westiemum

Apologies if this has been discussed before tonight - but I've only just caught up with it on the late night repeat. The 7.30 Report tonight aired an interview with a clearly highly traumatised vet who worked for Greyhound Racing NSW over 2014 and 2015. He reported he and his family have been threatened by greyhound trainers because he is speaking out. He has spoken out about the evidence he documented of the horrific injuries and track euthanasias that never appeared in the Steward reports because they 'didn't want to set-off the Greenies'. He also stated that the attitude of the GRNSW hierarchy after the Four Corners Live Baiting revelations in February 2015 was 'it could have been worse' and they were relieved that all that was reported was the live baiting and that at that time the money laundering and other cruel practices were overlooked. So from their perspective it was weather the storm and then business as usual. The vet stated that the incident which pushed him out of the industry was a greyhound who sustained a tail injury in a race 19 months ago. He told the trainer from Rockhampton that the tail should be amputated. At the end of the meet the tail was found at the starting gate, rope attached where it had clearly been pulled off, probably using the start gate. The trainer denied any wrong doing and is still training in Rockhampton 19 months later. Despite the photographic evidence aired on the programme there has been no investigation by GNSW. Dr Bryant says he wants the industry shut-down Australia-wide as its absolutely incapable of reform. Must say after yet more shocking images on the 7.30 report tonight I can't come to any other conclusion. An orderly shut-down is the only solution and it has to be Australia-wide, The programme also raised another question in my mind - who cares for people like this vet and no doubt many others who are clearly severely traumatised by what they have witnessed in this industry? And what gives this industry the right to continue cruelty and corruption like this that traumatises employees? Surely these are serious OHS breaches as well. Fact: vets have the highest rate of suicide of any profession (I found this out while working at the University of Adelaide Vet School in 2012) - and this industry I suspect is part of the problem. Suggest people look at the programme on iView but beware the images are very graphic.

So sorry to hear you've lost Buddy Swain. You gave him the last precious gift. Take care - yes you've certainly had a really hard few weeks. RIP Buddy and elderly kelpie .

Great posts Redsonic and Spotty. I too am ploughing through the report. You do really have to read it to understand what justified the ban - and given the report credibility which no-one is questioning, it is justified. IMO, having read a large chunk of it, there is no other choice.

You are such a good mama DD. Glad Jeune is doing better. And it's terrific that she's eating and pooing well.

Oh my heavens! What a face! What a day!! Congrats Eza - he's just squishily beautiful!

Thanks again harley, it was so kind of you and meant a great deal to me to be able to see Andy with a much bigger dog. He always treated a friends big dally with quite some indifference so although I recognise that different breeds and dogs within breeds are different it was great to see how he would react. If he'd been completely freaked out then I'd know it was either a 'no-go' or it would require a slower approach, which sometimes just isn't possible when you're adopting. Andy was absolutely exhausted when he got home - and Sarah snored on the back seat in the car. Yes I'd love to do it again with your foster boy - he's such a handsome boy in his photos. Thanks again.

They are a beautiful little dog - and far better than any 'doodle'! Great coats, temperament and best of all they are purebred.

Thanks PK. He's certainly come along way and I'm so proud of him.

Thanks Anne. Suspected as much... now back to ploughing through the report.

Yep and they also stock the good quality stuff that lasts really well and copes with aging westie incontinence.

Well I'm now formally in love with greys. Thank you so much to harley her lovely daughter and Polly their fantastic ex-racing grey. Its clear Polly landed on her feet when she retired to this family about 6 years ago. We had a lovely couple of hours at Grange jetty strolling along the sea front and meeting other dogs. Interestingly there was another GAP grey who doesn't like small dogs so we kept our distance, and Bluey, whose new owner adopted him two weeks ago and he is yet to get his green collar so he was muzzled but very well behaved. Andy barely reacted to him and he was a big grey!! Polly was very laid back with Andy and Andy was very cool and non reactive - which is such an improvement for this puppy farm rescue scaredy cat. In fact he warmed up much more quickly than I thought he would. Sarah of course was her usual social butterfly self. In talking to harley about it I'd probably be better with a slightly older grey who has already been in foster care unless I can take some weeks off work when the dog first arrives. So when the time comes a grey is definitely on the cards. Here are a couple of photos I snapped before my phone went suddenly flat:

Andy in training yesterday for his meeting with Harley's grey today.

