labadore

Fantastic news that those evil two have been sacked and it has to start at the top for LDH to have a chance of reform. There was no way that would have happened whilst those two awful people were there. I love her comment "Ms Conroy said it was “awful” to leave after giving her “heart and soul” to the organisation for nearly 30 years, but from what was going on there, she didn't have a heart, soul or conscience and I say "good riddance to bad rubbish" to both her and Graeme Smith. How they got away with what they did there for so long is just appalling and so many dogs lost their lives because of them

I sent an email to RSPCA SA in the latter part of Feb enquiring what is happening with regards to an inquiry into the deaths of pets in the fire at Tea Tree Gully Boarding Kennels and Cattery and received a reply a couple of days later advising "The Inspectorate Department has an outstanding investigation into the matter and at this time the investigation is still ongoing".

are they actually going to ensure the welfare of these dogs now that they're not racing, if so, how are they going to do that?It's good that some action has been taken and that people have had action taken against them, and I agree that these dogs should not be allowed to race under the circumstances...but what comes next for them? Has anyone actually put any thought into what happens to the dogs after they're barred from racing and are therefore effectively useless within the industry? One would hope that the owners would step in and take the dogs home. In the event that does not happen, GAP programs which are mainly funded by the instry could step in. In the event that even that doesn't happen, there are community based Greyhound rescues that can help. Ultimately, I hope each and every dog finds a wonderful forever home. Nooooo not ONE would hope, there are 28 dogs in NSW that have been suspended, that's JUST NSW. What about the trainers that have just thought "sh*t this is too hard I'm out"? What happens to their dogs? I was on a FB page today where an owner had just refused to pick up their dog, they'd disappeared into the eather and this trainer was wondering what the hell to do with this dog, seeing as they can't legally give it away. People are walking around in circles wondering WTF they do with dogs they don't own. One would HOPE just doesn't cut it, got room at your house Greyt? That's a bit unfair to lay this on Greyt Owners abandoning dogs and disappearing into the ether demonstrates that they don't give a fig for their dogs and unfortunately contribute to the public's perception that greyhound owners and trainers don't really care for their dogs and treat them as commodities, to be disposed of whenever it suits them. Any trainers left with "dumped" dogs should be reporting the owners to the relevant Greyhound State authority Welfare dept and the dogs given a chance to be assessed by GAP/Greyhound rescue for rehoming. The owners that dump these dogs should never be allowed to own greyhounds or any dogs ever again

Article published on examiner.com last night Tragedy at Tea Tree Gully

are they actually going to ensure the welfare of these dogs now that they're not racing, if so, how are they going to do that?It's good that some action has been taken and that people have had action taken against them, and I agree that these dogs should not be allowed to race under the circumstances...but what comes next for them? Has anyone actually put any thought into what happens to the dogs after they're barred from racing and are therefore effectively useless within the industry? The following is a news article from Greyhounds NSW website regarding the suspensions including naming the suspended dogs and according to another article which I have provided in first link below, the dogs were also microchipped during the raids and the owners advised by GRNSW via a phone call on Friday "not to try and name them, sell them or do anything with them", so they are definitely tracking the dogs until their respective inquiries are finalised. With regards to the welfare of greyhounds, I have bolded a pertinent para in the GRNSW article below. Leading trainer and breeder Greg Board is furious at Dogs suspension GRNSW Suspends Greyhounds

Article in Daily Telegraph this morning: Five Queensland greyhound trainers banned for life for live baiting, 28 NSW dogs barred from racing

Here is the article announcing an independent review: The Queensland government has established an independent review into the racing industry, in the wake of the live-baiting scandal

Article published on Sunday regarding Tasmania State Govt's reaction to Four Corner's expose: State Government puts greyhound racing industry on notice

