The good and the bad

As a greyhound owner in New Zealand, I belong to a facebook group called the Greyhound collective. In the group, Greyhound owners can seek advice, help each other and share photos of their hounds.

It's an amazing place that's put me in touch with some truly amazing people. The real depth of the community on the collective can be incredible sometimes. Last week the ironically named Tiny, (a greyhound who at 50Kg, is anything but tiny) got spooked by some kids letting off fireworks in a park and bolted.

Tiny's distraught owners posted on the collective, letting other hound owners know to keep an eye out for their wayward hound. Reading their post my heart was in my mouth. We'd had our first dog, a miniature dachshund called Monty, escape and go missing for 6 long horrifying days.

Reading their post that night, I remembered how utterly horrific a lost dog can be and promised myself that in the morning I'd get out and have a good look for Tiny too. That morning I posted that I was going to get out and have a search and to my delight several others agreed to help.

The area where Tiny had been spooked was large and bordered by hills covered in dense bush. If Tiny wanted to stay hidden, eh;d be pretty hard to find. Wandering around we called out for Tiny (who we never saw). What we did see were others from the collective also looking for Tiny.

After heading home depressed and tired at my lack of success, I checked the collective for any more updates on Tiny and was amazed to see that he'd been found by another amazing collective member who'd been with me looking and had gone back 4 times just in case.

The whole saga has shown me that people can be incredibly decent. No one hesitated to chip in and help a Greyhound owner who needed help. The level of support from other Greyhound owners was nothing short of astonishing.

While the greyhound collective showcases the very best in people, facebook sadly also highlights the other end of the spectrum.

BassGalgo a Spanish based charity that rescues Galgos (the Spanish equivalent of greyhounds) posted an alarming photo of a Galgo that'd been chained to a fence in a carpark and left to starve. The poor Galgo is horribly emaciated but survived but has thankfully been rescued.

Incredibly Spanish hunters who use Galgos during the hunting season seem to think that it's ok to abandon these dogs by tying up in a remote location where they'll endure dehydration and starvation. Its a cruel and sickening way to treat an animal who has shown its owner nothing but loyalty. It needs to be stopped.

Amazingly there seems to be little being done to stop this horrendous practice from happening at the end of each hunting season, and the Brits and Germans who flood into Spain each summer remain blissfully unaware of the horrors being inflicted on these gentle and trusting animals.

Perhaps if the media picked up on these stories and educated tourists, the Spanish Government might be forced to get off its ineffectual behind and craft laws to prevent these sickening acts from happening.

Meanwhile if you want to help, donations can be made to http://galgosdelsol.org/ or www.baasgalgo.com. With the hunting season drawing to a close in Spain, they could really do with your help.

Time for some sanity around fireworks?

It’s almost that time of year when New Zealand is gripped with the pyrotechnic insanity that is Guy Fawkes.

It’s something that puts dread into the hearts of many a pet owner, exhausts animal shelters as well as fire services and yet bizarrely it goes ahead each year like clockwork.

Calling for a ban attracts cries of “don’t spoil our fun” from people who you’d charitably say weren’t aware of the mayhem and harm caused. The more cynical amongst us could also say that these people lacked empathy, simply don’t care and were too self involved to give a  damn.

Amazingly many of the people who are pro fireworks were amongst the first to express their anger at the shooting massacres in the US, smugly proclaiming that this sort of thing hardly ever happens in NZ as we have decent gun control laws.

Yet the reality is that for one week a year in NZ it is perfectly legal to sell a box of low power explosives and pyrotechnic devices to almost any consenting adult who’ll buy them. Making matters worse, many less scrupulous retailers are also happy to sell them to kids weeks before Guy Fawkes.

The parallels between the US gun law controversy and fireworks in NZ are eerily similar. A few crazed lunatics go on a shooting spree and responsible gun owners fear getting penalised. Sadly it’s the few bad apples in New Zealand that seem to go stupid with fireworks who are ruining it for the rest who enjoy fireworks every November.

Then there’s the pro gun people who argue that in the US it is their constitutional right to bear arms, regardless of how many kids are killed in each monthly shooting massacre. In New Zealand it is mostly pets and animals that cop the brunt of our crazy fireworks laws, yet some still feel compelled to argue that do-gooders are “ruining their fun”.  

