Nsw To Ban Greyhound Racing From July 2017

[asal]

The Bill goes to Cabinet today. It is expected it will pass through Cabinet and be supported (or so the media say). I think most people, unless they're racing greyhounds, are worrying over unnecessarily.

I find it hard to understand how Baird can listen to coleman openly stating he will be killing tens of thousands of greyhounds because according to him they are hard to rehome, yet shutting down the industry because a fraction of that are put down for not being fast enough?

Then watching a fishing show where the chap deliberately shoves a hook thought a bait fishes lip and tosses it out to be snapped up by the species hes after. there is an incredible double standard going on here, baiting dogs makes me sick and those who do it should be prosecuted all dogs regardless of breed like to chase be it bags or balls, those who use some poor live animal are apalling, but to me that poor fish is being made to suffer unnecessarily and its on national tv? Does my head in one means everyone and their greyhounds are punished and the other is screened as the norm???????

[WoofnHoof]

The Bill goes to Cabinet today. It is expected it will pass through Cabinet and be supported (or so the media say). I think most people, unless they're racing greyhounds, are worrying over unnecessarily.

I find it hard to understand how Baird can listen to coleman openly stating he will be killing tens of thousands of greyhounds because according to him they are hard to rehome, yet shutting down the industry because a fraction of that are put down for not being fast enough?

If they are hard to rehome then it's a fairly large fraction that are put down for not being fast enough, after all they don't race until they die of old age, they all stop winning and become wastage at some point in their lives due to the nature of the industry, unless they go on to breed or the owners actually really do love their dogs and keep them as pets.

As for other welfare issues, diversion is not a useful tactic, not sure why people still do it, do they expect that suddenly people will let one issue drop and chase after another just because someone has pointed out that there other other serious welfare issues in the world? I'm not a fan of fishing I think it will eventually go the way of the dodo and live baiting, but I don't see the point of shouting "what about xyz?!" in response to focus on one issue.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

The Bill goes to Cabinet today. It is expected it will pass through Cabinet and be supported (or so the media say). I think most people, unless they're racing greyhounds, are worrying over unnecessarily.

I hope you are right, however with no exposure draft of the legislation it's a bit hard to know whether they have impacted show greyhounds, for example.

[asal]

The Bill goes to Cabinet today. It is expected it will pass through Cabinet and be supported (or so the media say). I think most people, unless they're racing greyhounds, are worrying over unnecessarily.

I find it hard to understand how Baird can listen to coleman openly stating he will be killing tens of thousands of greyhounds because according to him they are hard to rehome, yet shutting down the industry because a fraction of that are put down for not being fast enough?

If they are hard to rehome then it's a fairly large fraction that are put down for not being fast enough, after all they don't race until they die of old age, they all stop winning and become wastage at some point in their lives due to the nature of the industry, unless they go on to breed or the owners actually really do love their dogs and keep them as pets.

As for other welfare issues, diversion is not a useful tactic, not sure why people still do it, do they expect that suddenly people will let one issue drop and chase after another just because someone has pointed out that there other other serious welfare issues in the world? I'm not a fan of fishing I think it will eventually go the way of the dodo and live baiting, but I don't see the point of shouting "what about xyz?!" in response to focus on one issue.

wasn't intended as a diversion, watching the fishing show and had no idea they did that until I saw it. used to have a fire eel as a teen, she knew the minute I entered the room and would race madly to the top to remind me time to be fed. never took any notice of my brothers or sister. so many animals are amazingly aware and smart, so many humans seriously underestimate the animals around us. much as I love my dogs never seen a dog work out a puzzle but my pig could. one of my horses could undo not only slide bolts but the supposedly stock proof gate chains

[asal]

finally some good PR for greyhounds, was a bit surprised they are lumped as a "giant breed"

Edited August 6, 2016 by asal

[asal]

wise words indeed for all being targeted by AR

June 29, 2016

It’s well documented the challenges the American Greyhound Racing industry has faced, and continues to face… their battle is far from over. That same war, those same anti-racing tactics, the same lies, even the same smell of hypocrisy is here in Australia, it’s do or die people, we must stand up to these bullies, and we must educate the public, businesses and politicians before it’s too late. We’ll never change the minds of AR people, they have too much hate in their hearts, our time and effort is better spent on educating those that are capable of rational thinking.

