Another racer, another bullet
March 11th 2010 05:41
Old mate Paul Hassing has just posted a comment on Twitter about the news that a horse in the racing stable of leading Australian trainer David Hayes had to be put down today due to injuries suffered during trackwork last weekend.
Our Aqaleem suffered a suspected fractured shoulder on Saturday in his final hit-out before next weekend's Australia Cup, a Group 1 race for which Our Aqaleem was one of the more fancied starters.
The loss comes one day after the same stable lost another horse, Changingoftheguard, which died of a ruptured bowel during a routine gelding operation.
Hassing's comment was this: 1. Raise horse. 2. Castrate. 3. Race. 4. Injure. 5. Kill. What fun!
What fun indeed. And just remember that horse trainers are, relatively, the good guys. When it comes to greyhound racing, many trainers don't need No. 4 to kill them.
For more on that, and the man in the picture above, go here.
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Comment by TanyaMary
Comment by Chris Champion
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Thank you for your kind and informed comment.
We got Scratchy from a trainer who is much like the one you describe. Scratchy was the only one of a litter of eight who didn't make the grade. His trainer didn't even give him to GAP - he and his wife turned Scratchy into a house pet while putting the word out that he needed a home. When we took him, the trainer's wife cried to lose him.
On the other hand, this man had a full-time job and training greyhounds was for him a passion and a hobby. If he was trying to make a full-time living from it, the temptation to cut costs would be greater.
Greyhounds, as we know, make wonderful pets, but they are unique amongst dog breeds in that no-one breeds them for pets. They are bred to take part in the racing greyhound industry, and what happens to the majority of them who do not turn out to be winners is amongst the most shocking and tragic of all the stories of human callousness.
Humans have so many ugly characteristics, while greyhounds have none. Maybe the wrong guys are in charge
Warm regards,
Chris
Comment by Heidi/Clyde
Before I in start on your facts about the killing rate for Greyhounds do you know the average lifespan of the domestic dog in Australia? 2 and 1/2! It isn't just Greyhound owners who put down perfectly healthy dogs. Any dog owner who hasn't done their homework before buying that cute puppy is entitled to "take it to the vets", abandon it at the RSPCA or AWL or shoot it: and no one cares! But everyone is in it to condemn Greyhound owners and trainers whether they know the facts or not.
Please please recognise the good side of Greyhound Racing Australia. An awful lot of the statistics about the industry that are hurled around the world are based on the United States experience which operates completely differently to Greyhound Racing in Australia (I'd be willing to bet your emotive photograph was taken in the United States if it isn't of the builder in the Durham case). There are no small home based trainers there, the kennels are attached to the tracks and you can't be a part time trainer. There is a strong need for reform in the industry in that country.
Here in Australia a quiet reform has been underway for some years now. Greyhound Racing is the machine that provides the finance to makes the Greyhound Adoption Programs in Australia viable, The industry also supports us by promoting GAP to owners and trainers and providing us with some very valuable publicity.
On behalf of the racing hounds the industry employs an animal welfare officer in each state to keep a check on the kennels and any cases of cruelty that are reported are dealt with through fines and periods of being barred from the track (if the offence is severe enough or repeated that may be for life). Of course there are still some trainers who don't obey the rules, there's always a percentage of crooked workers in any industry or field of endeavour but surely Greyhound Racing Australia should be congratulated for trying so hard to care for the animals they make their money from rather than being slammed all the time?
In South Australia GAP housed 122 Greyhounds last year, that is a very high percentage of all the hounds that retired during the year, in addition to that almost every trainer has 2 or 3 (or 5 or 6) retired hounds they can't bear to part from. This includes full time trainers who still love their hounds.
I'm sorry I get so hot under the collar but I really do get tired of the misinformation that is out there, next thing you'll be telling me Greyhound racing is cruel. How on earth can it be cruel to let the hounds do the very thing they were bred for and that all their instincts tell them to do?
Through trials any hound that doesn't want to race is weeded out of the system (that's how you got Scratchy) no Greyhound that doesn't enjoy racing will be fast enough to be out there on the track. If you don't believe that you should see some of our quiet placid retired fellows (including Clyde) on a GAP publicity night when we take them up the ramp onto the grass where they used to parade before a race. They strain on their leads, their tails thrash wildly and some of them get so excited they walk on their back legs straining to be out there.
I'm sorry also that I've taken so long to respond to this blog, I hope my comments don't just get lost in the follow up blogs but my computer has been out of action for a while. Clyde is very frustrated and now we've got it up and running I've gone and hogged it so he can't send a cheerio to Scratchy the great rat eater.
Jennie.