This needn’t be the case. Banning the sale of fireworks to the general public and instead investing in professional fireworks displays managed by trained professionals could see a lot of damage, injury and heartache ended while people still got to enjoy far better fireworks than the box of 30 second fizzers sold each year.

Meanwhile, back in 2015, its already too late. We’re now two weeks away from Guy Fawkes yet we already have the first animal casualty. 

Tiny, a gentle and friendly greyhound was spooked by fireworks being set off at a park by kids - even though Guy Fawkes is still a fortnight away. At the time of writing Tiny has yet to be found and groups of greyhound owners are out searching.

I don’t know about you, but I find it bizarre that New Zealanders feel compelled to celebrate events that took place hundreds of years ago in a country on the other side of the world. You’d think that for all the clamour surrounding getting rid of the Union Jack off our flag,we’d feel a tad inclined to drop what is essentially a UK centric event that has little if not no relevance to New Zealand.

 Last year a petition made it to the Government asking for an end to the sale of fireworks to the general public. Sadly the Government referred it to a select committee who rejected the petition, ignoring 25,000 signatures as well as the phenomenal amount of damage done to property and injuries to animals/kids by fireworks over the years.

The select committee chair, Ruth Dyson said that  she believes that most people act responsibly and enforcing a ban would be tough on police. Well I guess poor Tiny must have encountered two irresponsible people who purchased fireworks from an irresponsible retailer. As for her comment about the Police, they are already doing a tough job, Boo bloody hoo.

Here’s the rub. If the ban did go ahead and even if that meant the life of one animal was saved, or one house was prevented from burn down, then that’s a massively positive outcome. Taking Dyson's comments to their logical extreme, we might as well give up on doing anything because it might be too tough. Perhaps New Zealand needs to grow a pair, especially when a simple and sane solution is within easy reach.

P.S. Several hours after this post was written, Tiny was found and returned home. Ain't happy endings just the best thing ever?

Getting a greyhound can be a very humbling thing indeed. We started out with Lottie, who we've since called the Brindle Rocket on account of her love of zooming. We loved her so much that we got Bomber, who we also call tinklebert woofledink on account of his TARDIS-like bladder and epic piddles when out walking.

One of the things no one tells you when you adopt a greyhound is how utterly smoochy they are. There are literally dozens of different gestures Greyhounds have to express their happiness.

First and foremost is the lean. This is when a hound will walk right up to you and lean their bodies against you. It is pretty humbling. What they they are saying is that they trust you so much that they'll lean into you to the point that if you move, they'll fall over.

Then there's the happy puffy cheeks and teeth chattering. When a greyhound is happy they'll puff their cheeks. If they're really happy they'll also chatter their teeth. This is of course exceptionally cute to see when it happens.

There also the more generic gestures such as the tail wag, also known in our house as the helicopter bum. Greyhounds tend to have exceptionally waggy tails. We have friends who own greyhounds who've even broken their tails from excessive wagging in confined spaces.

My all time favourite is what is known amongst greyhound owners as Nitting. This happens when a hound is really REALLY happy, and will see the hound mouthing your hand. Its is sometimes mistaken for aggression,  but is really a gentle "I love you" gesture and very cute. Bomber does this when he hears the leads being moved and figures out that a walk is in the offering.

If by now you've guessed that our hounds are a happy bunch, you'd be right on the money.

It is such a an utterly humbling and cute thing to know that you've made them so deliriously  and utterly happy, yet at the same time you can't help smiling or even laughing out loud. I guess that's the magic of life with a Greyhound.

Saying Goodbye is never easy. In my job I do a fair bit of overseas travel. Heading somewhere sunny and warm as winter deepens its grip is always welcome but there's one huge downside.

Saying goodbye to my hounds and my ever patient wife is always really hard, but Lottie and Bomber don't really get why I am scooting out the door suitcase in hand.

Their look of puzzlement and my own realisation that I won't see them again for a week or two makes saying goodbye incredibly difficult.

A tear or two has ben shed by me on more than one occasion.

