Italian

Some tourist offices and travel agencies suggest visits to Irish dog racing tracks to school groups on educational trips or study holidays to Ireland.

Greyhound racing tracks are places where gambling takes place, and where dogs that are injured are killed.

Every year at least ten thousand greyhounds disappear in Ireland, many killed as puppies because considered unsuited to racing, others because too slow.

Those who survive are kept in conditions which are contrary to those that in our country would be considered acceptable standards of animal welfare.

In Ireland greyhounds are considered agricultural goods, not pets.

A dog racing track is therefore not an educational place, and it is contrary to the values of our education system and our culture: in our country commercial dog racing is forbidden.

Places like dog racing tracks should neither be suggested to students by tourist offices or travel agencies, nor included by teachers in programs for school trips or study holidays.

We ask the Minister for Education Stefania Giannini to send a directive to all schools inviting them to follow this recommendation.

Stefania Traini
President of Pet levrieri Onlus
www.petlevrieri.it

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In Italian