I believe the greyhound racing industry should be shutdown. My conscience and moral compass does not allow me to support this industry in any way, shape or form. The amount of greyhounds bred, killed, injured and subjected to abject misery year in year out in the name of this industry is simply atrocious. The greyhound racing industry has an extremely poor track record with regards to the welfare of the greyhounds and that is not going to change anytime soon, if ever, as the focus in this industry is the dollars not the welfare of the dogs. Time and time again over many years when the issue of the welfare of the greyhounds is highlighted, whether it be due to reported cruelty cases, investigations into the industry, government inquiries, Four Corner type exposes~, it is the same issues time and time again and hollow promises are made by the industry and required changes to improve the welfare of the dogs are not made and the poor greyhounds continue to suffer. How many chances is an industry to be given?? and propped up by useless governments who should have shut them down years ago. The greyhound racing industry has done a terrible injustice to this beautiful breed and unfairly tarnished their reputations, so they will be forever linked to the greyhound racing industry as long as it is allowed to continue operating. We are meant to be a more enlightened society speaking up for and protecting defenceless animals and be outraged at animal cruelty and the miserable existence that some animals, including greyhounds in the greyhound racing industry, are forced to live. The pro greyhound racing people say shutting down/banning the industry will result in thousands of greyhounds being killed. Well that already happens now, year in year out with approx 60% of the thousands bred every year (estimate of 20,000 greyhounds bred each year)having the athletic capability required for a racing greyhound and out of these, the numbers that do make it to the racing track, their careers are very short lived with most disposed of between ages 5-6 years. The mind boggles and the heart aches at the sheer amount of greyhounds killed in this awful industry, let alone the ones injured and ones subjected to a life of abject misery. If a government was courageous enough to shutdown this industry, it would need to be a phased in approach to prevent en-masse killings of greyhounds.

Article in The Age yesterday: Are greyhounds nearing the end of their race?

Seriously, how can you compare what happened over 170 years ago with today. I will resist the urge to go into detailed comparisons IF (I wouldn't hold my breath), the greyhound racing industry in Australia was shutdown either by individual States or Nationally, I am sure it would probably be a "phased" approach over a period of time (probably years) rather than shutting down "with effect tomorrow" approach. Either way, Greyhounds in this awful industry will suffer. Given you are located in the States it would have been more helpful posting about how the shutdown/banning of the greyhound industry was handled in the U.S. rather than about something that happened over 170 years ago. From reading the following link about greyhound racing in the U.S.: Greyhound Racing in the U.S.

Article published and updated on abc.net.au last night: Greyhound racing: Victorian industry 'in doubt' without changes in light of live baiting scandal

Greyt, I understand your passion for your breed and being upset at the terrible lives these poor unfortunate greyhounds born into the greyhound racing industry live and there are many of us equally horrified at what goes on in the greyhound racing industry and would like to see wide ranging improvements in the welfare of these poor greyhounds or preferably, the industry shutdown. There are things going on in the background with regards to govt inquiries into the greyhound industry both before and after the Four Corners expose. Last year in NSW, a Legislative Council inquiry was conducted by a Select Committee on Greyhound Racing in New South Wales to inquire into and report on greyhound racing in New South Wales. The Terms of Reference for this inquiry were: The above inquiry resulted in two reports being prepared by the Committee for the NSW Govt, with first report (largest of the two)finalised on 28/3/2014 and second report finalised on 16/10/2014. The NSW Govt responded in September 2014 to the first report and so far no govt response has been received on the 2nd report and I believe this response will probably be further delayed by the separate independent inquiry by NSW Govt appointed High Court justice Michael McHugh as a direct response to the Four Corners expose. The reports and govt response from the inquiry last year make very interesting reading and can be found on the website in the following link under the "Reports and Government Responses" section and these reports can be downloaded as well. There are also a number of other documents and submissions included on the website: NSW Govt Inquiry into Greyhound Racing in 2014 If you read these reports, all the concerns regarding the welfare of the greyhounds including, the doping, the live baiting, breeding, high kill rates, socialisation, kennel inspections, registration and licensing regimes, rehoming etc have been tabled and responded to and I am sure these reports and responses will be referenced by justice Michael McHugh's in his inquiry. In addition, in December 2014, "The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) began reviewing the Greyhound Racing Act 2009 pursuant to section 49 of that Act. The purpose of the review is to determine whether the policy objectives of the Act remain valid and whether the terms of the Act remain appropriate for securing those objectives." They have now extended the date for submissions for this review to 2 March 2015. Links as follows: Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing Greyhound Racing Act 2009 Discussion Paper for Review of the Greyhound Racing Act 2009 NSW is only one State, with various inquiries and reviews into the Greyhound Racing Industry in NSW and latest independent inquiry by High Court justice Michael McHugh is as a result of the Four Corners expose and the public outrage it caused. The NSW Govt acted quickly by appointing Justice Michael McHugh and expanding his independent inquiry and sacking the Greyhound NSW Board as there is a State election next month (28/3/2015) :D Other States have also initiated different inquiries/actions, so you should check what is happening in your State and get involved in helping bring about change for your breed involved in the greyhound racing industry. :) With the spotlight fairly and squarely on the Greyhound Racing Industry, it will be very interesting to see what the various state govts do about this industry once all the relevant inquiries have been conducted and finalised. Doing nothing should not be an option and the public outrage needs to continue being very vocal to help bring about the changes required.

