Greyhound Racing Banned in NSW

[davidc4430]

just heard a breaking news story on ABC radio saying the NSW govt will ban greyhound racing as of mid next year.

as an owner of an ex racer but not in nsw i will watch with great interest this story as it unfolds.

[lyndal1838]

David no-one is attacking you.  This is what is called discussion and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

There is and always has been good and bad in every industry, whether animal related or not.

While I respect you opinion about banning greyhound racing I ask again....do you think it fair to destroy an industry...ANY INDUSTRY....based on a now discredited report.   And even the author has admitted that the report has many inaccuracies.

[davidc4430]

what difference does my thoughts on the report make?

my stand on the issue is the same as it was before the report was even started.

the fact some of the reports findings are incorrect doesnt mean the killing of thousands of healthy greyhounds isnt happening.

and YES i have no problem with closing down an industry, not because of a report but because they are killing healthy dogs for no good reason. id have the same view if it was ferret racing or pig racing or donkey racing. its not ok to kill animals in the name of entertainment no matter how many 'jobs' are involved.

maybe the greyhound people should switch to breeding english bulldogs, they fetch $6,000 a pup so i read in the paper and you dont have to kill any of the ugly ones.

[lyndal1838]

David you are completely missing my point.   I am not just talking about an industry involving animals which seems to be your only argument.

My point is.....should an industry be closed down based on a few bad eggs in that industry and a now discredited report.

Look at it another way.  There are plenty of complaints about the courier industry and there have been reports about the problems....many of which have been discredited.

Should the industry be closed down on the basis of a few dissatisfied customers?

When there are reports of food poisoning traced back to a few restaurants, should all restaurants be closed down?

You cannot pick and choose what criteria you use for closing something down.....if one industry is going to be closed down based on wrong information, why don't we close down any industry that has false complaints laid against it?

[davidc4430]

why are you talking about bad eggs and couriers?

i'm not a spokesperson for every wrong in the world

i'm not even a spokesperson for the ending of greyhound racing in australia

i'm just one guy who i my eyes sees a wrong in one place and would like to see that wrong made right.

if you have a problem with the decision to ban greyhound racing because you believe theres nothing wrong with the industry or you believe it really is just a 'few bad eggs' you go tell the nsw premier. telling me wont ever change my mind.

and i will never agree its just a few bad eggs, every person making a living out of greyhound racing is condoning the killing of thousands of healthy dogs because they can never rehome them all.

how many punters do you think there would be at the meets if there were adverts on tv like the stop smoking ones showing dogs getting put to sleep so they can have there gambling industry?

this is 'lucky boy', he didnt win any races, came 3rd once....only once, he was a lucky boy, he got to race, then he was put down as no one wanted a slow dog....this is 'dodge the bullet', unfortunately he didnt.

should i continue?

[lyndal1838]

I give up...there are none so blind as those that do not want to see.

Nobody has said there are not problems in the greyhound racing industry and it should be properly investigated.

But is it OK to close an industry based on a discredited report?

We all know you opinion...you have made it very clear.  It is a pity you cannot see other people's points of view and have an intelligent discussion.

[go-tazz]

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@davidc4430 wrote:

i'm just one guy who i my eyes sees a wrong in one place and would like to see that wrong made right.

You have been shown other places but choose to ignore them because of your one track mind.

Try taking your focus away from your dog as that's what's clouding your mind.

and i will never agree its just a few bad eggs, every person making a living out of greyhound racing is condoning the killing of thousands of healthy dogs because they can never rehome them all.

You are completely wrong there and it shows your contempt for innocent people,(the classic tar everyone

with the same brush).

My son trains greyhounds in Victoria and races them in Vic and SA and so far he's had nine dogs,(he still

has four at present).

The other five were all rehomed via gap.

Eight of  them were give away dogs that weren't good enough for city racing but he's managed to have

wins with some of them including a first up win with his first dog,(which he's kept as a pet).

There is one that he paid $400 for and it won the Mount Gambier cup,($7000 first prize).

Most of the prize money was spent on improving kennels so that he could have a couple of extra dogs.

He does all the right things and looks after the dogs and does not condone the killing of any dogs as that's

the way he was brought up,(he has the dogs checked over by a muscle man after each race to make

certain they stay healthy).

---

Most people don't make a living out of racing greyhounds,(they're lucky if they break even and wont put a

dog down because each race day they get $40 which helps in feeding the dog and they become part of the

family).

Big trainers make a living out of it but the individual trainers don't,(unless they are lucky to get a top dog).

Gap is making a difference and in Victoria you can not breed a dog without GRV's permission,(which

requires multiple forms and strict conditions).

So please don't try and tar everyone with the same brush as that's not the case.

[davidc4430]

lets look at your son as you brought it up.

hes had 9 dogs, i'm guessing he didnt breed the 9 dogs.

he purchased 9 dogs.

lets say those 9 dogs came from 9 average litters of 8, that makes 72 pups.

can you tell me in all truth all 72 pups found loving homes after racing was over for them and that none of them were put down? thats just 9 litters working on the average size, the number could be a few less or a whole lot more.

of course you cant.

there in lies the problem, and your son should be as angry as i am that the industry, sport (or whatever you choose to call it) that he wants to be involved in  is killing perfectly good dogs so others can play race the doggy.

no one is pointing at your son and saying he personally is killing any dogs but turning a blind eye to whats going on out of sight in my view is just as bad.

it comes down to simple math, they (the industry) cant find enough homes for every greyhound born once their use as race dogs is over. 

if suddenly tomorrow the industry proves they can reduce wastage to zero i have said, go ahead continue racing. simple.

i'll stop complaining.

i havent even made a fuss about the injuries to the dogs during racing, thats another problem isnt it? if your sons dog fell and broke a leg ending its racing, would he spend the thousands possibly having that leg treated or would he have the dog put down? i dont know, ask him.

i do know if my exracer broke his leg and it could be fixed i would have it done.

my last dog had 2 knee reconstructions at a cost of $5,000, thats careing for your animal.

