(Letter in Irish Examiner- December 1st)
Early morning racing a bad move
The introduction of early morning track racing represents a cynical and irresponsible move by our greyhound industry. It will exacerbate the havoc already wrought by this economically embattled sector on problem gamblers, the people from whom it takes a disproportionate amount of money- up to 200,000 of them in Ireland according to one charity.
Just the thought of this industry makes me want to retch. Large numbers of greyhounds are injured annually on the tracks, and dogs whose running days are over often end up in shallow graves with their heads bashed in. That’s apart altogether from the widespread doping of greyhounds to slow them down or make them run faster.
And then there’s hare coursing, which benefits financially from greyhound racing as every track racing greyhound must be registered (for a hefty fee) with the Irish Coursing Club. We are halfway through the new coursing season and already film footage has been obtained of hares being struck, pinned to the ground and tossed about by dogs in front of laughing fans who didn’t appear remotely concerned about the plight of the terrified animals performing for them.
We talk about the hazards of smoking and drinking, but this industry that should carry a triple health warning: It brings untold misery to nan’s best friend, terrorizes the gentlest creature in the Irish countryside, and now appears set to drag huge numbers of gambling addicts even deeper into the bottomless pit of addiction.
John Fitzgerald
Callan
Co Kilkenny
* I address the reality of hare coursing in Ireland and what happens to greyhounds once their running days are over (among other issues) in my recently published novel "Time to Stop Running." Sincere thanks to all who sent good wishes. I can't reply individually to every person who has contacted me, so don't be offended if I fail to get back, but thanks a million! Info on the book can be found at this link:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Stop-Running-John-Fitzgerald-ebook/dp/B07KK1F53Z/
or on my Facebook page titled Time to Stop Running:
https://www.facebook.com/IrishHareBook/