mita

I referred to the highly competitive nature of a racing industry that's driven by high revenues from gambling. It's the high competition which drives participants to want to produce winners. It's the high revenues that feed and sustain the size of the industry. Both of which, in turn, determine a high annual production rate, with consequent wastage that provides a challenge for our relatively small population to absorb.... in ways compatible with growing community expectations re the welfare & future of dogs. I've repeated myself.

One statistic that is available is the number of racing greyhounds 'produced' each year. I posted much earlier a link to a survey research article from one of the universities quoting an annual figure & placing it alongside figures for other countries. They concluded Australia is the 3rd largest 'producer' of racing greyhounds in the world, behind Ireland and the US (does that mean racing is not banned in all states there?). Australia wasn't all that far behind the US. But the point is that we have a much smaller population to absorb rehoming of 'wastage'. In a highly competitive racing 'industry' with billions of dollars riding on gambling revenues, it follows there'll be high 'production' rate ... and, then, high wastage & issues with absorbing that. I think this is one of the most difficult issues to try to make compatible with the community's growing expectation that the welfare & future of the greyhounds should take priority.

I don't know the size of your dog. But when I had an older tibbie and a younger one, I could take them the same distance by doing a variation of the Scouts Pace. (Scouts Pace is walk for a length of a telegraph pole, then run a length & so on. It's how people can conserve energy to go over a longer distance). With my small tibbies, i carried the older one for a telegraph pole, then let her walk a telegraph pole... and so on. Obviously, you can only do this with a small weight dog, and you can vary what length of carry/walk you'll do. For a bigger dog, I'd try walking the selected distance portion , then having a few minutes stop to conserve energy for the next leg...and so on. An occupational therapist taught me this energy conservation trick for going for a walk after major surgery.

Good on you, caroline Mojo sure looks a happy & lively lad, now he's been in your care.

Yes to this. Clearly defined ethical guidelines that members of an association must follow. With real monitoring & real consequences for breaches. Good, too, the recommendation about independent overseeing. Certain actions may not be unlawful, but according to the agreed-on values of an association, they are not tolerated when done by its members. Which is why I've been trying to find a clear set of ethical guidelines laid down by the greyhound racing clubs in the eastern states. I have found 'committees' charged with ethical scrutiny. But I'm trying to find 'scrutiny' of precisely what. Does anyone know? Any such ethical guidelines for greyhound racing will need to take into consideration, the changing public expectations about how dogs should be treated. After all, the continuance of greyhound racing is linked with public support. There's been changes over recent decades in how police & military dogs are raised and dealt with. Even tho' they're 'working dogs', they now fit into the 'dog as companion' value.

Mojo and Cinderella are both gorgeous, for different reasons. They both look very good for their age ... & there's no dimming of spirit, in different directions. Both would be adorable in homes that match. Fingers crossed for them both.

Speaking only for myself, I'd prefer it was simply a hobby dog sport. So it's no longer an 'industry' with an association with gambling and high levels of financial pressures riding on the dogs' backs. Just specialty lure-coursing attracting owners who love the breed doing what they can mostly do so well ... run. But that's Pollyanna-ish. Billions of dollars of revenue from betting on greyhounds is generated each year just in one state, NSW. Lot of vested interests.

Two different scenarios. You took your new rescue to the vet for a valid treatment which would improve its health & make it more rehomeable. The hypothetical about surplus greyhounds being taken for a 'ride' and a 'walk' before a bullet is shot into the back of its head ... is to end the life of a dog that's likely healthy and rehomeable. Boofy, the greyhound rescued from being shot by our neighbour is a good example. The issue isn't the cognition of dogs. it's the cognition of humans and their perceptions and values about dogs. As I said before, certain expectations about how dogs ought be treated has developed. Even covers police and military dogs. That is now being applied to the lives of greyhounds by an increasing number of people. And which is how the trainer who rescued Boofy from being shot, thought ... and so did all of us who met this delightfully companionable greyhound. To shoot a dog which has potential & sound health to be a companion to humans, is out of step with strongly held current values. And is bloody cowardly as well.

Well, seems the greyhound industry will at least be slowed in the light of pending enquiries etc. But, as others have posted, this will likely mean more voluntary and involuntary exodus from the industry.... placing even more greys' futures at stake. I hope some people, somewhere, are setting up contingency measures to address and deal with that.

Sounds sensible to me.

Thanks Mita - and good on him for having another try this morning. Like I said he looked depressed to me. Isn't it the way for whistleblowers, westie. I really admire their courage, but they always pay a price. Double admire for Dr Humphries, for trying again.