[go-tazz]

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@davidc4430 wrote:

lets look at your son as you brought it up.

hes had 9 dogs, i'm guessing he didnt breed the 9 dogs.

he purchased 9 dogs.

No he didn't,(he's only purchased one,as the others were give aways)

lets say those 9 dogs came from 9 average litters of 8, that makes 72 pups.

can you tell me in all truth all 72 pups found loving homes after racing was over for them and that none of them were put down? thats just 9 litters working on the average size, the number could be a few less or a whole lot more.

Once again you are letting your emotions overshadow common sense: https://thesportport.com.au/2016/07

/07/greyhound-racing-receives-its-death-knell-in-nsw/

of course you cant.

there in lies the problem, and your son should be as angry as i am that the industry, sport (or whatever you choose to call it) that he wants to be involved in  is killing perfectly good dogs so others can play race the doggy.

Yes he's angry about what has happened and he's one of the new breed of trainers that is trying to

change that with the help of the Greyhound industry..

The older "trainers" are the ones that are at fault as the prize money was to low and slower dogs cost them

money and there was no Gap.

That is all changing all over the country with tracks putting more money in so that even "slower" dogs can

continue racing,(which will reduce the breeding).

no one is pointing at your son and saying he personally is killing any dogs but turning a blind eye to whats going on out of sight in my view is just as bad.

Again,the assumption that he's guilty.

No one is turning a blind eye as to what's happening as they are trying to change things.

it comes down to simple math, they (the industry) cant find enough homes for every greyhound born once their use as race dogs is over. 

if suddenly tomorrow the industry proves they can reduce wastage to zero i have said, go ahead continue racing. simple.

That's impossible and you know it,they have just borrowed the slogan from the road accident commission,(

eg: zero road toll)

Your "wastage" doesn't account for accidents,illness,etc as it simply states all dogs euthanized.

Gap is making a difference and new trainers comming into the sport are also changing the way things were

done.

i'll stop complaining.

i havent even made a fuss about the injuries to the dogs during racing, thats another problem isnt it? if your sons dog fell and broke a leg ending its racing, would he spend the thousands possibly having that leg treated or would he have the dog put down? i dont know, ask him.

He would get it fixed as the same scenario happened last month to another young trainer,(the dog broke it's

leg in a rabbit hole).

i do know if my exracer broke his leg and it could be fixed i would have it done.

my last dog had 2 knee reconstructions at a cost of $5,000, thats careing for your animal.

---

 I know I can't afford to fork out $5000 for an animal,(my OH and my son would find a way).

The older trainers certainly wouldn't.

Killing cattle,sheep,etc is an industry were animals get killed on a regular basis but they are all fine as they

are "bred" for the purpose.

The Greyhound is bred for Greyhound racing.

[***super_nova***]

In the past there were many things acceptable that are not acceptable now.  But most of them were just phased out over time.  The same with the racing industry, it needs to be changed and it will get cleaned up over time, if  the bad people get lifetime bans, and new people coming into the industry will understand that is how it is, over time there will be no such a thing as "wastage".  Also, with all this publicity more and more people are interested in adopting greyhound.  Although I have not bred a litter for number of years now, and have no intention to have another one, I still get puppy enquiries, and I am happy to report that lately several people contacting me were actually tossing between getting a purebred pup of a show breed or GAP greyhound, and after bit of a discussion they decided to see about greyhound. 

Change does not happen over night, attitudes do not change overnight.  Some 50 years ago most Australians thought greyhounds are vicious; I was told by people that they will kill a child or any small animal that would come near them.  LOL  OK they would kill a cat or rabbit if it ran and they caught it, but I knew number of racing greyhounds that lived with cats and slept with the owner's kids.  So, it took many years for attitude towards greyhounds to change, and with bit of luck more and more people will want them and there will be lots of good homes for the slow dogs, specially if it is assured that they are not blooded. 

I saw yesterday(?) on ABC news and 7.30 report segments about the 99 dead dogs, which were reported by current owner of the property, and also a greyhound trainer.  Then there was a segment with a trainer, an old man in tears who keeps all the slow retired dogs on the property he bought for the purpose and the training pays the mortgage and feeds all these dogs.  If the industry is shut down it will destroy him, he will lose his property, and it will mean death to most of his dogs.  And there will be number of people like him.  Not to mention that it will devastate towns like Dapto, which gets income from people coming for the races. 

[davidc4430]

thats the best post you have written. i hope if the banning doesnt happen what you say does.

i just cant believe the idea they can cut the excess breeding to a point where wastage doesnt happen any more.

i do believe the bad apples who do very nasty things can be weeded out, its just the huge number of no hoper dogs that will never be winners on the track that get the chop i cant live with on my concience.

as live with my big buddy foo i see what wonderful dogs these are every day so the thought of just one being killed because he or she couldnt run fast enough is just a price i cant agree too.

my boy was a winner, not huge, but not a loser. he had career winnings of $20,000 over 2 years.

i dont know if thats good bad or in the middle. but as a mate hes worth millions.