at the Limerick venue recently to promote adoption.

Edit. Ok - You have already detailed some of this I see ...

ILoveYourVibes

gozunda wrote: »

Yes that figure was quoted from a source listed previously. Ill look ot up again for you. Took a quick look and I believe the IRGT have updated their FB with dogs available for rehoming. Here's the link anyway: Theres some 122 photos listed

https://www.facebook.com/pg/greyhoundsaspets.rgt.IRL/photos/?tab=album&album_id=867348506677584. Dont think they are all of the ssme dog though

They also have some lovely photos of retired greyhounds which were in attendance at the Limerick venue recently to promote adoption.

They were taking 4 to 5 pics of most dogs. I tried to count the individual dogs though.

Its interesting though because whatever about being up to date. Its clear in rescues that rehome all dogs greyhounds are not the no one breed there. Its mostly collies from what i can see.

klaaaz

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

I am willing to visit them.

Also i can say for the DSPCA that having volunteered there the fb page is entirely representative of the greyhounds I saw there.

Remember I was the one updating their website and writing bios at one point also.
I usually did it once a week. I can't say how often it's done now.

I smell something fishy.

And even according to the Irish Greyhound Rescue associating there are only 600 per year. Which to be honest I still think is higher than the actual figure.

There are loads of rescues often in each county, you're better off indeed visiting them weekly to get your info if that's even possible.

As for the DSPCA, I know a few who have worked there. Do I know you? It's a small world.(if your claim is true)

gozunda

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

They were taking 4 to 5 pics of most dogs. I tried to count the individual dogs though...

Heres a link

https://www.newstalk.com/news/1000-retired-greyhounds-re-homed-2018-837284

The IRGT, with the support of the Irish Greyhound Board, has helped to re-home over 5,600 racing greyhounds since 2008 - with 1,021 re-homed between January and December last year.

The Irish Greyhound Board contributed €106,000 to the Trust's total income of €242,000 in 2018...

ILoveYourVibes

klaaaz wrote: »

There are loads of rescues often in each county, you're better off indeed visiting them weekly to get your info if that's even possible.

As for the DSPCA, I know a few who have worked there. Do I know you? It's a small world.(if your claim is true)

Possibly. :eek:


I worked with horses mostly. Then the website and reception. Then dogs and cats.

My claim is really true. My mother worked there I mean she did actual paid work for them in graphic design. She did volunteer work too though.

We came in just after the American lady with blonde and REALLY curly hair was hired to revamp it. ( I won't give her name) . She was friends with my mom so that is how we got involved.

Remember the year they had a stand at the dublin horse show? Maybe 2013 ? Not sure. She did all the leaflets

She warned them it was too extreme. They didn't listen though. It was their last stand there for a while!

In fairness to them though it was JUST after they received a whole load of horses in terrible condition. It was very emotional for staff there a lot of them had to be put down. And the DSPCA never puts healthy animals down so you can imagine.

And yes I have seen dogs in TERRIBLE condition. Greyhounds and other breeds.

One other volunteer said to me 'Don't ever name a dog lucky we find its a horribly unlucky name for dogs'.

She was also the one to point out that the K-9 written on the old dog shelter place (the one with the bars not the new one with the glass doors) stood for CANINE. Yeah. I am that blonde!

I can give you a visual mental map of the place if you want further proof.

I can tell you about the tiny dog who lost her leg from an accident with the luas who used to run around.

I can tell you when you walk out from reception the new dog shelter is on your right ..the old one with the iron bars is on the left.

The stables is on the right.

Lake pond bit for ducks etc is beyond the dog walking area.

The cattery is behind the new dog shelter.

The snake spider bit is place i dared NEVER go.

The staff room is to your left a few doors down after you walk past reception. If you are lucky there will be a box of roses inside!

Or well that is the way it was when i was there

Possibly changed now

Oh and yes that means two volunteers had a family member working in the greyhound industry. :eek: BURN THEM!

ILoveYourVibes

gozunda wrote: »

Heres a link

https://www.newstalk.com/news/1000-retired-greyhounds-re-homed-2018-837284

I have to take their claims in good faith. I've never had anything to do with them. Maybe its true.



