Going, going, gone: Animals Count supports ban on betting on racing dogs
On 30th April DEFRA opened a consultation on the welfare of racing greyhounds regulations 2010. Animals Count believes the proposals do not go far enough to safeguard the welfare of greyhounds, and instead supports the 'Racing Dog Protection Act' (RDPA) initiative which calls on the government to ban betting on racing animals. Betting is the driving force behind the industry.
There is a common misconception that commercial greyhound racing is harmless. 'Dogs love to run,' you often hear people say. The reality is that to make dog racing a lucrative business, thousands of greyhounds have to be destroyed every year. There are many serious ethical and welfare concerns, including overbreeding and killing of litters, transport (mostly from Ireland) in unacceptably small cages, cruel training methods and poor husbandry standards, injuries, disease, and killing and disposal of dogs when they are 'no longer profitable'.
For more information, visit the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Racing Animals (SPCRA) website.
To view Animals Count's submission, click on Response to DEFRA re: greyhound consultation (July 2009)
24 July, 2009 
Another expose of shot unwanted greyhounds
The Times reporter Daniel Foggo has again exposed a dodgy mechanism to get rid of unwanted greyhounds. Alan Waller of a knacker's yard in Hertfordshire admitted killing a number of dogs a week using a bolt gun for £20 each. According to greyhound industry rules, dogs should be put down only as a last resort and always by a vet, who would charge about £60.
Animals Count is shocked to learn that yet again the industry is responsible for wholesale premature killing of sentient beings. The Animal Welfare Act clearly states 'a duty to care' and disposing of 'unprofitable' dogs is in direct contrast with this duty.
On 26th September the Internationals Society Against Exploitation of Racing Animals (ISAERA) convened a meeting for animal protection groups to discuss the way forward to end suffering and killing of thousands of racing greyhounds. Animals Count and the Green Party supported this initiative.
Initial research carried out by ISAERA demonstrated that injured dogs usually do not get back on to the racing tracks. Statistics over February 2008 showed that most dogs that didn't finish a race (259) were not seen in subsequent races. If February is a typical month, there are at least over 3,300 incidents a year.
We also know that the number of rehomed greyhounds is far lower than the number of animals bred for racing (>18,000) annually. According to an All Parliament Group on Animal Welfare (APGAW) report, over 12,000 dogs are unaccounted for each year.
Secondary legislation will be drafted in the new year to regulate the greyhound racing industry. Animals Count believes that regulation will not result in improved welfare or avoidance of premature killing of dogs. The implementation costs of true welfare improvements are simply prohibitive for an already declining industry that loses money at tracks.
As long as betting is the driving force behind the industry, resulting in the breeding of faster dogs that can only race a few seasons and then become 'unprofitable', welfare and health issues will remain an inherent problem. We believe the revenue the government makes from betting is unethical, and the public does not accept governments gaining from blood money. We therefore urge DEFRA to phase out the racing industry, just as it has taken a stance against the intensive battery cage industry.
2 November, 2008
Animals Count joins forces with ISAERA to improve welfare of racing greyhounds
An initiative to improve racing greyhounds' welfare was launched by Animals Count and the International Society Against Exploitation of Racing Animal's (ISAERA) in London on 26 September 2008. The results of a new investigation into animal suffering as a result of commercial greyhound racing in the UK was presented to animal protection groups and international dog experts. Everyone agreed there is a need for more data.
29 September, 2008
Greyhound stadium Walthamstow to close
After years of campaigning, the greyhound racing track in Walthamstow will be closing down in August. The greyhound industry has been exposed several times for their unethical treatment of dogs, leading to dogs in pain and having injuries while racing, surplus animals and those that have become too slow to be disposed of or sold to be experimented on and poor rehoming rates. Animals Count believes that betting should be banned, not only for dog welfare, but because betting has damaging effects on people too (addiction, desensitisation, etc.) More on this topic in a few months. Watch this space!
20 May, 2008