One of the least spoken about facets of greyhounds is how expressive they are. Their big soft brown eyes and spring loaded ears, plus a tail that does double duty as a whip/helicopter rotor can tell you all you need to know about how they're feeling.

When a walk is in the offering, their ears go straight up and they'll wag their tail hysterically. Another happy gesture is cheek puffing and this often happens before a walk. Like many other greyhound owners, I find it incredibly hard not to laugh and smile at unbridled sheer joy they exhibit.

Now Me and any my wife are about to head off for a vacation, thankfully my in-laws (who are great with both hounds) are dog and house sitting. I wonder how my wife will cope?

I'll no doubt still be a teary eyed wreck.

Politics

We've been greyhound owners for just over 2 years. What a time its been! Lottie (AKA the insinkerator, and/or Brindle Rocket) plus Bomber (AKA Tinklebert woofledink and/or the black piddler) have both proven to be amazing dogs, each with their own distinct foibles and traits (even if they are both super cuddly). I am of course utterly besotted with both hounds.

Reflecting on the past 2 years, it is fair to say that I've met some amazing greyhound owners who've also become firm friends.

More recently however I've been saddened to observe just how much politics are getting in the way of achieving a positive outcome for greyhounds, many of whom really need our help.

I'd recently written about how disgusted I was with a post on the "greyhound protection league" facebook page and how by attempting to make political capital out of what can only be described as a terribly sad situation, they'd lost sight of helping a greyhound. In short, political point scoring got in the way of actual greyhound protection.

Since writing that entry I was asked to leave their facebook page. I gladly left and have no intention of ever looking back.

This time I've had a run-in with another greyhound welfare group bigwig who'll remain nameless.

I noticed a facebook post on their personal page, slagging off Greyhound as Pets (GAP) who are New Zealand's biggest and most well funded greyhound adoption agency. I expressed my distaste with the semi public bagging of a fellow greyhound welfare organisation given the posters prominent position within the greyhound community. I tried to be reasonable, even polite, saying that at the end of the day surely we all want the same thing, namely a good outcome for greyhounds.

What I got back as a reply was a rant telling me how I was completely wrong and how evil GAP was.
The reply might've been articulate, but at the end of the day that didn't matter. What really matters is that the real loosers here are greyhounds. I've since un-friended this person so I don't have to read their rants ever again. I hope more people follow my steps and do likewise.

When we were thinking of adopting a greyhound, we did a heap of research - much of it online. Surely it must follow that should other people thinking of adopting a greyhound, see such rabid outpourings, they'll wonder about the whole Greyhound scene given the irrational rants happening online.

What they unfortunately wont see are the really lovely people who own and love their greyhounds deeply. Unfortunately this isn't obvious to potential adopters, many of whom will instead read rabid social media posts emanating out of these organisations and run a mile. It'd be fair to assume that any thoughts about adopting a greyhound are also likely to be long forgotten too.

So what can we learn from this? It doesn't matter if people from these greyhound rescue groups can't see eye to eye. Instead of focusing on their differences and posting divisive rants online, wouldn't a far better outcome be achieved by rising above such petty politics and looking at what they all have in common?

Thankfully it appears that these politically motivated and vitriolic ranters are only a small but particularly vocal minority.

Lotties Cat Crush

Lottie (aka the brindle rocket or the insinkerator) isn't what you'd call a cat trainable greyhound. Normally if out walking and her ultra sensitive cat radar picks up a feline presence, she'll go nuts until she's dragged away from where her finely tuned cat detection apparatus has decided the cat in question is located. Other times of course she'll just look and wont react at all.

Lotties cat radar is truly something to behold. We can be walking down the street and no cats are in view. Suddenly Lotties ears are standing to full attention and she's detected a cat. We've lost count of the amount of times that we've been sure that there was no cat about, only to find that a cat tucked away under a gate, car, letterbox, hedge or sitting in a window 200 meters up the road. We're still not sure how Lotties nearly fool-proof cat radar works, but trust me on this, it really works.

When we adopted Lottie we were told that she was a cat question mark,or that she may be ok with cats, but then again she may not. It appeared that felines made her anxious. Our elderly cat had passed away so we weren't too worried. Lottie has since lunged, barked at and carried on like a furry nutter at cats more times than we can count. Other times she can be bizarrely uninterested.

