Greyhound Owner Faces Animal Cruelty Charges Over Sick Greyhound

[Steve]

My link

A North-West greyhound owner faces animal cruelty charges after failing to seek medical attention for a sick dog he said he did not have the heart to put down.

In March 2015, stewards from the Office of Racing Integrity visited the Somerset property of Ricki Wayne Donaldson for a random kennel inspection.

After finding no-one was home, the stewards accessed the back of the property.

In his evidence in the Burnie Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning, steward Dominic Tyson said he located a greyhound in a thin condition, with a large growth and dried blood between its back legs.

Police and a vet were called to the home and the dog was euthanised on site.

In cross-examination, both stewards said they were told by Mr Donaldson the dog was loved by himself and his children, and he didn’t have the heart to put it down.

The court also heard evidence from a veterinarian clinician/surgeon and veterinary pathologist, who were called by the prosecution.

However, the bulk of the evidence might be ruled inadmissible after defence counsel Greg Richardson raised concerns over the legality of the inspection.

Mr Richardson said the property was divided into sections, with only one set-up for racing greyhounds.

The stewards located the greyhound, a family pet, in an area irrelevant to their inspection.

Magistrate Tamara Jago also expressed concern over the purpose of the stewards’ visit.

The stewards entered the property under rule 18 of the racing guidelines, but Mr Donaldson was not keeping racing greyhounds on the property at the time.

Ms Jago questioned the purpose of the visit.

The case was adjourned until September 9.

[Two Best Dogs!]

Poor dog.

There was a similar news article a few weeks ago too. (Different dog, this article has photos ppl may find upsetting)

My link

Greyhound owners of all types are under extra scrutiny these days, so on one hand more likely to be reported but on the other hand would hope they'd realise this and give the dogs bare minimum of care.

[karen15]

The first dog sounds like a mast cell tumor like my staffy had. His was subcutaneous (so couldn't be removed) and in his groin area. As soon as his got to the bleeding stage he was put down. It was only a drop of blood, but they get much worse. After he was PTS his vet said she was happy I had done it early as some people keep them going for ages and they end up with open wounds as cancers don't heal.

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

Edited August 23, 2016 by karen15

[Rebanne]

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

exactly

[Steve]

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

exactly

Just doesn't make for such a good headline right now.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Steve

[Rebanne]

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

exactly

Just doesn't make for such a good helaine right now.

Which is why it is a headline.

[Steve]

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

exactly

Just doesn't make for such a good headline right now.

Which is why it is a headline.

Fixed it thanks

[Maddy]

So it isn't just greyhound people who don't put their dogs down when it is kindest for the dog.

exactly

Just doesn't make for such a good helaine right now.

Which is why it is a headline.

The inspection was over a year ago (and has only just reached the courts) and Ricki's dog was in a severe enough condition to warrant criminal charges. This is not some beat-up of the industry.

He may not have currently had dogs running but he was a licensed trainer with twelve greyhounds on his property at the time of the inspection. It's not as if he was a retired trainer who had kept a retired dog or two. Several of the greyhounds on the property at the time were pups.

As an aside, Sara Richards, one of the stewards who attended the property, is one of the few I've ever met who was actually interested in improving welfare for the dogs and in sighting dogs marked as retained (for breeding or as pets) to ensure trainers/owners/breeders weren't exploiting loopholes in the retirement forms.

As for the poor dog himself..

“The greyhound had a large growth protruding from its stifle underbelly area.The growth was weeping and the greyhound was in a poor condition, its ribs and backbone and hips were protruding and there were dark patches on its hind legs which looked like blood.”

Not an acceptable condition, regardless of pet owner or greyhound owner. But if it was a pet owner, you can bet people here would be howling about the cruelty. A greyhound trainer does it though and.. "Oh, but pet owners let their dogs linger too long, too" as if that makes this cruelty okay.

The dog was PM'd at AHL in Launceston and path results were released. If you read them alongside the attending vet's notes, they make for some very sad reading:

Path

"The pathologist found that Hellyeah Tom had two malignant tumours: the large skin tumour described above, as well as a tumour on the right kidney. The left kidney also had abnormalities. The pathologist considered that both of these tumours would have contributed to the animal’s poor condition. The cutaneous (skin) tumour, arising from the prepuce was described as being approximately 15cm in diameter and 5 cm thick. There was infection, ulceration and extensive discharge present."