I was checking the Petition sites calling for an investigation into the deaths of the pets in this fire and noticed this recent post from the previous owner of the kennels.

I don't mean to be rude... but how can you say 'no doubt' when there's not evidence? This question needs to be thrashed out.... with evidence and expertise. And, I agree with you that it not only applies to greys, it applies to other dogs as well. The breed shouldn't be singled out for things that just generally apply to dogs. I certainly was comfortable with our small dogs living next door to greyhounds that I knew, without doubt, were not blooded with small animals. I could have no doubt as the trainer was strong in opposing it as totally unnecessary to motivate greys to run. He took pride in the fact that he was thought too 'soft' with his greys, treating them like companion pets. And socializing his puppies with children & with our small dogs. Yet some became state sprint champions. Even tho' I wouldn't have had expert opinion to go on, I would've been uncomfortable if he'd been a trainer who blooded his greys. Which is why, now that the issue has hit the headlines, I welcome an enquiry, which would gather evidence & expert opinion. Given that this "blooding" method of training has been going on for many years by a number of trainers, some whom have been caught and others that won't be, it would extremely naive to believe that any greyhounds trained using this method have not been rehomed through GAP or other greyhound rescues. As long as they pass the GAP/rescue tests, they should be able to be rehomed irrespective of the training methods used. The hard concrete evidence isn't there as the "blooding" training method has been illegal for quite some time and despite rumours and innuendo throughout the greyhound racing industry on this training method, until the Four Corners program, there was supposedly no evidence that this cruel and inhumane training method was being used, so how would GAP or any other greyhound rescue know what training methods were being used. Even if they knew/suspected, as long as the greyhound being assessed for rehoming passed their tests that all that should matter, not the training method used.

I'd say it's only half the message. Sure they're not being trained to attack grown humans. But those greys are being trained to see small squealing creatures as prey to be killed. Out in everyday society, there's tiny children and small companion pets. The largest human group attacked by dogs (& other than greys) are small children. One of the reasons being they behave like the small creatures which can attract the prey drive. I am not saying that all greys will attack small children & small dogs. I saw at first hand the well-raised greys coming thro' GAP who passed the tests of being safe with children & small dogs , with flying colours. Best guess they hadn't been trained to kill small, squealing creatures. To be honest, I don't know the answer what to do with the greys seized. Maybe it's ruling that they'll never be released as pets in open society. People more expert in dog behaviour could advise. I believe the poor greyhounds caught up in the fallout should be given every chance to find a new home through GAP or other such greyhound rescues. No doubt some of the already successfully rehomed greyhounds were trained using these "blooding" methods and this should not rule them out from being given a chance to be assessed for rehoming. As other posters have mentioned, greyhounds should not be singled out as being a threat to small animals because they may/may not have been exposed to the cruel blooding methods employed by these unscrupulous, cruel trainers. Lots of dogs are capable of killing small animals, including my own Labradors, one (my only girl) of which killed a rabbit that got into our yard and I found bits of rabbit scattered around the yard when I got home from work. I have had others kill birds, rats, and all these Labs, except my current two have lived very peacefully with kittens and cats. There is no way I would have a cat with my current youngster, he hates cats with a passion and goes ballistic if any come onto my property and it takes me all my strength to hold him if he sees a cat on our walks, his prey drive is very strong. I wouldn't trust my other boy with a cat either as he reacts in a similar fashion but as I adopted him approx 10 months ago, I don't know his background with small animals, so would never risk it.