As we're cautious sorts and are aware of Lotties generally high levels of nuttiness when it comes to cats. We watch Lottie like a hawk when out walking and keep her on a short lead should her cat radar detect a feline bogey at 3 o'clock.

Bizarrely while out walking Lottie a while back we began to notice that she was fascinated by townhouses at the end of our street. Each time we walked past, Lottie would slow down, staring across the road. She'd even hold off having a pee (even when she was clearly busting) until she was outside these townhouses so she could spend a little more time staring.

Then it dawned on us. There was an elderly (but oh so cute) ginger cat that often sat outside the townhouses and Lottie had developed a cat crush on it.

Now when we walk past Lotties ears perk up, her tail wags and she smiles. she's not interested in lunging, barking or going nuts. Instead, she'll quietly stand and look longingly at the ginger cat (who is of course is blissfully unaware that it has a greyhound admirer). We think its terribly cute.

Spare a thought for Benny

UPDATE: After posting a link to this blog on the Greyhound protection leagues facebook page, they've "invited" me to leave their page. Guess they don't like to hear anything that calls their views into question. What a shame .

UPDATE #2: The Palmerston North Council have confirmed that they will euthanise benny. 

Sometimes things just go wrong and spiral out of control.

Take the incredibly sad story of a greyhound called Benny for instance.

Nightrave (who rehome retired racing greyhounds) placed Benny with a family, on trial.

Unfortunately the family's small child left the front gate open on their property and Bennie escaped. This happened not once, not twice, and but three times. Benny was retrieved two of the times he pulled off this escape act.

Nightrave should probably have intervened after the second escape and taken Benny back off the family, whose property and living situation were probably incompatible with owning a greyhound.

Sadly Benny escaped a third time. This time he caught and attacked Quinn, a cat. Quinn's owner rushed Quinn to the vet. While Nightrave covered the vet costs, Quinn sadly died.

Benny's trial owners surrendered Benny to the council, who've since impounded Benny, placing him on death row.

They will probably kill him very soon.

This all came to my attention via the "The greyhound protection league". They're staunch advocates of getting the greyhound racing industry shut down.

Sadly their Facebook post on the issue reads more as a rant against the racing industry, rather than being anything to do with protecting Benny. Both Nightrave and Benny's former trainer had some pretty serious allegations made against them in the post which  was so inflammatory that it bordered on being defamatory (If I were Benny's former trainer or Nightrave, I'd probably be phoning my lawyers).

What struck me was not just what was said by the greyhound protection league, but was not said. Nowhere in the posting did the greyhound protection league really focus on Benny's welfare. I find this pretty hypocritical given they're supposedly the greyhound protection league.

The original posting, and some of the comments, contend that Benny's behaviour is a result of his training by the greyhound racing industry who stimulated his prey drive so he'd chase a synthetic lure around the racetrack as fast as possible. Other comments make the point that Benny could be rehabilitated into a safe environment where he would not have access to cats, and that there is no need for him to be killed.

To my mind a number of people have contributed to this sad situation:

The family who unwittingly facilitated this horrible situation by letting Benny escape. These sort of things happen to even the most responsible dog owner, however letting it happen three times stretches the bounds of credibility. Once should have been enough for the family to take action to ensure it didn't happen again.

After the first escape - certainly the second - Nightrave should have taken Benny way. Sadly this didn't happen either.

The greyhound protection league's rabid post on their Facebook page was neither helpful nor I suspect was it factually informed. It appears that the cat owner, who raised the issue with them, has provided all of the information; not all of it was accurate and it does not appear to have been checked. There are a number of significant errors which have been pointed out by commenters. This does their credibility no good at all and has just inflamed an already heated debate where many other people are posting without any thought on the consequences of their words to poor Benny and other greyhounds.

Unsuprisingly, Quinn's owner is very upset.  Losing a much loved pet is heartbreaking. To lose a pet in such a violent way must be nothing short of horrific. Quinn's owner blames the racing industry and had made some pretty strong comments about the greyhound breed.  She wants Benny to be put down and is convinced this is the only possible outcome.