Attending vet:

The dog was very debilitated with almost white mucus membranes, that’s the lining of the mouth and eyelids, indicating a significant degree of anaemia or blood loss and had a severe flea infestation to which it appeared oblivious.”

This dog was not a beloved family pet and Ricky Donaldson was not some innocent schlub being used to defame the industry. He admitted during the inquiry into his conduct that he knew the dog needed veterinary attention and that it was suffering. His excuse (because he copped a seven year ban) was that having the poor dog euthansed would upset his kids- as if the sight of his dog, limping around the yard, crawling with fleas, with open, weeping cancers spreading outwards from the dog's penis and spreading infection was somehow a better thing for his children to see. I'm afraid I have a little bit of trouble buying into his excuse.

Edited August 24, 2016 by Maddy

[Steve]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

[Little Gifts]

I agree the media are just jumping on the greyhound issue but I'm thinking a kidney tumour would be terribly painful. I really feel for that particular dog and what it went through. Rest In Peace now Hellyeah Tom.

[Maddy]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

If a dog on Dol was anywhere close to as bad as Hellyeah Tom was, people on here would be horrified and that dog would be reported to the RSPCA. As it should be, because leaving a dog in that sort of condition is unacceptable, disgusting cruelty, regardless of breed.

I don't want anything both ways, by the way. What I would like is for welfare issues to be addressed- don't kill young, healthy, rehomeable dogs, don't leave chronically ill dogs to suffer and die slowly. You wouldn't think this is a particularly difficult ask but apparently for the industry, it really is.

[Steve]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

If a dog on Dol was anywhere close to as bad as Hellyeah Tom was, people on here would be horrified and that dog would be reported to the RSPCA. As it should be, because leaving a dog in that sort of condition is unacceptable, disgusting cruelty, regardless of breed.

I don't want anything both ways, by the way. What I would like is for welfare issues to be addressed- don't kill young, healthy, rehomeable dogs, don't leave chronically ill dogs to suffer and die slowly. You wouldn't think this is a particularly difficult ask but apparently for the industry, it really is.

Maddy I want the same thing you want but I just don't happen to think that this particular example is indicative of the industry. All reports are that the participants in the industry are more likely to kill them than keep them when they are not up to the job.

I agree it was the wrong thing for him to do but I'm saying that it happens regardless of breed and its only national news because of the push on greys.

[Maddy]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

If a dog on Dol was anywhere close to as bad as Hellyeah Tom was, people on here would be horrified and that dog would be reported to the RSPCA. As it should be, because leaving a dog in that sort of condition is unacceptable, disgusting cruelty, regardless of breed.

I don't want anything both ways, by the way. What I would like is for welfare issues to be addressed- don't kill young, healthy, rehomeable dogs, don't leave chronically ill dogs to suffer and die slowly. You wouldn't think this is a particularly difficult ask but apparently for the industry, it really is.

Maddy I want the same thing you want but I just don't happen to think that this particular example is indicative of the industry. All reports are that the participants in the industry are more likely to kill them than keep them when they are not up to the job.

I agree it was the wrong thing for him to do but I'm saying that it happens regardless of breed and its only national news because of the push on greys.

It's news because it's a particularly bad case of neglect. You can't blame this "push" to end the industry on every news article that pops up about greyhounds. Someone down here did something that was shitty but significant enough to make the news in its own right, it's as simple as that.

If the media were interested in really raking through the shit, it'd be as simple as going through weekly steward reports. You could have a new headline for every day of the week and some of them would run a hell of a lot murkier than Ricki's incompetence in caring for his dog. If anything, the media down here has been very careful in how much of the issue they will present and whose side they present it from. Very careful.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Maddy

[Steve]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

If a dog on Dol was anywhere close to as bad as Hellyeah Tom was, people on here would be horrified and that dog would be reported to the RSPCA. As it should be, because leaving a dog in that sort of condition is unacceptable, disgusting cruelty, regardless of breed.

I don't want anything both ways, by the way. What I would like is for welfare issues to be addressed- don't kill young, healthy, rehomeable dogs, don't leave chronically ill dogs to suffer and die slowly. You wouldn't think this is a particularly difficult ask but apparently for the industry, it really is.

Maddy I want the same thing you want but I just don't happen to think that this particular example is indicative of the industry. All reports are that the participants in the industry are more likely to kill them than keep them when they are not up to the job.

