(Photo courtesy of Nigel Wild)
- Greyhounds
on the Oxford GBGW (led by Dash, see pic above): 44
- Greyhounds
on the nationwide GBGW (67 locations): 2,230
- Greyhounds
needing new homes (annually): 10,000
- Greyhounds
finding new homes (annually): 4,000 (RGT)
- Greyhounds
languishing in kennels: ???
- Greyhounds
being destroyed: ???
Last Sunday’s ‘Great British Greyhound
Walk’ was certainly a Great event. It got hounds from all parts of Britain out
and into the public eye; it got their adopters and fans out and into the fresh
air. A total of 2,230 dogs taking part in a nationwide walk is a fabulous
achievement. No question. But it got me thinking about the stats – how they
stack up … or rather how they don’t. The Retired Greyhound Trust (still the
biggest rehoming charity by some distance) reports that they succeed in finding
new homes for 4K or so dogs a year. There are quite a few other smaller rehoming
charities out there, of course. And a percentage of dogs may well “live out
their post-racing days at the kennels of their owner or trainer” as the
Greyhound Board of Great Britain claims. But is this really supposed to add up
to 6K dogs annually? Surely we’d see retired racers everywhere if it did. Every
other living room in the UK would have a greyhound stretched out on its sofa! No.
A staggering number of perfectly healthy greyhounds must still get “humanely euthanized
by a qualified vet” (Greyhound Board of Great Britain again). Or worse. In
writing ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’ I took great pains to tread a fine line
between condemning greyhound racing (it’s supposed to be on the decline, after
all) and acknowledging the history and energy of a sport which has made the
modern greyhound what it is. OK, if you want to breed a winner, you need to
breed more than one dog. But how many more I’d like to know? I’d also like to
know why the British, supposedly a nation of pet-lovers, are still happy for damn
fine dogs to end up homeless, loveless and often lifeless. Shame on us.