Animals Australia's Facebook page has Schweppes, Hyundai, Bendigo Bank and Autobarn saying they're 'done with greyhound racing'. Both theirs & Animal Liberation Qld websites have glowing descriptions of the greyhound breed ... lovely dogs. I'd back that. Racers & ex-racers I met through GAP were the nicest all-round dogs. I wonder if the NSW Enquiry will be asking if greyhound racing can continue, in line with expectations these days on how dogs should be treated? I've seen, up close, an owner/trainer who treated his greys very well ... & so did his friends. But the big question is how standards like his, could be enforced. Especially when there's money riding on the greyhounds' backs. Money can count more than welfare for some people. I believe it will be - the following quote is an excerpt from an article on news.com.au website published this morning in the following link news.com.au article re Greyhound NSW Board being stood down

The life, if you can call it that, of a racing greyhound is shocking Below are some details on greyhound racing from Ainimals Australia - greyhound racing http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/greyhound-racing.php

Don't you just love this excuse from one of the greyhound trainers who was suspended after stewards and RSPCA raided his property last week Trainer Bruce Carr says rabbits were for his son to eat, not live bait for greyhounds

According to this article in today's Daily Telegraph , this guy "owns up to 700 dogs, breeds about 300 pups a year" - surprise surprise at him being upset and angry and stating it was the "wrong decision to dump Greyhounds NSW board". Owning and breeding this number of dogs is everything that is repulsive about the greyhound racing industry and his "ignorance" of live baiting in the industry is very questionable Owner and breeder Paul Wheeler says live baiting disgrace tars the innocent

Update in Sydney Morning Herald from Greyhound Racing NSW interim chief executive Paul Newson - link and full article below: Greyhound racing live baiting revelations should be a turning point for industry, says new chief executive

Think this "forthright" response is due to the fact NSW has an upcoming State election next month (28/3/2015) :D so they need to be seen doing something quickly to quell the growing furore about the animal cruelty aired on Four Corners and the greyhound industry in general. After the Four Corners expose, the NSW Govt appointed High Court justice Michael McHugh to conduct a review of the NSW greyhound industry and as the furore grew louder, they forced the Greyhound NSW Board to resign and CEO to step aside and expanded and strengthened the review to be conducted by High Court justice Michael McHugh.

Here is the link and full article of Greyhound Racing NSW Board disbanding in wake of animal welfare failure and the NSW Govt has strengthened and expanded the McHugh Review to develop a new model of governance to ensure the integrity of the industry. Long overdue review and hopefully will address the issues that have dogged this terrible industry for so long Greyhound Racing NSW board steps down after animal welfare ‘failure

