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BBC News
22-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Greyhound racing ban Wales: 'My dog lost its leg at the track'
A man who adopted a greyhound that lost a leg while racing believes the "cradle to grave" attitude towards the breed must Havard, 58, from Cardiff, first met Gilly six years ago when she was dumped by her owner after breaking her Welsh government announced on Tuesday the sport would be banned "as soon as practically possible" and was not "impossible" before the next Senedd election in Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) said experts and vets were on site at all times to ensure the highest possible standards of welfare. Mr Havard has been a long-time supporter of a ban, even before he met Gilly, and said he was "very pleased" about the announcement."She came to us three-legged because she broke her leg on the Valley track and was left there by her trainer," he was taken in by charity Hope Rescue, and Mr Havard said there was a "nervousness" about her when she was first adopted. He said this was common among former racing greyhounds who struggle to adopt to life outside the track. "They've lived their lives in concrete boxes. If they're lucky with another greyhound."He said the bedding-in process can "take three to six months", but added it has been a joy to see her transform into the "settled" and "happy" dog she is Havard said Gilly is now "bold, curious and very tolerant" and loves playing with other dogs. Mr Havard was one of 35,000 people to sign a Senedd petition to ban the sport, which had cross-party support and a government consultation. There is only one greyhound track in Wales, the Valley Greyhound Stadium in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly county, which became licensed by The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) in 2023 after a £2m upgrade. Elsewhere, one of London's oldest tracks, the Crayford Greyhound Stadium, closed due to "dwindling support", while New Zealand is also planning a ban due to an "unacceptably high" injury rate. But animal welfare campaigners argued the number of races increased in Wales last year, citing streaming and betting. Mr Havard said the industry did not care about dogs, only "winning and getting money from them". He claimed 80% of greyhounds bred for racing were born in Ireland, where they often go from "cradle to grave"."You can't have one puppy per litter, you need six or seven," he said. "So they choose the best one, and then they get rid of the rest."He said the solution was to close the tracks "stifle the supply and kill the demand for these dogs". Beca Brown, 51, from Llanrug, Gwynedd, also saw signs of mistreatment when she adopted her greyhound, Nel. "Nel was very unsocialised, quite afraid of everything, but particularly men. She was very reactive to any other dog breeds that weren't greyhounds," she Gwynedd councillor, also a trustee of Welsh Greyhound Rescue, said greyhounds had been "othered" in contrast to other breeds."People would be up in arms if that was a labrador or spaniel. But somehow we look at them as racing dogs."When they come out into into the pet world, they just don't know how to behave."She said she was "so glad" the sport was being banned in Wales and she hoped other nations would follow suit. Lizzie Culpin, from Greyhound Rescue Wales, helps to rehabilitate ex-racing dogs in Garnant, said the oval track caused significant problems for the dogs, with broken legs and musculoskeletal injuries most said the charity currently held 19 dogs in its 20 kennels and the charity was "prepared" for an influx after the ban, with fears hundreds of dogs will be discarded."We are working with lots of other charities so that no greyhound will go without a home," she said."It's a very dangerous situation for a greyhound to be in," she added. Greyhound Rescue Wales' chief executive Tim Doyle called the announcement "momentous". "We are pleased that the Welsh government has put animal welfare first and added Wales to the extensive list of countries that have banned greyhound racing in recent years," he said the charity was focusing on rehoming greyhounds with the total number "unlikely to decrease in the near future".A deal to support the Welsh government's spending plans, including the ban, is expected on Tuesday with support from Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds, who said earlier this week racing dogs underwent "needless" suffering. The GBGB said this was an admission the Welsh government's decision had more to do with passing the budget than racing itself. Mark Bird, its chief executive, said: "This is not how any piece of legislation should be decided upon and is the kind of cynical behaviour that destroys people's trust in government leaving them totally disillusioned about how politicians behave."The GBGB also said all greyhounds racing at officially licensed tracks were supported by a retirement scheme. A £420 bond shared between owners and GBGB helps with costs associated with retirement, including kennelling and caring for the dog until a home is found.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Kent rescue dog heading to Crufts as Hero Dog finalist
As a puppy, Tilly was abandoned in a washing basket on a roundabout and left to two years later, she is heading to Crufts as a finalist for an award recognising the huge positive difference she has working in prisons and schools to training as a service dog, Tilly has proved that anything is possible for a and her owner Emily Washington, 39, from Strood, are now preparing to compete against four other finalists in the rescue dog category for the Kennel Club's Hero Dog award in March. Emily said: "She's such a joyful little soul."She passed her Pets in Therapy temperament assessment at just nine months old, which is the youngest you can do it, because she's just got a really special something about her."Since being found by dog rescue charity Hope Rescue and taken in by Emily, Tilly has been awarded both the silver and bronze Good Citizen award, and is a champion at Barn Hunt, a sport that simulates rat sniffing and is also training as an assistance dog, learning to detect Emily's migraines up to 48 hours before they happen so Emily can take medication and prepare. Emily added: "It's great that the Kennel Club are doing this, recognising what rescue dogs can do for people, how far they can come and that rescue is best."I mean who's rescued who? That's what I always say, because it feels like she's saved me as much as I saved her."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘End this horrendous cruelty now' Senedd calls for greyhound racing ban
Senedd members reiterated cross-party calls for a ban on greyhound racing due to 'horrendous cruelty' at the last remaining track in Wales. Carolyn Thomas told the Senedd the future of greyhound racing has been high on the agenda since a 2022 petition calling for a ban was signed by more than 35,000 people. Ms Thomas said the Hope Rescue charity founded by Vanessa Waddon, who submitted the petition, has first-hand experience of horrendous cruelty at the Valley Greyhound Stadium. She warned that dogs have lost their lives and regularly suffered life-changing injuries at the greyhound racing track in Ystrad Mynach. Ms Thomas said: 'Hope Rescue started when Vanessa found Last Hope back in 2004, a greyhound from the Valley track found shot with a captive bolt gun, with its ears hacked off." Ms Thomas, chairing the Senedd cross-party group on animal welfare and the petitions committee, thanked the 'Cut the Chase' coalition of campaigning charities. She pointed out that two-thirds of respondents to a Welsh Government consultation were in favour of a phased or imminent ban on greyhound racing. Leading a debate on February 12, Ms Thomas told the Senedd that 389 dogs involved in racing on British tracks died in 2023, a 44 per cent increase on the previous year. The Labour politician stressed: 'Greyhound racing is a cruel, unsustainable, out-of-date industry which we must resign to the past.' She pointed to plans for a ban in New Zealand, where the industry is worth £73m a year and employs 1,000 people, due to injuries and the deaths of dogs. Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds, whose first rescue greyhound called Arthur died in 2023, said: "He was only with us for three years because of the injuries and trauma he'd experienced. 'I hope we get this ban because in my head it'll be Arthur's law.' The Conservatives' Altaf Hussain said: 'I wholeheartedly agree that we need to end the cruelty that is greyhound racing and we need to end it today.' Huw Irranca-Davies, the deputy first minister responsible for animal welfare policy, told Senedd members that the next steps will be shared in the spring as part of the development of a wider national model for the regulation of animal welfare.
