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International News Fall 2001 Greyhound Rescuers Appeal
for Halt to Torture of Irish Greyhounds in Spain According to Sunday People, the latest figures show there are now more than 800 Irish dogs in Barcelona alone. The malnourished dogs are crammed into meter-square cages and many are suffering from parasitic diseases. Rena Maguire of Belfast, Northern Ireland, a volunteer for Greyhounds in Need (GIN), said the treatment of the dogs is nothing short of a European scandal. “The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) has said it is against this, but it does nothing to educate owners here to tell them that this could happen to their dogs,” she said. GIN is a registered charity founded by Anne Finch of Surrey, England. The group has been responsible for rescuing hundreds of Irish greyhounds from the Spanish tracks and placing them in homes throughout Europe. Paddy O’Dwyer of the IGB said he knew of the stories of mistreatment, but said that Spain was not under the IGB’S jurisdiction. “We can’t be charged with responsibility for what happens in Spain,” he said. “Spain is a minute market with the bulk of retired dogs going to Britain.” “There are thousands of Spanish hunting clubs and they’re not monitored by the law in any way,” Maguire said. “At the end of each season the dogs are taken out, shot, beaten, hanged, burned or impaled,” she said. Witnesses have said that many huntsmen take “great pleasure” in seeing the dogs writhe in agony before they die. “It is heartbreaking to think how people can send these dogs to a life of misery,” Maguire said. “Education is so important because if more people were to know the truth then hopefully they might begin to boycott the Spanish market.” “We are bringing as many dogs back as we can and they stay at the shelter in Bournemouth,” Maguire said. “We’ve gathered boxes of soft bedding and food for the dogs and now we just need to get it over there,” she said. Sunday People appealed to its readers for help in transporting the supplies from Ireland to England. Source: (London) Sunday People: Jason Johnson [International Action: The Irish Greyhound Board is a semi-state body responsible for the control of the greyhound industry in Ireland and the development of the export market. Irish dogs bound for Spain are crammed into dilapidated Spanish lorries for the four- to five-day land and sea journey directly from the parking lot of the Board’s Limerick office. Despite years of international outrage and protest, the Irish Government continues to turn a blind eye to the treatment of the Irish dogs they export to Spain. The only way to stop the torture is to stop the shipments of greyhounds at the source. GNN readers are urged to write, fax, or e-mail Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, imploring her to use her executive power to order an immediate halt to the export of Irish greyhounds to Spain, and to implement regulations at Irish greyhound auctions denying sales to Spanish agents. Please write courteous messages. Write to: Aras an Uachtarain, Phoenix Park, Dublin 8, Ireland; send a fax to: 011-3531-617-1001; or send e-mail: webmaster@aras.irlgov.ie] Greyhound Welfare Debated in the House of Lords Westminster, England: Labour Party life peer Lord David Lipsey generated extensive media interest when he raised the issue of racing greyhound welfare in a July 10 speech delivered to the House of Lords. Unidentified sources quoted in the Racing Post described Lipsey as “an intellectual with a disarmingly low-key manner, but very sure of himself and very firm when he’s made his mind up on an issue. He is prepared to stand his ground even against the toughest of opponents.” Lipsey is also the owner of Zak, a retired racing greyhound. “In his racing days, Zak was a good dog, minor open class. But at the age of five he was disqualified from a race. There is then a six-month gap in his history. He was found wandering the streets in poor condition by Battersea Dogs’ Home, bless them, and he adopted us shortly afterwards. Greyhounds, my Lords, make the most wonderful trouble-free pets.” Lipsey estimated that 10,000 greyhounds are retired each year. “Of these, some 2,000 are rehomed through the industry’s own Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT). Some 1,500 are rehomed through voluntary effort. That leaves some 6,500 unaccounted for. Some may be lucky. Some are unlucky — shipped for example to Spain, where they are kept racing well into their dotage, or abandoned, or murdered, with their ears cut off so they cannot be identified.” Lipsey was critical of both Geoffrey Thomas, chief executive of the British Greyhound Racing Board, and Frank Melville, chief executive of the National Greyhound Racing Club, and said he was not impressed by the dog racing industry’s performance. “It regards itself as a law unto itself. It is led by an unaccountable, self-regarding oligarchy.” Lipsey commended a National Canine Defence League four-point plan calling for research to determine the scale of the abandonment problem, sufficient funds to be made available to the RGT to cope with the numbers, high-profile prosecutions for owners/trainers who abandon their dogs, and better governance of the sport by a single entity. Lipsey said he was not expecting taxpayers’ money. “I should much rather that greyhound racing put its own house in order. But I do ask the minister to make it clear to the industry that it is on probation. If the scandal continues, then it will be time for the Government to ask parliament to act. Yes, my Lords, there are people even now who would ban greyhound racing. “I ask the Government and the House tonight to demonstrate to greyhound racing once and for all that Britain, a civilized society and a society of animal lovers, will not tolerate the continued abuse of these magnificent creatures.” Source: Racing Post: Jim Cremin Surrey, England: Ron Jeffrey, a greyhound trainer for 44 years, has been banned from keeping dogs for a year and fined 700 pounds for failing to provide medical care for a greyhound that had been savagely attacked by two dogs. Jeffrey pleaded guilty to causing Bracken Lass, a 30-month-old female, unnecessary suffering by waiting four days to seek veterinary care, and only then because she collapsed and went into shock. A Royal SPCA inspector called in by the dog's owners described the horrific wounds as the worst he had ever seen. Jeffrey told the Racing Post Aug. 2 that he was "absolutely devastated" by the magistrate's ban and plans to appeal. Bracken Lass survived the ordeal and has since been placed into an adoptive home. Source: Racing Post: Jim Crimin Reading, England: Sian McKenna, wife of Wimbledon trainer Owen McKenna, was hospitalized June 19 after an injured greyhound bit her. McKenna was attending to Oakville Prince, who had been knocked over during a stakes race and had broken his back. The dog bit through his muzzle into McKenna's arm. "The dog's owners saw everything happen. They're still in a state of shock," said Owen McKenna. Source: Racing Post: Richard Birch Limerick, Ireland: A shipment of 50 Irish greyhounds destined for Spain was delayed for a month following an international protest led by the American European Greyhound Alliance (AEGA). The dogs had been sold to Spanish agents at a greyhound auction in Limerick on Aug. 14. Hundreds of phone calls from the United States forced the Irish Department of Agriculture to enforce transport regulations requiring vaccinations and health certificates for exported domestic dogs. The transporter left for Spain on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Volunteers in France were expected to follow the shipment to its destination in Barcelona. For updated information and ways you can help, visit AEGA's website: www.ameurogreyhoundalliance.org
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