Three Irish greyhounds were destroyed at a Vets4Pets in the UK, the latest edition of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s Calendar publication (13 February 2026) has revealed.

The three dogs were identified as: 

Vancouver Tank - This greyhound was just 3 and a half years old when killed. He was used in trials and races at Clonmel, Thurles and Waterford tracks between September 2021 and March 2022 before export to the UK. His final race in Ireland was at Clonmel track on 13 March 2022 (less than a year before he was killed).

Monbeg Blazing - The Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that before being exported to the UK, this 4-year-old greyhound was used in two trials and two races at Enniscorthy track between June and August 2021.

Jumeirah Grove - There is no listing for this dog on the Greyhound Racing Ireland website but the Irish Coursing Club site lists the breeder and owner as “Mr. Jimmy Buckley, Galway”. Jimmy Buckley is a Country & Western singer and hare coursing supporter. Jumeirah Grove was used 50 times at Doncaster track between 17 February 2021 and 26 November 2022. A UK racing website listed the owner as “Mr J Buckley”. It is unknown if there was any change of ownership between the dog’s final race on 26 November 2022 and when he was killed 41 days later.

Details about the killing of the three dogs are contained in a sickening report about a Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) Disciplinary Committee Inquiry held on 23 October 2025. 

It outlines that assistant professional greyhound trainer Craig Mottram was “found to be in breach of Rule 174(vi) of the GBGB Rules of Racing in that he had made false statements and signed a false signature in retirement forms submitted to GBGB in respect of the greyhounds Vancouver Tank, Monbeg Blazing and Jumeirah Grove” and that “Mottram had acted in a manner prejudicial to the integrity, proper conduct or good reputation of greyhound racing contrary to Rule 152(ii)”. 

According to evidence before the Disciplinary Committee, which was previously presented at a local inquiry at Doncaster Stadium on 28 June 2023, “three greyhounds, Vancouver Tank, Monbeg Blazing and Jumeirah Grove were euthanised at Vets4Pets, Durham on 5 January 2023”.

“There had been some concern and discussion at the Local Inquiry as to whether euthanasia was justified but this issue was not one which the Disciplinary Committee was being asked to review,” the report added.

No details were provided about the reasons for destroying the three dogs.

The report went on to state:

“Three retirement forms were signed by the vet on 21 April and sent to Mr Mottram who forwarded them to Doncaster Racecourse on 17 May. There was some uncertainty as to the cause of the delay in signature. While there was evidence that Mr Mottram might have been slow to provide forms to the vet there was also evidence that the vet might have used forms held by the practice. In any event the forms were out of date and details of the dogs euthanised had not been filled in. GBGB asked Mr Mottram to use the up to date form and ensure they were fully completed.

“Mr Mottram therefore requested further retirement forms from the senior paddock steward at Doncaster Stadium on 31 May 2023. The forms were returned as completed less than an hour later. The forms were sent to GBGB who were clearly suspicious and on 6 June visited the vet whose signature purported to be on these later forms. The vet said that his name was incorrectly spelt, the postcode of his address wrong on two forms and the signature in the vet’s section of the form was not his. At the Local Inquiry, Mr Mottram admitted to completing the vet’s section of the form and forging the signature of the vet on the forms submitted on 31 May. He said the reason was that he wanted to avoid delays while the forms were sent to the vet, referring to the delay in finalising the earlier forms submitted on 17 May.

“Mr Weston on behalf of the GBGB argued that the motive was fraud, an attempt to recover rehoming bond money. The Committee considered the evidence pointed more to carelessness and a lack of knowledge and determined that fraud had not been proven.

“Clearly, Mr Mottram had in effect made a false statement and signed a false signature in presenting forms to the GBGB as signed and completed by the vet when they had not been completed or signed by him. There were therefore breaches of Rule174(vi). The Committee accepted that this falsification constituted a breach of Rule 152(ii) as it amounted to behaving in a manner prejudicial to the integrity of greyhound racing. As a consequence of the above breaches Rule 152(i) was also breached.

“The Committee then considered the appropriate sanction. While it could be argued that Mr Mottram was simply correcting an administrative error the Committee noted that retirement forms were important in tracking retiring dogs and checking on their welfare. It was important that the forms were correctly completed and the breaches were serious. Forgery might well lead to disqualification. On the other hand, the Committee were told that Mr Mottram had an excellent record and noted that he had co-operated in the Inquiry and been put to some inconvenience when his case was adjourned at the request of the Committee on 19 August and he had also assisted in moving the time of this hearing. The Committee determined that an appropriate sanction in respect of the breaches taken together would be a reprimand and penalty of £500.”

Read the full GBGB Disciplinary Committee Inquiry report at
https://gbgb-prod-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/13090012/LINKSGBGB-13-2-26.pdf#page=9

ACTION ALERT

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Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat in Ireland.

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
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Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
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Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
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Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
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Please sign and share the petitions

Stop supporting the cruel greyhound “industry”
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry

GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
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SEE ALSO

Country music singer Jimmy Buckley is a greyhound breeder and coursing sponsor
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2017/07/14/country-music-singer-jimmy-buckley-is-a-greyhound-breeder-and-coursing-sponsor/

“Positive test” for greyhound owned by singer Jimmy Buckley
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/positive-test-for-greyhound-owned-by-singer-jimmy-buckley/

Greyhound racing reference in singer Daniel O’Donnell’s Sunday World column
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/greyhound-racing-reference-in-singer-daniel-odonnells-sunday-world-column/