MAKE NO MISTAKE, this is the biggest crisis our grand old sport has ever faced, and it if we survive it, the next crisis or attack on our way of life is just around the corner… so for the sake of all of our future, let’s UNITE, if it’s not with this rapidly growing racing advocacy group (NGRU), then at least join your local association and get involved.

NEVER GO INTO BATTLE WITHOUT A SWORD AND SHIELD! Meaning defend the sport, and fight back with facts, which by doing so will enlighten neutrals, and will prove how deceitful and conniving anti-racing people and groups are, thus destroying their perceived credibility, and will slow their propaganda machine to a halt… avoid arguments, present your evidence based fact(s) and let the neutrals decide what to believe.

GET INVOLVED, GET PROACTIVE, SUPPORT A RACING GROUP, REFORM, EDUCATE, LEAD BY EXAMPLE, RESPECT EVERYONE, BE PROFESSIONAL and we will always get to enjoy this amazing breed and sport.

We’re very lucky to have many friends and supporters around the world, but one of the most intelligent and well spoken greyhound person would have to be Dennis McKeon. With countless pieces written, Dennis has gained much respect within the worldwide greyhound family.

There’s that word, family… we’re exactly that, one big dysfunctional family. Most of us are highly competitive and love nothing more to beat each other… but we all dig deep in times of crisis such as floods and bush fires, we open our hearts, homes and kennels for our greyhound brothers and sisters… so why is it we can’t put aside any ill feelings, and stop with infighting to work together, and ultimately help save our sport?

Dennis answered our call to write a piece that would hopefully wake a few more pro-racers up to the reality we all face, please take the time to read and absorb the article below ↓

For our friends in Australia….

It’s Deja Vue All Over Again – By Dennis McKeon

Observing the ongoing controversies that have sucked Australian Greyhound racing into the vortex of sensationalist media bias and the madness of international animal rights lunacy, it might be instructional to impart to you some of our American experience, so that you may avoid at least a few of the many mistakes that were made here.

While there are notable differences in how Greyhound racing is conducted and supported in each of our countries, there seems to be very little difference in the controversies that surround the Greyhound, and those individuals who choose to breed them and to race them.

While it is certainly not my place to judge Australian Greyhound professionals, Greyhound racing has been a hot button item in the USA for nearly 50 years now. While its long term future here is tenuous at best, we have managed to learn a few things over the course of the years. For what it’s worth, you may wish to consider the following, wherever applicable.

With the advent of social media, Greyhound racing professionals have some unique opportunities they have never had in the past. Given that the mainstream media thrives on sensational human interest stories, Greyhound racing has become the default subject for news editors and journalist-activists, who either need to fill airtime or blank spaces on newsprint, or who wish to “advocate” on social media. Seldom has the Greyhound racing professional been allowed to present his/her side of whatever happens to be the “scandal du jour,” and almost always, whether it is deserved or not, they are the subject of much derision and demonization.

Nevertheless, social media has presented the Greyhound racing community with a unique chance to rebrand the sport, and to reach out to an audience that is actually thirsting for your intimate knowledge of the breed and of individual Greyhounds., While it may be hard to believe, given the emotional excess and furor the media and racing’s detractors have whipped up, much of this audience is actually willing to meet you halfway, or almost halfway.

As breeders and handlers, racing professionals are custodians of the largest group of Greyhound goodwill ambassadors in the world. That would be, of course, the Greyhounds themselves. Disposing of these goodwill ambassadors once their racing careers have come to an end, however humanely done, is a patently self-defeating strategy. Making certain that each and every adoptable Greyhound can find a “forever home” in retirement, is not only the ethical and moral “right thing to do”, but it is the single, most effective way to win the hearts and minds of those who are now only able to perceive these dogs as wretched and pathetic objects of pity, with you as their oppressors, and an assortment of anti-racing zealots as their saviors.

Most people, believe it or not, are capable of putting two-and-two together. It doesn’t take a quantum leap of faith, for any individual who is capable of a modicum of critical thinking, to realize that their loving, good-natured, well- behaved , endearing and enchantingly quirky couch-potato, is indeed the embodiment and manifestation of all that is good about the racing model, and the people who are the custodians of the breed.