Great post Woofy.

How's Mac B?

Big hugs DD - all fingers and paws crossed for you here.

Obviously you are not from NSW, westiemum! The man is a right wing dictator who has his eyes set on Canberra and most likely leadership, in time, of the Federal Liberal Party. There are 65 greyhound tracks in the country, 33 in NSW. In our regional towns and cities, and particularly in Sydney, the greyhound tracks sit on valuable land that developers have been trying to get their hands on for decades. This is nothing more than a land grab and what makes it more obvious is that other states are not following suit. The exception is the ACT which has followed NSW. Coincidence that they have been trying to move the greyhound club off the land at Symonston for sometime and that they have also expressed a desire to resume the land at Thoroughbred Park? No trifecta its obvious I'm not from NSW and its unlike you to be so rude. This is a national forum and where you are from should not dictate your opinion. The use of the land will be dictated by the owners as it should be - some is owned by the Crown (e.g. Wentworth Park), others are in private hands such as the track at Richmond. And thats as it should be. If Crown land is required for housing (public or private) or is retained for public space I have no problem with it. In fact it could be argued that the Greyhound industry has tied up enough public land for long enough - decades - that its now time for it to be returned to general public benefit and use. The other states are not following suit for now. The minister here today has said 'zero tolerance', report cruelty and and if he has any evidence of cruelty and abhorrent practices he will follow suit. The major difference between NSW and the other states is that NSW was the only one to have the guts and integrity to form a legally constituted Commission of Enquiry headed by a former High Court judge which could compel witnesses to testify. The other states without exception ran superficial white-wash inquiries which would suggest that its only a matter of time before this industry blows up in the other states as well. Anyone who thinks these practices are isolated to NSW is not grounded in reality. There is already adhoc evidence that entry to some tracks in SA is by 'live possum'. And I'm sure they are not for childrens' petting farms. I find this very hard to believe, the last place they would live bait is on an official racetrack. The footage on the Four Corners report was at a private track. Thanks mj but I didn't say it was an official track - and agree it was most likely at private tracks of which there are a number in SA.

Link to the enquiry report. Will report back after I've read all 12 volumes.

Yes that was what I found too Krislin. I needed some for Mac as he aged and decided to buy the green-backed grey vet-bed. And after some years mine still looks like new. And from memory I thought it was good value and a fair price and the delivery was really quick. Arrived in a big roll.

Should be on a Billboard, Gruf. ETA: Glad to see Gruf taking centre stage again :laugh: :laugh: Have you ever met a Greyhound?? They LOVE to race! There is nothing cruel about training and racing Greyhounds. The issue is about training methods and reducing over supply. Should we ban pet dogs as well? I mean, they have no choice to be a pet. What about agility dogs? Show dogs? Yes I have met many greyhounds and used to attend greyhound races with my father as a child at the track in Darwin. They love to run. Racing = gambling= abuse = corruption. The issue is the racing, gambling, prize money, use of animals for human entertainment: a potent mix which makes for cruel and unethical standards, training methods and over-breeding. Yes it is good to see Gruf back.

