Dog racing 'not cruel', says Kinsley track owner
A GREYHOUND stadium owner has defended his trade amid calls for closure from an animal welfare group over the alleged death of a racing dog.
According to Greyhound Action, a four-year-old dog died after falling badly during the opening race at Kinsley Greyhound Stadium on Sunday.
But owner John Curran, who said he could not comment on individual incidents and would not confirm if an animal had died, told the Express that it was 'extremely rare' for dogs to die or be put down as a result of the sport.
He said: "Kinsley's injury and fatality statistics is one of the lowest in the industry. We are licensed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain and strictly controlled by the Animal Welfare Act 2005. Greyhound racing in not an inherently cruel sport.
"Furthermore the government is bringing in new legislation which will further protect the welfare of racing greyhounds and will require every track to have a vet on site – that is something we have had at Kinsley since 2000."
Greyhound Action has called for the closure of the Wakefield Road stadium as part of its campaign against commercial greyhound racing.
The group also claims a second dog escaped serious injury after colliding on a bend the same day.
Greyhound Action's UK co-ordinator Tony Peters said: "We were contacted about this horrific incident by an official at the stadium, who has become increasingly concerned about the welfare of racing greyhounds.
"Members of the public can help put an end to this horrific situation by not attending dog tracks or betting on greyhound racing, so this appalling industry fades away through lack of financial support."
Peter Laurie, welfare officer at GBGB, said: "We do not discuss individual cases but it is very rare that a dog has to be euthanised and even rarer for one to be killed outright. As in all sports though, injuries do happen and some of these do not respond to treatment and the dog has to be put to sleep.
"This is very difficult for the owner, the vet and the greyhound, as most trainers see their dogs as pets. Kinsley is one of 26 stadiums that GBGB oversees and we have vets at all tracks for every race. The dogs are checked before the race to check they are fit and afterwards for any injuries and the vet is also on hand to stop racing completely if they feel the track isn't safe for the dogs to run on.
"We are spending 500,000 this year, as we did last year, on initiatives to improve safety on our tracks."
A spokesman for the RSPCA said it was not aware of and was not investigating the incident.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wakefield
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