Grieving is never easy and anger is a natural stage of the grieving process. I can only hope that in the future, she looks back at her comments with horror and realises that any breed of dog could have done the exact same thing, given the right opportunity.

Making matters worse, Quinn's owner has said that she is training to be either a vet or a vet-nurse. Given her comments about greyhounds, I'd have some pretty big concerns with taking my hounds to any practice she was employed at.

She has also said in posts that she wants to go the media with her story.  The NZ media, always on the hunt for a big story, would love nothing better than to cover this given the recent live baiting scandals in Australia. Sadly by going to the media, she will place the lives of hundreds of innocent greyhounds in danger should the perception of them being violent dogs take hold with the public. Based on her comments, it is probably fair to assume she is an animal lover yet sadly her grief has probably clouded judgement to the point that she isn't thinking much about the long term consequences of her words and actions.

Benny on the other hand was doing exactly what many different dog breeds (or even cats) do in the wild, he was hunting. Its not a pleasant thing, but it is the truth.  This is hardly limited to greyhounds, or indeed dogs.

Quinn, like most other cats, had probably in his lifetime also hunted and possibly killed animals. Even the most responsible cat owners who fit bells and don't let their cats out at night can't completely prevent it from happening.

Amidst the finger pointing and blaming the greyhound protection league have been doing, they need to remember that a dog sits on death row. There's been little discussion on how Benny could be best helped, and how Quinn's owner can best be supported through her grief, although both issues have been commented on. This is what needs to happen.

Sadly one thing is abundantly clear. It doesn't matter who is right nor who is wrong. Quinn, a much loved cat has died. Nothing will bring him back. Now a greyhound who just needed a safe and loving home but was let down through a series of errors will also die. Sadly we can't do much for Quinn besides offering his owner our sympathies.

Shouldn't we spare a thought for Benny?  Should he really have to die?

Well how about that!

Events over the last week had seen many greyhound owners and animal lovers everywhere in a state of panic as the UKs daily mail published a story stating that hundreds of greyhounds were to be euthanised over the next few weeks.

Animal welfare agencies were contacted and many discussions were had. Many (myself included) were dreading the sad news that the hounds had met their end.

What a difference a few days can make.

There's been a heap of discussion and feedback and it turns out that the daily mail story may not have been entirely accurate.

It turns out that the figure of more than 70 trainers being banned may have been exaggerated as the reality is that Queensland have banned 5 trainers and New South Wales has suspended about 13 trainers. Ohter comments were that Greyhound Victoria seem to be bending over backwards not to take action against the trainers; they and have allowed the owners of the dogs to continue to race their hounds if they sign a statment saying that they knew nothing of the live baiting.

It also appears that many of the dogs belonging to trainers under investigation have largely been placed under their wives names. The dogs of the trainers still being investigated are being held by the RSPCA but the goof news is that Australian greyhound charities in  effected states report that they have been surprised by the increased level of potential fosterers coming forward as well (thank goodness!).

This said, there are still some points I raised in my earlier blog that need to be addressed. Sponsors who walked away from sponsoring the racing industry after benefiting from it for years need to take some responsibility and start funding greyhound welfare 

 Equally important, Australian broadcaster, ABC whose show, 4 corners exposed the live baiting scandal need to maintain a watching brief to ensure that the welfare of the dogs is maintained. Its simply responsible journalism.

 

Hundreds of Greyhounds to be euthanised over the next few weeks

I'd previously blogged about the likely fallout from the greyhound live baiting scandal that's been tearing the Australian greyhound racing scene apart over the last few weeks.

In previous blogs I'd speculated that the scandal would see its innocent victims continue to suffer long after the issue had faded from public attention. Now the UK's daily mail is reporting that hundreds of "blooded" greyhounds are going to be euthanised as trainers banned from racing can no longer afford to keep them.  

According to the daily mail "More than 70 trainers and owners have been banned across Australia, including some of the industry's biggest names, and upwards of 600 dogs are believed to have been taken out of racing or pre-training"

I could smugly say "told you so", but the reality is that I'm equal parts sickened and saddened as the insanity spirals out of control and hundreds of these beautiful animals will soon be killed.