It’s a very simple concept. The more Greyhounds there are, populating family and personal domiciles, the more obvious the cause and effect of racing, and all it entails, upon the nature, character and disposition of the Greyhound population. It becomes quite undeniable, to all but the most canine-averse and ideologically twisted. The Greyhound is what he is, because of–not in spite of–his racing genetics, bloodline, environment, handling, training and racing experiences. That’s how dogs manifest.

The great temptation of social media, is to engage and to lash out at the many anti-racing activists and their followers, who have done a masterful job of isolating, targeting, propagandizing, and negatively stereotyping racing professionals. Allowing oneself to be drawn into slanging matches with these extremists is a critical mistake. You will never convince the “true believers” that there is anything good about racing or the Greyhound’s participation in it. There is no way to ever mollify frothing-at-the-mouth, irrational ideologues.

Yet, for every fanatical, anti-racing extremist you may encounter, there are thousands of innocent but interested bystanders, who are gauging the veracity of what you have to say, to a great extent, by the way you say it. To put it bluntly, the “antis” are the lunatic fringe–you are not. So don’t allow yourselves to be drawn into their profane and hateful world of ideological tyranny and emotional fascism. Allowing yourselves to be goaded into a vicious argument with those who have little to no empirical knowledge of the subject, but who will repeat any lie or half-truth they may have gleaned from any other source, equally as oblivious, no matter how preposterous it may be, is playing right into their hands.

The object must always be to educate, and most of the time, education is a brick-by-brick process. Remember, we are corresponding and interacting with a public so grievously misinformed, that most people cannot even conceive of a colony of purpose-bred, sporting dogs, being perfectly content, fulfilled and well-adjusted, doing precisely what they have been bred to do, for dozens of generations of track racing.

This is where social media can enable the greyhound professional to respond most eloquently to their detractors and antagonists. Nearly everyone today has a cell phone with video capability. If you are not inclined to write long-winded and turgid essays like this one, there is nothing stopping you from making any number of informative and instructional videos, presenting the Greyhound in his natural racing environs, interacting with his kennel mates and handlers, and thoroughly enjoying him/herself while doing so.

Greyhound adopters are, as a group, extremely curious about their adopted Greyhound’s lives and experiences prior to adoption, the day-to-day, slice of life events, or non-events. While you may not be able to personalize that for them and their specific greyhound, you can certainly demonstrate the norm for the great majority of Greyhounds. By so doing, you can, brick-by-brick, deconstruct most, if not all of the bizarre, counter-intuitive and harmful mythology that anti-racing dogma has popularized.

Meanwhile, there are dozens of social media venues that provide networking and advice for the Greyhound adopter. Oftentimes, the advice offered by well-meaning but misinformed people, is wrong-headed, if not downright inhibitive to the Greyhound’s adjustment to adoptive life. This is because the vast majority of the public have been led to believe that Greyhound racing is some sort of clandestine cult, featuring abuse, torture and death worship.

It is up to each and every individual who cares enough to do so, to put a new, modern, friendly and caring face on Greyhound racing. In the final analysis, these ever-burgeoning and uncommonly enthusiastic communities of Greyhound adopters are now your co-custodians of the breed. They also have a stake in his future as a vibrant, genetically diverse, highly functional population. His future is only in jeopardy, because of a failure to communicate that, in a rational, thoughtful and intensely personal manner.

Do not make the mistake of waiting for industry leadership to build your bridges. You will have to do that for yourselves. It’s all about winning hearts and minds. But to do that, as we have learned, we first have to open up our own.

copyright, 2016 ©

Edited August 6, 2016 by asal

[*kirty*]

The thing is, it shouldn't be about changing peoples minds. It should be about fixing what is wrong with the industry. Stop whinging about AR nutters and show the country you are seriously addressing the issues at hand. I don't want racing banned but it's shit like this that will ensure AR nutters get their way.

[HazyWal]

The thing is, it shouldn't be about changing peoples minds. It should be about fixing what is wrong with the industry. Stop whinging about AR nutters and show the country you are seriously addressing the issues at hand. I don't want racing banned but it's shit like this that will ensure AR nutters get their way.

