Grenagh GAA club in County Cork  is being urged to say NO to greyhound track fundraising. The club is planning a “Night at the Dogs” fundraiser at Curraheen Park stadium in November.

The club held a similar fundraiser in 2018 and since then, the horrors of greyhound racing have been further exposed. RTE's award-winning “Greyhounds running for their lives” documentary revealed that thousands of greyhounds are killed behind the scenes every year simply because they are not fast enough. It included disturbing scenes of dogs being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM 

The programme featured a damning report which Greyhound Racing Ireland attempted to hide. This revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they don’t make the grade. The report estimated that, for example, a total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were killed for “failure to produce qualifying times”, “failure to produce desired entry level times” and for an “unacceptable decline in performance”.

Dogs also suffer and die at tracks, including at Curraheen Park.

In an appeal to Grenagh GAA club to choose an alternative fundraising method, we told them that at races around Ireland in the past nine years, at least 3,050 greyhounds suffered injuries and 1,060 died or were killed. Among the victims were a greyhound who collapsed after a race and died of a heart attack, a greyhound who was carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”, a greyhound who collapsed and died with a “haemorrhage into the abdomen from a rupture of the aorta”, a greyhound who “collided with a boundary wall and died on impact”, a greyhound with a severed spine and greyhounds who suffered broken necks and died.

At Curraheen Park track since 2015, 190 greyhounds suffered injuries and 75 died or were killed.

“We hope that your club will show compassion for the animals who suffer and die in this inherently cruel activity and join the many companies, clubs and charities which have rejected greyhound racing,” we stated.

GAA club fundraisers at tracks are helping to keep cruel greyhound racing afloat – the track takes a 30-40 per cent commission from ticket sales and also profits from gambling and food/drink sales on the night.

Greyhound racing is also sustaining the cruel bloodsport of hare coursing – all greyhounds used in track racing are registered with the Irish Coursing Club and the registration fees help fund coursing activities. In coursing, thousands of hares are snatched from the wild every year for use as live bait for greyhounds at coursing meetings. Hares are terrorised while desperately running for their lives and there are injuries and deaths due to maulings.

As sports clubs struggle to raise funds for vital equipment and improvements to their grounds, the government is continuing to hand out millions of euros to Greyhound Racing Ireland. More than €328 million has been granted since 2001, including €19.2 million for 2021, €17.6 million for 2022 and €18.2 million for 2023. This squandering of public funds must stop – the money needs to be redirected to sports clubs, health groups, schools, environmental projects, animal rescue centres and other worthy causes crying out for support.

ACTION ALERT

Appeal to Grenagh GAA to show compassion for the animals and choose an alternative fundraising venue.

Grenagh GAA
Email: grenaghgaaclub@gmail.com; secretary.grenagh.cork@gaa.ie 
Leave a comment on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Grenagh-GAA-Club-143912875680297/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Grenaghgaa

Join us in urging the GAA to tell member clubs to stop fundraising at greyhound tracks.

Email: queries@gaa.ie; nationalchildrensofficer@gaa.ie 
Leave a comment on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/officialgaa
Tweet to @officialgaa

Don’t attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties or other events held at greyhound tracks.

Please sign and share the petitions

Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-racing

Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing

Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM