Local greyhound trainers, owners say don’t punish the whole industry for the faults of a few
LOCAL greyhound trainers say they are devastated at the NSW Government’s plan to ban racing from next year.
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LOCAL greyhound trainers say they are devastated at the NSW Government’s plan to ban racing from next year following a damning report by Justice Michael McHugh.
The wife of one of the trainers even said she fears for the lives of the devastated owners and trainers, who count decades in the sport.
“I worry that some people will commit suicide because of Mike Baird’s heavy handed destruction of their lives, livelihoods and passion,” said Colleen Abela, of Rouse Hill (Lifeline: 13 11 14).
Mrs Abela’s husband Mario has been racing greyhounds for the past 50 years but does not consider himself as professional trainer.
“It’s a hobby and passion for me,” Mr Abela said.
Greyhound Rescue, which has a large kennel in Rouse Hill, said they are bracing for many more dogs to be rehomed if the racing ban goes ahead next year. The not-for-profit organisation said they have always been against greyhound racing.
Meanwhile, the head of Harness Racing in NSW has foreshadowed the end of whips in the wake of the decision to ban greyhound racing.
John Dumesny’s comments come as a NewsLocal online poll found 54 per cent of respondents support the State Government’s decision to outlaw dog racing next year because of animal welfare issues.
Give us time
The Abelas and other greyhound trainers the Rouse Hill Times spoke to said they don’t condone the acts of the bad trainers which has caused the NSW government to ban their sport but want the government to give the industry the time and opportunity to make it better.
“Once the dogs finished racing, they were either kept on our property, sent to a farm in the country where we pay for them to be looked after, or sent to another trainer in the country, South Australia, Western Australia or New Zealand to continue their careers,” Mr Abela said.
“We have three dogs on our property at the moment.”
Livelihood in danger
Dean Swain, a public trainer at Vineyard, said his livelihood is in danger if the ban goes ahead.
“I train around 22 greyhounds and gave up my other job to concentrate on racing four years ago,” Mr Swain said.
“I am a second generation owner/trainer and we are prepared to go to court if the NSW Parliament approves the ban.
“The government is in for a rude shock.
“The greyhound industry has been around for over 100 years and it was the government’s duty to police it which it has failed to do.
“If the ban goes ahead, it will be the greatest travesty of justice in NSW.”
John Earle, 72, of Box Hill, gave up training and owning greyhounds two years ago, saying he is not young anymore to look after them.
“I have never put anyone of my dogs down when they finished racing,” Mr Earle said
“My dogs even lie on my lounge.”
Leanne and Larry Procopio have 12 greyhounds in training in Riverstone and are keen for the bad eggs in the industry to be banned.
“But it is unfair to punish all of us for something we haven’t done,” Mrs Procopio, who inherited her love for greyhounds from her dad Jack Snodgrass, a top trainer in his day.
“When we first saw ABC’s Four Corners report (on live baiting), we were horrified and shocked that it was happening in our industry and want it banned.
“We knew measures had to be put into place to make the sport better for all but the government hasn’t given a chance to all the good people ion the industry to make these changes.
“If the sport is banned, all the these dogs and puppies currently racing or being trained to race, will not be able to be rehomed due to the sheer numbers.”
Mr Procopio, who also runs a bricklaying business, said they enjoy racing their dogs, whom they treat as family pets.
“We enjoy going for the races and meeting other people and we are prepared to fight to overturn the proposed ban,” Mr Procopio said.
as a result of the planned ban on greyhound racing, Harness Racing in NSW could also ban whips according to a report in our papers this week.
Some of the points raised by the local trainers we spoke to:
■ The greyhound industry has made a lot of changes since the Four Corners report, but Premier Mike Baird has ignored this;
■ Yes, some members of the greyhound industry have done the wrong thing, but you don’t punish the majority for a few bad apples;
■ If this was the criteria to ban something, we wouldn’t have pet owners, horse racing, a police force, charities, football, cycling, or the Labor or Liberal parties
■ Greyhound racing in NSW was controlled by the NSW Government — if they didn’t do their job properly, they can’t put all the blame on the participants;
■ Justice McHugh’s report is based on figures based on guesstimates: No figures were kept until last year on the fate of greyhounds after they finished racing in NSW — he just assumed they were dead, when many of them were sent interstate, kept as pets, or sent to farms;
■ Most greyhound breeders hate selling any of their dogs in case they sell the best ones, they would never put pups down for the same reason
■ Most of the greyhound people who Justice McHugh has quoted were caught doing the wrong thing — the time honoured defence in such cases is “Everyone does it”;
■ Most of the experts quoted in the report are animal activists with a proven agenda to shut down greyhound racing;
■ None of the ordinary greyhound community have been quoted in the report;
■ Often the dogs eat better than their owners
■ They are treated well, not just because their owners love them, but also because there is no way they will race well if they aren’t kept fit and healthy.
■ Racing a greyhound is a 7-day-a-week commitment, and the trainer has to be home at least four times a day to tend to the dog.
■ If this ban goes ahead, many people will try to keep their dogs, but this will be hard without the little bit of income they get from racing to cover the costs.
■ Most greyhound trainers don’t make much money from the sport, they do it because they love dogs and greyhound racing.
■ Their dogs aren’t just a job, they are a hobby, a lifelong passion.
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