Sponsors such as AFL star Jonathan Brown, The McGrath Foundation, and Macro Meats Gourmet Game co. have all pulled out from sponsoring greyhound racing in Australia. Ceasing to support greyhound racing might seem like a prudent PR move, but surely it'd be a thousand times smarter if they took the money they'd previously put into the racing industry and re-directed it into welfare such as rehabilitating and re-homing the hounds who'd been "blooded" so they're pet friendly. 

Simply put, the reality is that supporting greyhound racing needs to be replaced with supporting greyhound welfare.

Then there's the divisiveness that's spread across social media, and online forums all of which are abuzz with people weighing in with their own opinions about the evils of the industry. Regardless of the many differing opinions, there's one fundamental reality that anyone with a good conscience cannot ignore. These poor animals need our help.

Now is not the time for pointless debate and finger pointing, now is the time for everyone to set aside their differences and to help find a long term solution before hundreds of these innocent hounds are killed.

So what can you do to help?

There's 4 simple things that can make a huge:

1) DONATE money to Australian greyhound rescue agencies - this will give the agencies some much needed breathing space in which they may be able to get more hounds re-homed. There are a bunch of greyhound rescue agencies in Australia that'll happily take a credit card number/paypal and other forms of payments. Check out:

http://www.gapnsw.org.au/home/ 
http://www.friendsofthehound.org.au/
http://www.greyhoundsaspets.com.au/
http://gap.grv.org.au/

2) LOBBY the sponsors who've ceased supporting greyhound racing to throw their support into greyhound welfare and rehabilitation. If they wont listen stop buying their products. Making money from greyhound racing is one thing, but turning their backs on these dogs when they need help more than ever strikes me as being both hypocritical and disgusting. From a PR standpoint, getting involved with supporting greyhound welfare should be a total win-win for anyone who'd previously supported the Australian greyhound racing industry. Admitting fault is one thing, but following it up with positive action that can make such a huge difference in the lives of so many innocent dogs can only translate into positive publicity.

The McGrath foundation can be reached at

54 Chandos Street, St Leonards, NSW 2065
PO Box 471, St Leonards, NSW 1590
Phone: (02) 8962 6100

Fax: (02) 9958 0140

Macro Meats is reachable via

Macro Meats
51-53 Lavinia Street,
Athol Park,
South Australia
Australia 5012

P.O. Box 222
Kilkenny,
South Australia
Australia 5009

Telephone:
+61 8 8341 2533
Facsimile:
+61 8 8341 0345
sales@macromeats.com


I don't have the contact details for Jonathan Brown, but I am sure that if enough people contact his former club via their website (http://www.lions.com.au/) he'll be bound to do something

If you get a chance, contact ABC Australia's CEO and ask why they have been so quiet after they broke the news. Running a story like this has huge consequences. The ABC network needs to step up as a responsible broadcaster and at the very least document what is happening. The ABC's 4 corner programme can be reached at their website.

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/ 

3) ADOPT. I know this sounds cliched, but greyhounds make amazing pets. As a greyhound owner I am admittedly totally biased, but they really are awesome. If you live in Australia, and are thinking about rescuing a dog (or know someone who is thinking of rescuing a dog), you could do a lot worse than adopting a greyhound. Don't take my word for it, check out this video I made a while back where greyhound owners talk about owning a greyhound. 

4) WRITE letters to your local newspaper. As long as this issue is kept alive and the public remained informed, a positive outcome remains a possibility. Feel free to re-share this blog and to comment too. Every little bit counts.

Live Baiting - How you can make a difference

The fallout from the Greyhound Live Baiting scandal continues to create suffering and grief in Australia.

As predicted in my last post, Australian greyhound adoption agencies are being overwhelmed with record numbers of hounds as people seek to exit the industry ahead of investigations and inspections, putting their dogs up for adoption.

This is creating the perfect storm for adoption agencies who are now faced with the costs of neutering, vaccination, chipping, feeding and homing record numbers of hounds on a shoe-string budget.

Greyhound Rescue Australia (http://greyhoundrescue.com.au/) are already besieged and say that

"Greyhound lovers, we beg for your help. Due to the recent airing of Four Corners we are under the most pressure we have ever been under, to take surrendered greyhounds. Our inbox has been flooded and phones have not stopped ringing."

