Cruelty and abuse
Seaham Slaughter
On 16th July 2006, The Sunday Times journalist Daniel Foggo reported on the alleged culling of an estimated 10,000 greyhounds over a decade at David Smith’s property in Seaham, Co Durham. Foggo witnessed the deaths of 2 dogs brought to Smith. These greyhounds were young and outwardly fit, but may have become too slow to earn money. Having taken them to a shed on his property, Smith fired bolt guns into their heads and re-emerged with the dead greyhounds slung in his wheelbarrow and dumped them in a prepared hole on his land. The following day further greyhounds suffered the same fate. It transpired that Smith had been offering an unofficial disposal service for owners and trainers of the greyhound racing industry for over a decade. It was calculated that he had slaughtered up to 10,000 over this period. Disgust and anger permeated through the public but Smith was eventually only brought to court by the environmental agency on grounds under the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations that, on 12 July 2006 he disposed of waste - the bodies of deceased dogs - on land without a permit. He was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,500. A trainer and owner were issued bans from racing, but the public felt this was not enough. MP’s were lobbied and a report by APGAW was critical of many of the industry’s practices.
Full Sunday Times article...
Leigh Animal Sanctuary
Leigh Animal Sanctuary, Nr Manchester, a “rescue” offering shelter to stray dogs, offered much more to greyhound trainers. Block 8 had been set aside complete with freezers, to destroy and prepare for incineration, the greyhounds being offloaded there on a daily basis, according to former staff and at least 3 trainers. Leigh undercut veterinary euthanasia fees offering to carry out destruction for £35 per head instead of trying to rehome the greyhounds to members of the public. The methods used included use of lethal injections into their chests, often without veterinary supervision according to former staff. This expose was reported in September 2006, just two months after the Seaham mass cull in July 2006. The proprietors stated they would no longer be taking greyhounds for destruction.
Full Suday Times article...
Rusty
Rusty was a greyhound racing on an independent or “flapping” track in Wales. After sustaining a foot injury, his trainer handed him to Andrew Gough to be killed in May 2004. Gough’s payment was £10. Rusty was eventually discovered at Fochriw Mountain in the Rhymney Valley, by a passing dog walker. Rusty suffered with atrocious injuries; he had been shot with a bolt gun through his head and his ears had been hacked off to prevent identification of the owner. This caused him long and painful agony, while he lay amidst the rubbish tip. His pitiful cries as he slowly died brought release for him as he was put to sleep by a vet. Gough was given a penal sentence as all animal loving people urged. Rusty’s tortuous death served to galvanise many people to work harder to expose the callous brutality of the racing industry. Each year, around the anniversary of his brutal attack, (around the May Day Bank Holiday) Rusty is remembered with love and sorrow and a reaffirmation of the need to fight for a greyhound racing ban.
More inforrmation on Justice for Rusty...
