The “Say No To Greyhound Racing in Scotland” group has condemned the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) for taking nearly five months to report a serious welfare breach to authorities.
The breach relates to a neglected Irish greyhound who was discovered in an emaciated state by an inspector who described it as “the worst condition of a greyhound I have seen”.
Quoted in a report in The Ferret today, the campaign group describes as “utterly appalling” the length of time it took for the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to be informed about the death of the greyhound named Dudleys Forever.
“This time delay is commonplace and smacks of delaying tactics to protect their own,” a Say No To Greyhound Racing in Scotland spokesperson commented. “Racing greyhounds are the forgotten dogs in this country and that is wholly wrong.”
The Scottish SPCA has said that if it had been informed of the case sooner it would have “prepared a report for the procurator fiscal to consider a prosecution.”
Details of the case were originally highlighted by The Ferret in February. It reported that greyhound trainer, Chris Sillars, was banned for life by the GBGB for breaching animal welfare rules regarding Dudleys Forever.
An inspector who discovered the emaciated greyhound said it was “the worst condition of a greyhound I have seen”. The greyhound weighed just over 16 kg and was put down by a vet a few hours later.
Read the full report at
https://theferret.scot/campaigners-failure-prosecute-greyhound-trainer/
Despite the suffering of the greyhound in what was described as "a clear case of animal abuse", Greyhound Racing Ireland considers it appropriate to continue including a listing for Chris Sillars on its website - https://www.igb.ie/results/greyhound-search/owners-page/?oid=633262 Elsewhere on the site, Sillars is listed as the owner of a greyhound named Rowallan Rose https://www.igb.ie/results/greyhound-search/greyhound-details/?gid=ROWALLAN%20ROSE
In Greyhound Racing Ireland's listing for Dudleys Forever, there is no indication that the greyhound left Ireland or that she suffered and died https://www.igb.ie/results/greyhound-search/greyhound-details/?gid=Dudleys%20forever
PREVIOUSLY: "THE WORST CONDITION OF A GREYHOUND I HAVE SEEN”: Another appalling case of cruelty to an Irish greyhound in the nasty greyhound industry.
The latest edition of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) "Calendar" publication (17 January 2020) includes details of a recent Disciplinary Committee Inquiry which provides yet another shocking insight into the suffering of greyhounds.
The report relates to greyhound Dudleys Forever who, according to the Irish Greyhound Board website, was born here in November 2015 and was run in trials at Drumbo Park stadium (Northern Ireland) and Dundalk stadium at the end of 2016. She was subsequently raced in Drumbo Park in December 2016 and January 2017, with prize money of €0.00, before being exported to Scotland.
There, she ended up with "professional trainer" Chris Sillars. The GBGB inquiry, held on 17 December 2019, found Sillars to be "in breach of rules 2, 152 (i) and (ii), and 174 (xi) of the GBGB Rules of Racing in that every person shall have full regard to greyhound welfare and shall accept provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, to ensure that the needs of a greyhound for which they are responsible are met to the extent required by good practice."
Among those speaking at the inquiry was Alex McTaggart, a Stipendiary Steward at Shawfield Stadium in Glasgow...
According to the report:
"Mr McTaggart gave evidence that he had made a routine visit to Mr Sillars’ kennels on 2 September 2019 at 13.45. There was no reply, but the kennels were not secured so Mr McTaggart gained access. He reported that the GBGB kennel block had contained nine greyhounds and there was a further greyhound in a Chicube kennel. There were four other greyhounds in another non-registered block that had been previously deemed unusable by Mr McTaggart. One of these dogs, Dudleys Forever, a black bitch that had last raced at Shawfield on 24 November 2018, was in such poor condition that Mr McTaggart described it as ‘the worst condition of a greyhound I have seen’. Video evidence was presented to the Committee. Mr McTaggart said that in his opinion this was a matter of animal cruelty.
"Mr McTaggart said that on the same afternoon as his visit, he had spoken by telephone to Mr Sillars who had informed him that Dudleys Forever was eating well, and had been to the vet two months previously. Mr McTaggart told Mr Sillars that the bitch needed to see a vet as a matter of urgency. Mr Sillars complied and took the greyhound to Abbey Vet Group later that day. The veterinary report was given in evidence and stated that the bitch weighed 16.3 kg with a body condition score of 1/5. Further tests were not undertaken, and the bitch was euthanased.
"The following day, Mr McTaggart met Mr Sillars who accepted that it was not true that Dudleys Forever had been seen by a vet recently. It was on 2 December 2018 (i.e. ten months previously) when, according to the Treatment Book, she had been treated for ‘an infection’. Mr Sillars told Mr McTaggart that the bitch had started losing weight in May 2019, but continued to eat well; he said he did not wish to take her to the vet as he thought she would ‘just be put to sleep’. He accepted in his statement that he should have taken her sooner to the vet."
The Disciplinary Committee viewed this as "a clear case of animal abuse".
In a statement, the committee commented: "The distressing video clip endorsed the opinion of a highly experienced Stipendiary Steward that this was the worst condition of a greyhound he had ever seen, and the Committee concurred. When presented to the veterinary surgeon, Dudleys Forever weighed only 16.3kg (against a racing weight of 24-26kg). The Committee deplored the neglect of this greyhound and concluded that Mr Sillars had treated the greyhound with cruelty and in such a manner as to cause the greyhound unnecessary suffering. The deliberate decision of Mr Sillars not to seek veterinary attention was wholly unacceptable. The Committee considered the offence to be a prima facie breach of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and urged the GBGB to send the details of the case to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service in Edinburgh."
The Committee ordered that Sillars be warned off indefinitely.
Around 80 per cent of the greyhounds used for racing in the UK are born in Ireland. Thousands are exported every year. Speaking at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on 19 September 2019, Greyhound Racing Ireland CEO, Ger Dollard stated: “Greyhounds are being bred for export to the UK, to which we export 6,500 greyhounds a year.”
Here in Ireland, greyhounds continue to suffer and die. Around 6,000 are killed every year because they are not fast enough to win races. Last year's "Greyhounds Running for their Lives" documentary showed disturbing scenes of unwanted greyhounds being delivered to a knackery to be shot in the head and dumped into a skip. Watch the documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
SEE ALSO
Five Irish greyhounds exported to the UK are at the centre of an HORRIFIC case of animal neglect which has led to a warrant being issued for the arrest of a greyhound breeder and trainer. https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/photos/a.463548137094083/2651981721584036/
A RED C opinion poll commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports and Greyhound Action Ireland shows that two out of every three Irish adults agree that the government should stop funding greyhound racing. https://www.facebook.com/banbloodsports/photos/a.463548137094083/2443706942411516/
ACTION ALERT
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Another €19.2 million of scarce public funds has been approved for greyhound racing for 2021. Since 2001, greyhound racing has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money. Please contact your local TDs and demand that they vote against this latest funding.
Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
Email: alan.kelly@oir.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alankellytd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alankellylabour