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A 2-year-old Irish greyhound died in an horrific incident at a UK track on Sunday (13 August 2023).
Sickening race footage shows the young dog, named Maybe Sparks, crashing head-first into a trackside rail at speed and tumbling to the ground https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1019599169215336
Commenting on the death, greyhound campaign group CAGED Nationwide stated: “RIP 2-year-old greyhound boy, Maybe Sparks. Barely a pup, Sparks hit the rails while forced to race at Sunderland race track. He lost his little life just 4 days after his 2nd birthday.”
A listing for Maybe Sparks on the Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that he was born on 9th August 2021 and was used in a single trial at Thurles track on 25 November 2022. Sometime after that, he was exported to the UK.
There, he was first used in a trial at Sheffield track on 18 January 2023. This was followed by four trials at Sunderland track in March and April. He was later used in the first of 15 races at Sunderland track between 20 April and his final race on 13 August 2023.
Maybe Sparks is the latest in an ever-growing list of greyhound racing victims.
Greyhound Board of Great Britain statistics show that in 2022, 4,354 injuries were sustained during races, with 306 deaths among greyhounds used for racing, and 99 trackside fatalities.
In Ireland in 2022, at least 287 greyhounds suffered injuries and 122 were killed at races. This includes 114 who were “euthanised due to the severity of their injuries” and 8 racing fatalities “whereby greyhounds died during or immediately after racing occurred”. One of these greyhounds collapsed, one sustained a neck injury, two suffered head injuries, one died with abdominal bleeding and three were listed as “sudden death”. The 2022 Greyhound Racing Ireland figures bring to 3,050 the number of greyhounds known to have been injured and 1,060 the number killed in racing at Irish tracks since 2014.
ACTION ALERT
Don’t support cruel greyhound racing. Join us in again urging the Irish Government to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat.
6 reasons to say NO to greyhound racing – Please print and distribute the leaflet and help bring cruel greyhound racing to an end in Ireland. Download from https://banbloodsports.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/6-reasons-to-say-no-to-greyhound-racing-2023.pdf
Since 2001, over €328 million in funding has been handed over to Greyhound Racing Ireland, including €19.2 million for 2021, €17.6 million for 2022 and €18.2 million for 2023. It’s time for politicians to stop the funding and allow unpopular greyhound racing to die a death.
Please contact your local TDs and urge them to oppose this 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/LeoVaradka
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
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
Please sign and share the petitions
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
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://youtu.be/ZYTb2qBjlMM