The thing is, the industry in NSW was already under reform, they were already seriously addressing the issues at hand. I posted a link a few pages back about breeding restrictions and welfare reforms, I won't bother posting it again. The AR nutters are getting their way because they are hand in hand with the NSW goverment. The taxpayers of NSW, and this includes industry participants much to their warranted disgust, are funding full page ads in the Sydney papers by the Baird govt like the one attached. These have already been proved to be untrue but Baird needs to maintain the rage because he knows full well the report he has based his decision on is flawed. As my Mum used to say 'people only see what they want to see' so when the general public see these full page ads in the DT or the SMH they just think well that must be true if the government says so.

[HazyWal]

Do you really think if the racing industry took out a full page ad like this, with actual facts, that the public will change their mind? Nope, the horse has bolted on that thanks to Baird and his merry band of AR followers.

[Maddy]

The thing is, it shouldn't be about changing peoples minds. It should be about fixing what is wrong with the industry. Stop whinging about AR nutters and show the country you are seriously addressing the issues at hand. I don't want racing banned but it's shit like this that will ensure AR nutters get their way.

This, 100%.

I saw a post by pro racing people about one single idiot woman who has backyard bred two litters of greyhound puppies. They were gleefully attacking her for "adding to the problem" while trying very hard not to see the massive elephant in the room. An elephant that might as well have been wearing a high-vis vest, a glittery g-string and strobe lights on its head.

Now, what that woman was doing was undoubtedly wrong but for them to lay into her.. so much hypocrisy that it was staggering. Meanwhile, for every dog I manage to rehome, eight more are born- with no thought given to their retirements, in most cases. And as much as the future of the breed worries me, I'm sick of cleaning up after people who don't give even the smallest of shits about their dogs. Sick of it. One of my own dogs was going to the vet at 13 weeks old to be destroyed. 13 weeks old. Tell me that his breeder loved him

The AR nutters are a problem though- and that problem is that they are muddying the waters of legitimate welfare concerns that should have been addressed 20 years ago.

[m-j]

One of the things I'm worried about if the industry closes is the greedy sending their unwanted dogs to Macau or China to race in the underground race tracks, or the possibility of underground racing starting here. If that happens all will be lost, the selfish uncaring AH's will still be able to profit from these beautiful dogs misery and the ethical trainers/owners and dogs will loose a sport they enjoy, not to mention another source of employment going down the gurgler.

[Maddy]

One of the things I'm worried about if the industry closes is the greedy sending their unwanted dogs to Macau or China to race in the underground race tracks, or the possibility of underground racing starting here. If that happens all will be lost, the selfish uncaring AH's will still be able to profit from these beautiful dogs misery and the ethical trainers/owners and dogs will loose a sport they enjoy, not to mention another source of employment going down the gurgler.

Dogs are already ending up in China. And the industry has been unable to stop it because legally, all they can do is make it against their own rules. But even then, people do it, people get caught, stewards inquiries are held by poorly trained monkeys (some of whom can be bribed with peanuts) and the people involved are allowed to continue on. In fact, it doesn't seem to matter what you do- if you get banned, you wait a year or so, ask for an appeal, come up with an absurd reason for why you should be trusted with animals again (like "it's my livelihood") and you'll be let back in.

I've watched this stuff happening for a long time but felt confident that things would change. Year in and year out. Big trainer down here gets positive swabs, but it all goes away. Fair enough, maybe evidence was shaky. Same trainer swabs positive again, on independent testing (at a lab chosen by the trainer), the control sample also tests positive and the charges dropped. Same trainer tests positive again, same trainer has a f***ing pit of shot dogs up the back of his property, same trainer goes through hundreds of dogs a year and he is untouchable. He could bludgeon a dog to death in front of the Chief of Stewards but you can bet he'd be racing again the next week. I wanted to believe the industry could change but now.. I'm not sure it can, even if it tried.

[m-j]

I know dogs are ending up in China but there would be far more if the industry is closed down abruptly. When Baird announced that the industry was going to be closed down in 12 mths time several people I know basically said yeah yeah whatever, it won't happen. Laws have been changed/implimented in the past but when the storm blew over it was business as usual, now several weeks down the track they are not quite so blasé as pressure is being applied and they realise that people, including members of the racing fraternity, are sick and tired of them feeling they are above the law.