But real world newsflash. Charities gotta hustle. I don't blame em. I actually want them to have that money.

klaaaz

Vibes, I never worked at DSPCA but I do know quite a few who did. I attended "leaving work dues" for example as well as visits to the place and made many friends through there with like minded people who did their best for the animals despite the awful management at certain times(that's another scandal! ). And they were on a RTE program a few years ago with me gawking at the screen saying to myself when people I knew appeared on screen, I know you and know you and I know that one.!

Maybe I did meet you at a certain point even if it was just a hello :eek:

ILoveYourVibes

klaaaz wrote: »

Vibes, I never worked at DSPCA but I do know quite a few who did. I attended "leaving work dues" for example as well as visits to the place and made many friends through there with like minded people who did their best for the animals despite the awful management at certain times(that's another scandal! ). And they were on a RTE program a few years ago with me gawking at the screen saying to myself when people I knew appeared on screen, I know you and know you and I know that one.!

Maybe I did meet you at a certain point even if it was just a hello :eek:

Then you prolly met my mom too!

I have to say though my time there was really fun and enjoyable.

As far as I am concerned the DSPCA is AMAZING full of really wonderful people. And EVERYONE should go visit and bring their kids. Its open to the public and they have every animal imaginable.

Cept maybe crocodiles. :eek:

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Also one must note that is only greyhounds available for adoption they may have other greyhounds not suitable for adoption because of health or temperament reasons.

Now also we had a previous poster who claimed she worked in a shelter that had 80% greyhounds. I can't doubt her veracity of course. But i can't find a similar picture in any other rescue.

Theres no point updating profiles on greyhounds on tags etc. because they're not wanted as pets in Ireland. They're all put up on private rehoming Facebook pages between ourselves and the forge in rescues we work with. Hope that helps!

gozunda

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Then you prolly met my mom too!

I have to say though my time there was really fun and enjoyable.

As far as I am concerned the DSPCA is AMAZING full of really wonderful people. And EVERYONE should go visit and bring their kids. Its open to the public and they have every animal imaginable.

Cept maybe crocodiles. :eek:

I'm probably showing my age but I rememer the old premises in Dublin located under / by the old railway arch. There that shows I am indeed ancient lol...

ILoveYourVibes

gozunda wrote: »

I'm probably showing my age but I rememer the old premises in Dublin located under / by the old railway arch. There that shows I am indeed ancient lol...

Its up in the lovely Dublin mountains now ....with acres of land. Mnt Venus Rd Rathfarnham.

Its horse paradise!

Look at DAT!

ILoveYourVibes

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Its up in the lovely Dublin mountains now ....with acres of land. Mnt Venus Rd Rathfarnham.

Its horse paradise!

Look at DAT!

How the magic happens. From their twitter.

ILoveYourVibes

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Theres no point updating profiles on greyhounds on tags etc. because they're not wanted as pets in Ireland. They're all put up on private rehoming Facebook pages between ourselves and the forge in rescues we work with. Hope that helps!

Nope it doesn't. Sorry I dont buy it.

It seems very dubious that you do it privately.

And they are wanted as pets why do the DSPCA put them up then?

In fact pretty sure you wouldn't be ALLOWED do that in ANY reputable shelter.

ILoveYourVibes

Allegra rescued by the DSPCA.


Allegra recovered. And at a healthy weight.

By the way I hope this shows people that Greyhounds CAN gain weight.

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Theres no point updating profiles on greyhounds on tags etc. because they're not wanted as pets in Ireland. They're all put up on private rehoming Facebook pages between ourselves and the forge in rescues we work with. Hope that helps!

Nope it doesn't. Sorry I dont buy it.

It seems very dubious that you do it privately.

And they are wanted as pets why do the DSPCA put them up then?

In fact pretty sure you wouldn't be ALLOWED do that in ANY reputable shelter.

Dubious? It's Facebook you can have private pages if you want. Most people who come to us for a dog say straight out they've no interest in a greyhound or a lurcher.

You don't sem to believe there's any in shelters. There was 2 rescues full of them on the rte documentary, why not visit one of them and see for yourself? I've nothing to prove to you.