I agree it was the wrong thing for him to do but I'm saying that it happens regardless of breed and its only national news because of the push on greys.

It's news because it's a particularly bad case of neglect. You can't blame this "push" to end the industry on every news article that pops up about greyhounds. Someone down here did something that was shitty but significant enough to make the news in its own right, it's as simple as that.

If the media were interested in really raking through the shit, it'd be as simple as going through weekly steward reports. You could have a new headline for every day of the week and some of them would run a hell of a lot murkier than Ricki's incompetence in caring for his dog. If anything, the media down here has been very careful in how much of the issue they will present and whose side they present it from. Very careful.

This isnt worth an argument and you know more about this than me but all I know is that I personally never saw any of this type of reporting regarding greyhounds up until very recently. That's why I think it's more aggressively reported now than it has been in the past and more likely now to make headlines than any other dog or owner at this time. If its not that then I assume its an isolated incident that has been reported because its so bad and no grey people have been guilty of such things enough to report them as aggressively prior to now.

[Maddy]

Easy to want it both ways- either greyhound trainers are too keen to kill off their old dogs or they actually may get emotionally attached and not want to kill it which has jaded his ability to make the best decision for his dog.

If this were a pet owner? I've seen people on this forum who have not done what I would consider humane in good time for their dogs and usually the reason for not wanting it put down is understood.

Im not justifying what he did but if it were a chihuahua it wouldn't have made national news.

If a dog on Dol was anywhere close to as bad as Hellyeah Tom was, people on here would be horrified and that dog would be reported to the RSPCA. As it should be, because leaving a dog in that sort of condition is unacceptable, disgusting cruelty, regardless of breed.

I don't want anything both ways, by the way. What I would like is for welfare issues to be addressed- don't kill young, healthy, rehomeable dogs, don't leave chronically ill dogs to suffer and die slowly. You wouldn't think this is a particularly difficult ask but apparently for the industry, it really is.

Maddy I want the same thing you want but I just don't happen to think that this particular example is indicative of the industry. All reports are that the participants in the industry are more likely to kill them than keep them when they are not up to the job.

I agree it was the wrong thing for him to do but I'm saying that it happens regardless of breed and its only national news because of the push on greys.

It's news because it's a particularly bad case of neglect. You can't blame this "push" to end the industry on every news article that pops up about greyhounds. Someone down here did something that was shitty but significant enough to make the news in its own right, it's as simple as that.

If the media were interested in really raking through the shit, it'd be as simple as going through weekly steward reports. You could have a new headline for every day of the week and some of them would run a hell of a lot murkier than Ricki's incompetence in caring for his dog. If anything, the media down here has been very careful in how much of the issue they will present and whose side they present it from. Very careful.

This isnt worth an argument and you know more about this than me but all I know is that I personally never saw any of this type of reporting regarding greyhounds up until very recently. That's why I think it's more aggressively reported now than it has been in the past and more likely now to make headlines than any other dog or owner at this time. If its not that then I assume its an isolated incident that has been reported because its so bad and no grey people have been guilty of such things enough to report them as aggressively prior to now.

Perhaps because nobody was really paying attention to it. Teddie Medhurst down here got a lifetime ban for shooting his dogs and lying about it (later reduced to no ban at all because.. reasons) but nobody much cared. Wally Tusyn's dog was found half dead at the tip and after much blame-slinging, nothing ever came of that, either, despite it being in the news for quite a while. Anthony Bullock, doping dogs, reported in the paper, ignored by everyone. Trainer after trainer after trainer swabbing positive for caffeine or narcotics, in the paper and duly ignored by the general public. Whatsherface out at Carrick, bits of dead possum scattered around her trial track, published, ignored. And so on and so forth. All before the 4 Corners story, all available to find online through The Examiner, The Mercury and The Advocate newspapers. The stories were there, it's just that no one gave a shit about them except for those of us with an interest in the breed.

As an aside, to say the current stories has been "aggressively" reported on is misleading, I think. The newspapers were very sparing with the details of Hellyeah Tom's case and to read the newspaper article, you wouldn't think the dog was that bad off. They reported the bare minimum of details of the dog's condition and it paints an entirely different story to Ricki's inquiry records. One is just the RSPCA and stewards picking on an old dog with a spot of cancer and his loving owner, the other is.. a very disturbing example of why cleaning up the industry is easier said than done.