Look at .05 laws I was working in pubs before .05 came in when it did for many years people were blasé about them too until they were properly policed (even the police ignored the law to a degree) publicans and bar attendants were forced to adhere to RSA legislation, the drinking culture was changed. I'm not saying it is perfect but it is immensely improved. If a whole nation can change a very entrenched culture surely Greyhound people can too with the right type of pressure being applied.

[Maddy]

If it's only the tiny minority who are the problem (as the industry claims), there should be nothing to worry about, right? If everyone involved loves the dogs, there's no way they'd send them to China, knowing what will happen to the dogs there.

[moosmum]

Can't you guys even see what you are doing?!

You complain about every one being tarred with the same brush when a pedigree person is in the spotlight for fails in duty of care.

But you can't seem to accept that a PERSON shouldn't BE representative of a group.

But people won't speak openly about expectations of the community and what they are.Or how breeders can meet them.

Because its always someone elses space . How badly the different spaces are failing is the topic.

If you do that, Always keeping 'Your' group separate and self contained, you force everyone else to do the same.

A person is entirely responsible for their own actions. OUR only responsibility to that is making sure they understand whats expected as a community.

Edited August 8, 2016 by moosmum

[Sheridan]

So, pedigree breeders should get into bed with commercial puppyfarmers because only a few puppyfarmers are bad? Uh, no thanks.

[mystify]

Apologies if the below link has already been posted elsewhere. Good to see the greyhound racing industry finally taking the Govt to Supreme Court tomorrow for all the falsified evidences and lies in that infamous report that has now been proven to be full of holes. The Premier did not make the decision to ban greyhound racing because of welfare concerns, he had already planned to ban greyhounds earlier this year in April after discussions with thoroughbreds industry and doing some backroom deals with them as well as with the nutty Greens and Animal Justice Party. He was wanting to take back the Wentworth Park lands as he had already negotiated a secret backroom deal with developers, offering them first bite at the big cherry, despite his public protests to the contrary.

It is alarming that the Premier is taking such dictatorial actions against everything he dislikes in the society, making up new laws as he pleases without taking it through the Parliament first. The public are increasingly becoming disillusioned and angry with the Premier (the only people happy with the Premier are the extreme animal libbers and Greens)

due to his high handness in treating the public like slaves and lower class scum. The Premier is much like the Prime Minister, born with a silver spoon in their mouths, they do not hobnob with the low class society, only preferring to mingle among the middle and upper class people.

I fear for the future if the Premier's decisions on everything goes ahead. He has been making so many mistakes this year he is bound to be destroyed before the next elections are held.

I have been involved in the greyhound racing industry for over 40 years and although I am not a trainer (retired a few years ago but still involved currently as a hobby breeder, breeding one litter every couple of years, and I have 8 retired greyhounds as pets that I used to train. Some were too slow to race and retired early, a couple had broken their hocks but were saved to be kept as pets etc) but I am an animal lover first and foremost, and my passionate love for the greyhound breed is unquestioned by anybody who has ever met me. My family also used to train greyhounds and kept slow dogs as pets, they taught me that greyhounds may be racedogs first and pets second but they are still living breathing feeling creatures that deserve to be treated with love and respect. I have many many greyhound trainer friends who are much like me and my family, we don't condone cruelty (much less live baiting) or mistreatment and they also have kept many retired greyhounds as pets, all of these pets never were officially reported to GRNSW so therefore there were thousands of missing greyhounds that were actually still alive as pets with their trainers/owners.. many never went through GAP or got green collars or went to rescue/rehoming groups. A census was sent out by GBOTA a couple weeks ago to all trainers who had to fill in forms for how many retired greyhounds they still had, as the Premier and activists were saying that 90% of racing greyhounds were killed! Anyway the census survey came back early last week and it was unofficially reported that 40,000 greyhounds were now found still living with their trainers/or owners as pets. I was gobsmacked as I asssumed about 15,000 greyhounds were still alive.. but I am so happy to hear the news of the census!

Premier Baird deserves to resign for the enormous lies he's spread in the media outlets using his influence and taxpayers' money to pay for those ridiculous smear campaigns!