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Allegra rescued by the DSPCA.


Allegra recovered. And at a healthy weight.

By the way I hope this shows people that Greyhounds CAN gain weight.

Nobody said greyhounds can't gain weight. People said SOME greyhounds can't and the remains perfectly true.

ILoveYourVibes

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Nobody said greyhounds can't gain weight. People said SOME greyhounds can't and the remains perfectly true.

That is a really weird thing for someone who says they work in a dog shelter to say.

I would expect more concern. Especially since the number one reason I ever saw for greyhounds being underweight was neglect coupled with a lot of lies. I have heard them all. I don't think we ever had a greyhound that couldn't gain. But then you know we never had the hundreds coming through the door you see.

Why YOU in YOUR job would not suspect neglect as the first reason is puzzling to me.

Your reaction seems odd. And not one i would expect from someone working at an animal shelter.

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Where are these thousands of greyhounds in rescues?

Have checked the Irish Dog trust website and the FB page with photos going back years.

Very few greyhounds.

Ya because if they're not online they obviously don't exist...

ILoveYourVibes

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

That is a really weird thing for someone who says they work in a dog shelter to say.

Why ?

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Nobody said greyhounds can't gain weight. People said SOME greyhounds can't and the remains perfectly true.

That is a really weird thing for someone who says they work in a dog shelter to say.

Why is it weird? You say you know all about animals but yet you've never heard of any who have trouble gaining or maintaining weight? Strange, maybe you're not as experienced or knowledgeable as you think you are. You're posts come across like you're trying to prove how much you know about animals and rescue but the content is really letting down the image you want to portray.

Snugglebunnies

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Nobody said greyhounds can't gain weight. People said SOME greyhounds can't and the remains perfectly true.

That is a really weird thing for someone who says they work in a dog shelter to say.

I would expect more concern. Especially since the number one reason I ever saw for greyhounds being underweight was neglect coupled with a lot of lies. I have heard them all. I don't think we ever had a greyhound that couldn't gain. But then you know we never had the hundreds coming through the door you see.

Why YOU in YOUR job would not suspect neglect as the first reason is puzzling to me.

Your reaction seems odd. And not one i would expect from someone working at an animal shelter.

I just cannot face palm enough at your posts.

gozunda

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Dubious? It's Facebook you can have private pages if you want. Most people who come to us for a dog say straight out they've no interest in a greyhound or a lurcher.

You don't sem to believe there's any in shelters. There was 2 rescues full of them on the rte documentary, ...

Were the 2 rescues shown full of greyhounds named I don't remember that they were Might be wrong though...

Plus what the IRGT are saying is that people are now more willing to adopt greyhounds with all the work which has gone into promoting greyhounds as pets.

And why not give greyhounds a fair chance of being adopted? If they are not profiled on a public website or fb page then they are unlikely to be adopted because no one will see them!.
It's not like a profile on a fb page is expensive tbh.

ILoveYourVibes

Deleted User wrote: »

Why ?

Firstly it shows a huge lack of experience.
I haven't seen a dog who couldn't gain weight. So it at least has to be rare.

Why wouldn't the dogs health be the first priority? If there was even a chance it was neglect someone at a shelter would be concerned NOT defending and coming up with possible excuses.

It would be the number reason you ever see underweight greyhounds in shelters.

And people have strange assumptions about the type of people who abuse dogs. There is no profile.

You hear all the lies and denial in the world. They come across as terribly nice people.
'I can't look after my dog anymore I am moving to the states to study vegetarianism. Yes should couldn't gain weight I feed her four times a day'

The posh breeders. The strays. The trainers. They all have the exact same excuse. I fed him lots! He eats like a horse.

Yet they all gain weight with us.

We have the dog at a healthy weight in 2 months or even less. They usually wolf their food for a few days. And there are other behaviors like 'food guarding'.

So its obvious from the psychological behavior of the dog that they were starved.

When I see an underweight greyhound. That is my immediate thought. Because its all i have seen.

I don't understand snuggles reaction at all. Because i am sure (if she worked at a shelter) she came across owners who came up with the exact SAME excuses.