Sadly the wave of negative publicity is also likely to slow adoptions, putting agencies such as Greyhound Rescue under even greater financial pressure.

The really sad thing is that the Live baiting issue isn't so much about the dogs, but is about the evils of people who put making a fast buck over the welfare of animals.

Most greyhounds are gentle creatures that definitely don't deserve the  negative attention they're getting in the Australian media.

If Greyhound rescue agencies do go under it will be even worse for the dogs whose retirement could come to sudden and permanent end.

There is good news however

This is avoidable. If like me you care deeply about the plight of these magnificent hounds, please visit greyhound rescue and make a small donation - every single bit helps!

Saddened and Shocked: Live Baiting

New Zealand’s Greyhound racing body have released a statement distancing themselves from the live baiting scandal that's sweeping through Australia.

After complaints from industry insiders and animal activists, 16+ prominent Greyhound trainers were caught by hidden cameras attaching piglets, guinea pigs, rabbits and other small animals to the mechanical lure for greyhounds to chase.

The practice is called “blooding”. It screened to a shocked Australian public on ABCs Four Corners current affairs show on Monday.

6 NSW greyhound trainers as well as 10 in Victoria plus several in Queensland have all been stood down after investigations by the RSPCA.

In Australia the practice is punishable under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 and can result in a jail term of up to two years plus fines of up to Au$30,000.

Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) announced that a task-force will investigate live baiting within the NSW greyhound industry. Similar efforts are likely in other Australian states.

The unfortunate reality is that no amount of investigations will fix the damage done to public perceptions of Greyhounds.

Even though 16+ trainers may end up in jail and are now banned from the industry, public perceptions of Greyhounds as violent canines are likely to linger. Greyhound adoptions in Australia are also likely to suffer as a direct result.

Dealing with the large numbers of Greyhounds owned by the banned trainers (many of whom own upwards of 70 dogs) could also create a double-whammy.

Now they're banned from racing, they'll struggle to afford to keep their dogs. 

Many will have little choice but to put a large number of Greyhounds up for adoption. Doing so when public perceptions of these gentle and loyal animals is at an all time low will probably see many euthanised.

Footage from the Four Corners expose makes for pretty harrowing viewing (viewer discretion is advised).  As a greyhound owner and an animal lover, I found it deeply upsetting. That a small number of people could put money ahead of animals to create this dire situation in which so many hounds will lose their lives is despicable. Years of work done by so many to change public perceptions of Greyhounds has now been undone.

Posts are already surfacing in Greyhound forums with Australian Greyhound owners posting that they're getting accosted by people on the street who are asking how they can own such "violent" dogs (check out http://www.reddit.com/r/Greyhounds/comments/2w82db/australias_live_baiting/) as an example.

The reality is of course the complete opposite. Most Greyhounds I’ve ever met have been more interested in hogging the sofa than being aggressive towards anyone. Some may chase cats and other animals but after 4+ years of chasing a lure around a race track its easy to see why this happens.  If you’ve read any of my previous blog entries you’ll also know that while my two hounds may not be saints, they’re no danger to anyone.

So what can we take out of this horrible situation? If anything it’s this:

Blame the people not the dogs.  Greyhounds make excellent pets. they're gentle, intelligent, loyal and lazy. Please don’t let the despicable acts for a few idiots change your views of these beautiful animals.

Here's how NOT to lose your dog

Morning walks with our two Greyhounds are a much loved daily ritual. Bomber (aka tinklebert woofledink) goes totally nuts at the mere mention of the word "Walk". Lottie (aka the insinkerator) races to the front door.

This mornings walk started out like any other. A casual stroll around the block saw Bomber watering lamposts and wondering why they don't grow, while Lottie maintained a vigil for the ginger tabby-cat she's so become besotted with.

We were almost home when I spotted a Hunterway/Rottweiler puppy tearing into a rubbish bag. Aside from being cute, this pup was clearly an escape artist and was not accompanied by a human. The street it was on was particularly busy, morning traffic was building. This poor pup could run out onto the road and hit by a car at any moment.