I think other breeds dog breeders and owners should be supporting the greyhound racing industry, as it would be strange for them to be cheering Baird's decision because I have seen worse cases of cruelty, mistreatment and unnecessary culling of dog show puppies if they are born without desirable features. There would be more abuse cases in the pet dog and show dog society than in the greyhound racing industry, so how would these owners react if they heard that? You would be upset of course and say that is untrue!

http://www.racingtoarespectedfuture.com.au/2016/07/29/media-release-greyhound-industry-commences-legal-challenge-supreme-court/

Edited August 8, 2016 by mystify

[Maddy]

If you're going to make claims like that, you have to have some evidence to back them up.

falsified evidences and lies in that infamous report

You can't just sling this sort of crap around without providing examples and evidence to disprove them.

he had already planned to ban greyhounds earlier this year in April after discussions with thoroughbreds industry and doing some backroom deals with them as well as with the nutty Greens and Animal Justice Party

If you can see out from under your tinfoil hat, could you please provide evidence of secret squirrle backroom deals with the thoroughbred people?

He was wanting to take back the Wentworth Park lands as he had already negotiated a secret backroom deal with developers, offering them first bite at the big cherry, despite his public protests to the contrary.

Sounds like Mike Baird is a busy man, with all these secret backroom deals and meeting and conspiracies. Where does he even find the time to oppress the lower classes?

I have been involved in the greyhound racing industry for over 40 years

It shows, don't worry.

I have seen worse cases of cruelty, mistreatment and unnecessary culling of dog show puppies if they are born without desirable features.

And that's not right either. No one disagrees that there are some issue in the pedigree breeding world. But focusing on one particular issue doesn't mean we don't care about the others- it's a matter of priorities. And right now, the greyhound industry is responsible for a hell of a lot more misery than pedigree breeders are.

I am not a trainer (retired a few years ago but still involved currently as a hobby breeder, breeding one litter every couple of years, and I have 8 retired greyhounds as pets that I used to train.

Keeping 8 dogs out of the many litters you've bred over the years? How generous of you. Where are all the others?

A census was sent out by GBOTA a couple weeks ago to all trainers who had to fill in forms for how many retired greyhounds they still had, as the Premier and activists were saying that 90% of racing greyhounds were killed! Anyway the census survey came back early last week and it was unofficially reported that 40,000 greyhounds were now found still living with their trainers/or owners as pets.

Because the industry participants would certainly never lie when their backs were up against the wall, would they? I mean, it's not as if they lied about the issue of live baiting (oh wait!) or that they lied about doping (oh.. hang on) or that they lied about the existence of mass graves (awkward..).

[mystify]

If you're going to make claims like that, you have to have some evidence to back them up.

falsified evidences and lies in that infamous report

You can't just sling this sort of crap around without providing examples and evidence to disprove them.

# https://savegreyhoundracing.com/2016/08/08/what-happens-when-we-win-in-court/

he had already planned to ban greyhounds earlier this year in April after discussions with thoroughbreds industry and doing some backroom deals with them as well as with the nutty Greens and Animal Justice Party

If you can see out from under your tinfoil hat, could you please provide evidence of secret squirrle backroom deals with the thoroughbred people?

# see below

He was wanting to take back the Wentworth Park lands as he had already negotiated a secret backroom deal with developers, offering them first bite at the big cherry, despite his public protests to the contrary.

Sounds like Mike Baird is a busy man, with all these secret backroom deals and meeting and conspiracies. Where does he even find the time to oppress the lower classes?

#Haven't you been reading all those news in the media? All those videotape leaks of secret boardroom meetings with the racehorse owners back in April? All those documents and email leaks (whoops) by Baird's own staff?? He has his back to the wall now lol

I have been involved in the greyhound racing industry for over 40 years

It shows, don't worry.

#You seem to be the typical extremist anti, love to attack innocent people personally because you can't stand not being able to control the racing industry.

I have seen worse cases of cruelty, mistreatment and unnecessary culling of dog show puppies if they are born without desirable features.

And that's not right either. No one disagrees that there are some issue in the pedigree breeding world. But focusing on one particular issue doesn't mean we don't care about the others- it's a matter of priorities. And right now, the greyhound industry is responsible for a hell of a lot more misery than pedigree breeders are.

#How do you know? Give me proof that the greyhound industry is responsible for a hell of a lot more misery than pedigree breeders. I've also got friends in the dog show areas and what they've told me about their industry was really shocking.