Dr Ted Humphries has said the same things in the past. He spoke out on a 7.30 Report program back in 2013 which resulted in Greyhound Racing NSW 'warning him off' (banning?) from all their courses. I read somewhere else, at around the same time, he said he was so frustrated at the system where nothing was done to stop 'bad' practices that he was going to appeal to the NSW Ombudsman. So there was at least one 'good' person who got nowhere by speaking out & paid a price for doing so: http://www.thedogs.com.au/NewsArticle.aspx?NewsId=4511

I said in a previous thread that there appears to have been a change (or development?) in public perception about racing greyhounds. GL's post sums up the crux of that. The greys are being seen by an increasing number of people, the way they see dogs generally. Animals that are specially close to humans who, in turn, care for them in a 'special' relationship. That even applies to how our police & military dogs are raised, socialized and treated. I agree with m-j there are greyhound trainers/owners who step up admirably in how they treat their dogs ... & ensure care (& life) into retirement. I've seen one up close. But what he'd quite casually mention about the general 'wallpaper' of treatment of greys didn't fill me with confidence in the 'industry' overall. I heard a decent owner/trainer (of many years) phone in to a talk-back radio program & he described the 'good' people he knew. But he was dismissed quickly with the comment, 'Yes, we know that'd be so, but it doesn't balance out what seems to be large scale, now unacceptable ways of treating dogs.' I felt a bit sorry for him, he'd appeared to do his best in what lay within his immediate responsibility. But, as another caller had said,'This is as horrifying as if it were scores of labradors found apparently killed & left to decompose.'

Charges have already been laid. ABC reported them as relating to possession of firearm (s).... maybe, I'm guessing, something to do with licensing. And the woman charged with obstructing police in their investigation. Nothing, as yet, included about treatment of the greyhounds. It was added that autopsies are being conducted to determine cause of death.

There's work on humans who live into a healthy old age ... & the interplay of genes and lifestyle, and contributions from each. Great field for study has been Okinawa where a way above average number of people have lived to become centenarians... and to be generally healthy into old age. http://www.okicent.org/study.html

Good point that it's not as if shooting or otherwise 'disposing' of greyhounds was something new & formerly a closely guarded secret. I've posted before that, years ago, a decent owner/trainer next door, brought home to be a pet, a 'failed' grey named Boofy.... because he was going to be shot. It seems that public expectations about how dogs should be treated has caught up with the greyhound 'industry'. I heard someone on talkback radio saying the public should be as horrified if this were scores of 'shot' & decomposing labradors. The logistics of what's done with surplus greyhounds aren't helped by a set of stats I saw that Australia is the third largest producer of greyhounds in the world.

What a pretty boy. Looking very well for his 15 years. Tibbies tend to do well in their senior years. My girl is 14, still pretty, agile & healthy. Shall pass his details on to the Tibbie Club in Victoria. Thanks Mita, I was unsure if he was even a Tibbie. I don't know the breed at all I'm sorry to say Don't forget he is free to adopt. He looks like he's got a longer, sharper muzzle, so may be a cross or not bred to standard. But he's very pretty. Passed on his details to TSAV.... & that he's free.

Beautiful! All so lovely, but I adore Gidget.

What a pretty boy. Looking very well for his 15 years. Tibbies tend to do well in their senior years. My girl is 14, still pretty, agile & healthy. Shall pass his details on to the Tibbie Club in Victoria.

Polar bears on a diet. No sighthounds in sight (if you'll pardon this pun, too).

Here's Sarbi's portrait, with her handler, that now hangs in the Australian War Memorial. It's so beautiful, brings tears to the eyes. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/ART94166/

Well done, Sarbi girl, you made us all so proud. My heart goes out to her handler & his family. As VM said, early in March Sarbi visited Brisbane to open a park named in her honour at Warner. And it includes a life-size bronze statue of the lovely girl. Pics here: http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/canine-war-hero-sarbi-visits-brisbane-dog-park-named-in-her-honour-20150228-13rftu.html

O/T, but isn't it great to see such well-informed training.

Tell Mrs RD, I'm adding their Facebook page to the little pile of rescue group links that I show people who've never thought of adopting a rescue dog before. These links show the knowledge, expertise, love and care that go into the dogs. Great for the dogs, great for the adopters. BTW Isn't Cho Cho gorgeous... can't believe she's 13! Love her attitude. :)

Leah, thank you for posting about Rainy Day Rescue. I'd not heard of them before. Visited their Facebook page, which is a delight. Their dogs are so nicely described & I love the photos. Lucky dogs indeed that come into their care.