As a follow on to thread in this link, I am outlining details of my 7 year old Lab boy's recovery from his TPLO surgery on Tuesday and hopefully those of you who have been thru this can share your experiences and your dog's outcome :) My Lab boy's CCL Injury backstory David Lidbetter rang me early afternoon on Tuesday after my boy's surgery to advise it had gone very well but he did have a meniscal tear (this happens to approx 50% dogs with a torn/ruptured CCL) so he had to do a full medial meniscectomy to remove the torn meniscus. I picked him up yesterday morning and met with David first to discuss the discharge instructions and go through all the important stuff including the exercise plan. He advised that with the meniscectomy, the recovery will be a bit slower, but he expects him to have an excellent long term outcome and he was already doing very well. My boy's recovery thus far: Peeing and pooping on 1st day home yesterday Poor bugger had an extra extra long pee within about an hour of bringing him home, suspect he hadn't peed since the morning I took him in. Bit of a pain with the toilet breaks throughout day with the heavy rain we had both on the day I took him for his surgery and day I picked him up as had to use plastic bags and gladwrap on his bandaged leg and foot to keep it dry, but got it down to a fine art pretty quickly. Once rain cleared, didn't need to use any more gladwrap just the snaplock plastic bag on foot with a rubber band to hold in place to keep bandage on foot dry as grass is saturated from the heavy rain. Eating ravenously (as per normal :laugh: ) which makes it easy to pop his medication (antibiotic, carprofen and tramadol) into his food and I did add a 1 x tblspn of olive oil to his dinner to help with any constipation from anaesthesia, so that may have helped him poop. I slept on couch to be closeby as crate is in family room and I have also setup the family room area, which is quite large, with the good old Bunnings wire compost bin panels :laugh: that I had when my Lab youngster was a pup, I knew they would come in handy again at some point. :) During the day when I can monitor him, I have been leaving one of the crate doors open to encourage him to come out of the crate when he wants to and walk around a bit which is what David advised I can do. I have used the wire panels to block off any tiled areas that I haven't been able to fully cover with a mishmash of mats :laugh: as well as areas I don't want him to venture to where I can't keep an eye on him and he is very good with the barriers. He will at times come out of the crate and meander around calmly and stretch his legs and then lower himself carefully onto one of the large thick rugs closer to where I am sitting and he has a snooze. I put him in the crate and lock the doors when I can't keep an eye on him and of course when I need to go out which at this stage will mainly be to take my other boy for his walk/outing. He has been such a trooper through all of this, such a stoic boy and a wonderful and co-operative, non complaining patient thus far. This boy is such a sweetheart and I love him dearly. My other Lab boy ( 5 year old) has been so good with him, he has been very calm around him and I am very proud of my youngster and his caring attitude towards him. Quite often my youngster lies on the large mat next to the crate and they lick each other through the open crate door or they will lie closeby on the large rugs and I just make sure they are not lying too closely together to ensure my recovering boy has plenty of space to stretch out and change positions when he needs to and my other boy can get up easily without touching/knocking into him. TPLO recovery and Exercise Plan/Regime I really like David's recommended recovery process and exercise plan based on his wealth of experience with TPLO's as he has recommended encouraging my boy to slowly move/walkaround inside the house and place his foot on the ground as much as he can withstand rather than be locked up in the crate continuously and only let out for toileting, until he officially starts on the scheduled leash walks. Of course I have to be careful that he doesn't overdo it, but I am fortunate that that my boy is mature and sensible and not a crazy Lab youngster :laugh: so it makes things easier with allowing him monitored out of crate time to move around freely inside. :) He has advised that I can commence the short leash walks at the weekend rather than wait for a week after surgery, providing my boy is doing ok at this point. Rather than launch straight into the Week 1 schedule of 10-15mins twice daily, we are to start slowly with say 5 mins and then building up to 10-15 mins over the week. David is a strong advocate of move, move, move, sooner rather than later, which I totally agree with, having been thru a similar philosphy with treatment of my back issues. :) So far so good. I have to remove the bandage tomorrow and will be interesting to see if he attempts to lick the leg/incision and if he does then collar will be promptly placed on him and when I cannot monitor him, he will be wearing a collar. He doesn't currently need to wear the collar because bandage is still on. I have purchased a Procone soft collar and will be testing how he goes with this as it will be more comfortable for him and can be folded back for eating and drinking and allow easy access to his ears for the special ear solution Dermatologist makes up which I have to put in every 2nd day as preventative maintenance for ear infection (part of his allergy treatment). However, I have read that some dogs can manipulate soft collars and lick their incision site, so whenever I am out/can't monitor him, he will wear the plastic collar and soft collar when I can monitor. Here are some pics of the patient and one of his carers :)

Yes definately long overdue, there have been so many very troubling complaints about this place for years and finally something is being done about it. Also agree that the current management needs to go. I was also just reading about this investigation on a facebook page and it included the following link to a heartwrenching article on the death from liver cancer in December 2014 of the 13 year old daughter of the Victorian Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, Jaala Pulford - she is the Minister responsible for instigating this investigation into LDH. Terrible tragedy with her daughter dying a day after Jaala was appointed Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development RIP Sinead MP Jaala Pulford lost her daughter Sinead to cancer shortly after the election