I am not a trainer (retired a few years ago but still involved currently as a hobby breeder, breeding one litter every couple of years, and I have 8 retired greyhounds as pets that I used to train.

Keeping 8 dogs out of the many litters you've bred over the years? How generous of you. Where are all the others?

# Why do you assume the 8 retired greyhounds are the only pets I've ever had? Sheesh. I've only trained 2-3 dogs at a time every few years, never owned any of them, just trained for their owners, when the dogs retired the owners took them back to do what they wanted with them. I've had probably about 20 retired greys as a pet over the 40 years out of about 30 greyhounds I've trained. Some belonged to me so I kept those ones. Those ones that the owners wanted to have put down, I said no and would rehome them via a rehoming group or kept them myself. The 8 I currently have here, 4 of them weren't even mine but they were going to be put down by their apartment living owners (the owners weren't allowed to keep pets) so I stepped in and adopted these dogs myself. I've never kept more than 1 pup out of every litter I bred as people were always wanting to buy my beautiful puppies due to my reputation as a caring ethical breeder. I don't often train my own dogs that I bred, I usually sent them away to a trainer and when they finished their racing career they would come back home to me. I preferred to train other people's dogs so I could give them a good chance to live a longer and better life with me.

A census was sent out by GBOTA a couple weeks ago to all trainers who had to fill in forms for how many retired greyhounds they still had, as the Premier and activists were saying that 90% of racing greyhounds were killed! Anyway the census survey came back early last week and it was unofficially reported that 40,000 greyhounds were now found still living with their trainers/or owners as pets.

Because the industry participants would certainly never lie when their backs were up against the wall, would they? I mean, it's not as if they lied about the issue of live baiting (oh wait!) or that they lied about doping (oh.. hang on) or that they lied about the existence of mass graves (awkward..).

#Sorry to burst your bubble Maddy, GBOTA and GRNSW staff worked together to collect dated photo evidence of each retired greyhound with the appropriate I.D markings and ear tattoos for each dog to provide proof they weren't put down.(Premier Baird is such an uneducated ignorant fool, he says SLAUGHTERED, this means being killed for meat, horses are slaughtered, greyhounds aren't! But of course Baird loves shocking the public with juicy scary words like SLAUGHTERED even though it's the wrong word to use) Unlike the activists, the industry has no need to lie or falsify evidence or have their backs to the wall. What wall? The only trainers that lied in the inquiry are the ones that had a grudge against the industry because they were disliked by many good honest people, these scum trainers are the minority thankfully but they will never be welcome in the industry by us decent owners because of their dishonest characters and for trying to throw innocent people under the bus with their outrageous claims of 99% of trainers knew about live baiting and were doing it! If I ever come to meet these awful characters in person I would spit on them :-( how dare they mistreat their greyhounds and then say that that's what everyone else did! If you wish to believe the nasty trainers, then I will chose to believe 99% of show dog breeder and handler cull 99% of their dogs if they don't make the grade and their dogs are mistreated and abused and being forced into standing in awkward positions for hours in training just so they can win Champion Breed of the Show.

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This is a fantastic letter which I found elsewhere online and am sharing this: :-)

I am writing this letter as a concerned resident of this state and your electorate about how the government is behaving in an extraordinary manner in regards the the banning of greyhound racing in this state . When the Premier first made this announcement he announced he had received the McHugh report , had read it and had no other alternative but to close down the industry on such abhorrent behaviors that were systemic throughout the industry , which is quite fair enough if this were true . But hang on, just one day after it is released and I gather had been well scrutinized , McHugh comes up with 7 changes , after all that time and money ($15,000,000 paid for by tax payers ) changes to the report on day 1 after release . Then we find out that so called “expert witnesses” are not expert by definition of law and also have hidden agendas (well not that well hidden ) in wanting to close down greyhound racing , but when an expert witness by the definition of law wanted to give evidence he was told he was not required!!! quite handy as his agenda might not have suited the commission . Now we come to Ernie and his gruesome story of drowning pups , another part of the report used by the Premier to tug at everyone's heart strings and to show everyone what type of horrible people are involved in the industry but once again hang on , lets delve a little further into Ernie. Seems Ernie is American( not involved in the NSW greyhound industry) used by a Canadian report from back in 2005 and reports are that he may not even exist but hey it makes for good reading if you want to close down the industry . Now we get onto the figures of “wastage” in the report , the figures that the report said were true are amazingly close to the same figure Animals Australia came up with a year earlier of which were a “guesstimate” , once again pretty horrific reading but good value if you want the industry closed , but wait there's more , instead of taking a “guesstimate” from an Animals Australia report we can have actual facts from records the GRNSW had kept from the previous 15 months which give a better indication of the true numbers , but that's no good as they are nowhere near as dramatic as our “guesstimate” so we had better do some paper shuffling and leave them out . There is plenty more in the report that I could go on about like witnesses with agendas and closed hearings , of which details are being kept from the public but I will leave the report but I will finish on this . A senior law lecturer who has read the report said if any of his UNDERGRADUATES had submitted this he would have had to fail them as it is substandard at best .