I am also certain since i have never seen a greyhound who couldn't gain that if its possible its very rare. And it would be much more likely to be lack of food or too much training. (And yes trainers have had dogs taken OFF them because the dog was underweight ).

I don't buy snuggles is working in a rescue at all.

Her first priority would be TO MAKE SURE THE DOG WAS NOT BEING NEGLECTED.


Eliminate that first.

ILoveYourVibes

And yes some dogs come from trainers who have underfed them or over worked them or over bred them.

And they give the exact SAME excuse. The dog couldn't gain weight.

Yet it does with us.

Or at least when i was there that was the case.

ILoveYourVibes

How common is it for greyhounds never to be able to get to a healthy weight despite being fed like maybe three times the normal calorie amount?

The calories we would give might be over 6000 a day to a greyhound trying to gain.

Obv the dog has to be stable and the vet gives the ok. Bloods etc come back right.

Do people realize it has to be that high?

Once at a healthy weight it would be kept that way for a while. We might even get them a bit overweight.

Then very slowly reduced. We would expect some weight loss at that point.

But it just stabilizes.

ILoveYourVibes

Snugglebunnies wrote: »

Dubious? It's Facebook you can have private pages if you want. Most people who come to us for a dog say straight out they've no interest in a greyhound or a lurcher.

You don't sem to believe there's any in shelters. There was 2 rescues full of them on the rte documentary, why not visit one of them and see for yourself? I've nothing to prove to you.

I would expect a shelter that serves only greyhounds to be ...wait for it full of greyhounds.


I have visited LOTS of shelters.

This is my account of volunteering at the DSPCA

Possibly.


I worked with horses mostly. Then the website and reception. Then dogs and cats.

My claim is really true. My mother worked there I mean she did actual paid work for them in graphic design. She did volunteer work too though.

We came in just after the American lady with blonde and REALLY curly hair was hired to revamp it. ( I won't give her name) . She was friends with my mom so that is how we got involved.

Remember the year they had a stand at the dublin horse show? Maybe 2013 ? Not sure. She did all the leaflets

She warned them it was too extreme. They didn't listen though. It was their last stand there for a while!

In fairness to them though it was JUST after they received a whole load of horses in terrible condition. It was very emotional for staff there a lot of them had to be put down. And the DSPCA never puts healthy animals down so you can imagine.

And yes I have seen dogs in TERRIBLE condition. Greyhounds and other breeds.

One other volunteer said to me 'Don't ever name a dog lucky we find its a horribly unlucky name for dogs'.

She was also the one to point out that the K-9 written on the old dog shelter place (the one with the bars not the new one with the glass doors) stood for CANINE. Yeah. I am that blonde!

I can give you a visual mental map of the place if you want further proof.

I can tell you about the tiny dog who lost her leg from an accident with the luas who used to run around.

I can tell you when you walk out from reception the new dog shelter is on your right ..the old one with the iron bars is on the left.

The stables is on the right.

Lake pond bit for ducks etc is beyond the dog walking area.

The cattery is behind the new dog shelter.

The snake spider bit is place i dared NEVER go.

The staff room is to your left a few doors down after you walk past reception. If you are lucky there will be a box of roses inside!

Or well that is the way it was when i was there

Possibly changed now

Oh and yes that means two volunteers had a family member working in the greyhound industry. BURN THEM!

I know there is a problem. I would be the last to hide it. But in a shelter that takes in all dogs greyhounds would be roughly 20%.

Also are you saying a greyhound could be even on 6000 cals a day and STILL not gain weight. That is a greyhound weight gain diet.

A normal greyhound gets around 2800 cals not trying to gain weight. And obv more if they are training.

ILoveYourVibes

And also this whole NOT gaining weight thing etc.

You realize some working dogs in the world take in 9000 calories a day to maintain weight. Sled dogs etc.

2800 is normal daily intake for a NON training greyhound.


EDIT : SLED DOGS EAT TEN THOUSAND CALORIES A DAY

https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/mushing-dogs-eat-1777.html

ILoveYourVibes

I think Maryanne is a trainer or something I would like to ask her how common it is for greyhounds not to be able to gain weight?

I mean i imagine hers would be working etc too.