And We Call Ourselves Civilised

When I was last in London, with school, we planned to go see a greyhound race. And I am so glad we never went; What is done to the dogs is abominable. They breed several hundreds, if not thousands, to find that one great racing dog. The rest are killed or left to roam on their own. Once a puppy is chosen as a potential racing dog, it is trained and continually evaluated until such time as it is old, or fast enough to race. Those that prove undesirable along the way, due to injury, lack of speed or illness are killed off, or, again, left to roam. At this point most dogs have identity-tags of some kind, the most common being tattooed ears. To avoid repercussions if these dogs are found, the breeders cut off their ears.

If a dog makes it all the way to the racing tracks, through inhumane conditions, tiny cages and minimal nutrition (to keep them sharp and alert), they remain there a few years at most. Breeding, and then keeping a greyhound, no matter how miserable the conditions, is expensive. So, when a dog is no longer a financial asset, it is killed.

For the duration of their short lives they are not cared for: their paws are not taken care of, uncleaned cuts get infected, their claws are left to grow. If anyone pays any attention to the claws, it is to remove them: without painkillers, and without taking care of the subsequent wound. No veterinarians come near them, their miniscule cages are not cleaned. The trainers and handlers regularly abuse them.

I have never been as happy about plans being cancelled, as I am about not supporting this sickening industry. And we call ourselves civilised. No dog should ever be put through this for human entertainment.

And We Call Ourselves Civilised

When I was last in London, with school, we planned to go see a greyhound race. And I am so glad we never went; What is done to the dogs is abominable. They breed several hundreds, if not thousands, to find that one great racing dog. The rest are killed or left to roam on their own. Once a puppy is chosen as a potential racing dog, it is trained and continually evaluated until such time as it is old, or fast enough to race. Those that prove undesirable along the way, due to injury, lack of speed or illness are killed off, or, again, left to roam. At this point most dogs have identity-tags of some kind, the most common being tattooed ears. To avoid repercussions if these dogs are found, the breeders cut off their ears.

If a dog makes it all the way to the racing tracks, through inhumane conditions, tiny cages and minimal nutrition (to keep them sharp and alert), they remain there a few years at most. Breeding, and then keeping a greyhound, no matter how miserable the conditions, is expensive. So, when a dog is no longer a financial asset, it is killed.

For the duration of their short lives they are not cared for: their paws are not taken care of, uncleaned cuts get infected, their claws are left to grow. If anyone pays any attention to the claws, it is to remove them: without painkillers, and without taking care of the subsequent wound. No veterinarians come near them, their miniscule cages are not cleaned. The trainers and handlers regularly abuse them.

I have never been as happy about plans being cancelled, as I am about not supporting this sickening industry. And we call ourselves civilised. No dog should ever be put through this for human entertainment.