Then there is the video of the horse breeders meeting on April 1 were Peter V'Landys talks about the greyhound industry being closed down in 2 months (hes not that smart he was out by a week , no , sorry he was technically right as decision was delayed due to the election so hats off to Peter NOSTRADAMUS V'Landys ) and the e-mail from Greens regarding Wentworth park in February and we are led to believe this decision was made in July?????

Now lets get into the last few days , if as the government keeps telling us this report is so factual and this is what the majority of people want why are you spending more of my money (wasn't $15,000,000 enough) on media adds and flooding social media , you have had the ABC doing all the dirty work so far ( loved their coverage of the rally ) so do you really need to waste more money on something that you keep telling us the majority want stopped .

Lets get onto “social license “ I keep hearing how we have lost it , well if that is true how about your own . Today we have a report of the GRNSW CEO (whose job it is to protect the integrity of the sport) colluding with the Premier and Deputy Premier to pass on documents to use in parliament in the hope that it will help them in their cause, but wait there's more , the entire issue was put before the commission who found there were no wrong doings, but if the CEO only hands part of the information over it will look a lot worse and might help. I don't know much about a “social license” but what I do know if the was such a thing as a “moral license” there are people like BAIRD , GRANT , NEWSON,RUSHTON and McHUGH just to name a few who would have trouble finding theirs with the way they have acted during and after the inquiry

One last point , I listened to part of the debate in parliament and heard the Premier spruiking what happened in Arizona , maybe he should stop getting his information from anti greyhound sites like Greys2K . Tuscon Park in Arizona was closed due to economics not animal welfare . Its owners could make more money running simulcast races daily instead of live races weekly , also they only had a dog population of between 300-350 to find homes for and only a couple of jobs were lost which is a completely different situation to what we have here , a complete industry with 10,000 to 15,000 dogs and roughly the same amount of people that will be affected by the decision . But while we are on the subject could you possibly maybe mention to the Premier ,Valley Race Park in Texas which recommence racing 4 days a week from November 26 2016 or the UAE where there are 2 newly built tracks in Dubai with plans for more to come or Spain and Mexico who have greyhound racing as non commercial enterprises at present but are gearing up to becomes commercial in the near future or the other 15-20 countries that still regularly hold greyhound meetings . So 1 track closing in America for financial not welfare reasons is a pretty flimsy example of what is happening in the rest of the world.

There is plenty more I can add but might leave that for another day but one last thing that I do ask is that you show some leadership and integrity for your constituents and before you cast such an important vote you read both the report and the rebuttal from the industry and once you have done that make your decision based on the facts presented to you , our industry at least deserves that much

Regards David Grindley

[Rebanne]

Maddy you are wrong about the thoroughbred industry not having advance notice about the closure of greyhound racing. I saw it, it's on YouTube. I posted about it somewhere (here or FB) along with the times in the video where it was talked about. This was filmed back in April.

The bloke that was quoted that he drowned young pups that he decided wouldn't make good racers has been proven to be from an American back in 2005/6, nothing to do with Australian racing at all.

Oh and my back yard is a bit of a graveyard, 5 large breed dogs and 2 cats. I cremate the dogs now as I no longer have room to bury them.

ETA and the one trainer that said 20% of trainers live baited. I think the maths was that he would have had to know over 300 trainers (in NSW) well enough to know what they actually did.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Rebanne