Obviously you are not from NSW, westiemum! The man is a right wing dictator who has his eyes set on Canberra and most likely leadership, in time, of the Federal Liberal Party. There are 65 greyhound tracks in the country, 33 in NSW. In our regional towns and cities, and particularly in Sydney, the greyhound tracks sit on valuable land that developers have been trying to get their hands on for decades. This is nothing more than a land grab and what makes it more obvious is that other states are not following suit. The exception is the ACT which has followed NSW. Coincidence that they have been trying to move the greyhound club off the land at Symonston for sometime and that they have also expressed a desire to resume the land at Thoroughbred Park? No trifecta its obvious I'm not from NSW and its unlike you to be so rude. This is a national forum and where you are from should not dictate your opinion. The use of the land will be dictated by the owners as it should be - some is owned by the Crown (e.g. Wentworth Park), others are in private hands such as the track at Richmond. And thats as it should be. If Crown land is required for housing (public or private) or is retained for public space I have no problem with it. In fact it could be argued that the Greyhound industry has tied up enough public land for long enough - decades - that its now time for it to be returned to general public benefit and use. The other states are not following suit for now. The minister here today has said 'zero tolerance', report cruelty and and if he has any evidence of cruelty and abhorrent practices he will follow suit. The major difference between NSW and the other states is that NSW was the only one to have the guts and integrity to form a legally constituted Commission of Enquiry headed by a former High Court judge which could compel witnesses to testify. I have no doubt some other states would be doing the same if they had approached their enquiries with the same rigour. The other states without exception ran superficial white-wash inquiries which would suggest that its only a matter of time before this industry blows up in the other states as well. Anyone who thinks these practices are isolated to NSW is not grounded in reality. There is already adhoc evidence that entry to some tracks in SA is by 'live possum'. And I'm sure they are not for childrens' petting farms.

Going to start it tomorrow Spotty. Hope I can stomach it.

Hi Kirty, Some years ago I bought my vet bed pieces from Peperone Pet Supplies. But their website now defaults to Pet Network here - but by the look of the website I think they are the same people. And yes they sell vet-bed by the roll and deliver Australia wide. Hope it helps.

This is my big concern/ worry, about how the Greyhound breed lives on now that the industry that breeds the bulk will close down?? I always had a Greyhound in my future There will always be greyhounds. Same as as other breeds have survived long after their original jobs were consigned to history. Most huskies bred in this country never see snow or a sled or gig yet the breed exists and thrives. A good dog is a good dog, it doesn't need to be part of an industry entrenched in cruelty just to keep the breed going. Where do these dogs come from though? Greyhounds bred for conformation showing aren't the same as racing bred dogs (And before rebanne jumps in here, that's not an attack on showbred dogs- it's just pointing out a fact). So that leaves backyard breeders. I've seen the outcome of backyard breeding greys and the results were worse than you'd expect so it confirms for me that you have to have people experienced and understanding of the breed to maintain all the traits we currently enjoy. The healthy, stable dogs we currently have are a result of breeding for function and if that function ceases to exist, what then? It's easy to brush these issues off when it's not the breed you love. Someone actually said to me yesterday that I could always just have whippets because they're pretty much the same thing as a greyhound (which is hilariously wrong), and then that they'd be okay with seeing the complete extinction of the racing greyhound in Australia if it meant racing would be gone. Obviously this person doesn't own and love greyhounds. Personally, I can't imagine life without a couple of ex racers but it looks like their days in Australia could be numbered. This is a very good question. I think it needs to be addressed as part of the transition of the industry to shut-down. I've never owned a grey - but have some experience of them. And with DOLs encouragement I will likely bring forward my plans to add a a grey to my pack in the next few months. I think they are an amazing breed which is why I'm so keen to try one with my westies. And if possible, I'll offer to foster at short notice if that becomes necessary. And might be able to 'find' another potential foster home as well. It's interesting - ABC 24 reporting the support for fostering and adopting the industry greys is gathering momentum. Which suggests that as long as the transition through fostering or fostering to adopt can be managed there might well be a large increase in the potential number of homes available. But yes, the assessment and fostering process will certainly be a bottle-neck which will need careful managing.

They commissioned a large research project on chase motivation in greyhounds. Since they banned the use of animal materials period in lures and training, there has been some dismay amongst trainers. Those that weren't live baiting were using animal hides. The research project was to give them a way forward within the new rules. I can't speak for the regulatory body on how they planned to enforce this as it's not in the public domain AFAIK. Obviously I do not know how successful they might have been. They were very aware of the stakes, though. Enforce or be shut down. These were not the people in charge when all the scandals came to light. Understand corvus. I also understand that some people are now genuinely trying to reform the industry. However apparently the report is clear. It's far too late. Again, why did it take a legally constituted Commission of Inquiry for 'good' people to finally act? Too little too late. The warnings have been there for years.