Heart in mouth I handed my wife Bombers lead and she crossed the road (so the pup wasn't startled by our two hounds). I walked up to the pup gently calling to it in a high pitched friendly voice so it wasn't startled and knew I was there. Luckily it was used to people and didn't panic. I patted its fur, checking it out. There was no collar, tags or anything else to connect it with human owners. It wasn't injured or starving and its tail wasn't between its legs. These were all good signs.

I had no way of getting directly in touch with its owner so I pulled out my phone and went to call animal control so the dog could be picked up and hopefully re-united with its owners. Finishing the call, the unthinkable happened. The pup bolted across the road.  Luckily there was no traffic. I watched as the pup scooted up a path to one of the houses across the road.

By now I was running seriously late for work, but turning my back on this pup wasn't an option. I crossed the road and wandered up to the house whose path the pup had wandered up. I knocked on the door. They'd never heard of the dog, but said that they had new neighbors who might own a dog. Several door knocks later I finally caught up with the owner.

It turns out that the sneaky escape artist was already inside curled up on the sofa and owner hadn't even noticed the pup had got out.

So what can we take out of what could have been a tragic tale involving a lost pup or a road fatality? Here's 4 simple steps that can be the difference between losing a dog and making sure it doesn't escape.


1 - Dog Proof your Property
This might sound a littler obvious, but an ounce of prevention goes a hell of a long way. The pups home had no front gate - or fences. It turns out that the owners kids had left the back gate open and the pup had wandered off.

If you get a dog, make sure your property is dog proof. Use several gates and make sure your property is surrounded by a dog-proof fence. Never underestimate the ingenuity and finkiness of a determined mutt. Even if our hounds manage to sneak into our front section, it's still gated and  fully dog-proofed.

2 - Make sure your dog is identifiable
This is such a simple thing but is so often overlooked. The escapee pup had no collar, no tag and no means of contacting its owner. This meant I had to involve animal control. If an an animal control officer had of captured the pup it might've been  reunited with owners assuming its owners had got it chipped (Chipping your dog is a must-do). Trouble is the pups owners would then be liable for a whopping fine from the council.

The really annoying thing is that this was all so avoidable. Just by making sure your dog has a collar and a tag that  with its name plus your contact details. This means that whoever finds your dog can call you rather than the council, saving you a tonne of fines and council related grief.

3 - Neighbors are your dogs best friends
None of the neighbors whose doors I knocked on even knew who owned this dog, even though it only lived next door. Neighbors may be home when you're out. They may see your dog on the lose and could let you know and save people like me a heap of shoe leather wear, door knocking and unneeded stress. Introduce your dog to your neighbours. Its dead easy to do and may make a big difference one day should your pooch escape.

4 - Keep an eye on your dog
The pups owner wasn't  even aware it'd escaped until I knocked on their front door. Situational awareness (that is knowing where your dog is and its regular habits) can be the difference between a lost dog and a foiled escape attempt.

So there you have it. If you're thinking of owning a dog please think about these 4 simple steps. They may save you and your dog a tonne of grief.

UPDATE: While out walking yesterday the pup was once again on the street. Sigh

Greyhound People

We've been Greyhound owners now for almost 2 years -  They've been the best 2 years of my life.

I don't think I've laughed out loud so much or smiled so often.

Both our hounds are a constant source of hilarity and happiness to us.

In fact both Lottie and Bomber have become such a big part of our lives that being without them isn't an option.

Adopting both has also had some huge benefits.

I love to get home from work. I am usually greeted at the door by two furry tail wagging four legged tornados and this is just brilliant beyond belief.

Then there's the health benefits. Wearing a smartwatch with a built in step-counter has given me insight into the healthy effects of  living with two hounds. Most days I'll hit my 10,000 step goal with little to no effort as a 30-40 minute walk twice a day boosts my step count.

Best of all is the social side of things.

Lottie and Bomber both have their own fan clubs in our  community. Each morning we go for a morning stroll and bump into a regular cast of people who also happen to be out and about.

Many stop and make a fuss over Lottie and Bomber. Both hounds have also got to know these people and look forward to seeing them, greeting them each morning with furious tail wags.

Then there's the amazing Greyhound community that we've become a part of. Other greyhound owners are amazing people, and I count many as firm friends. It isn't all that unusual to meet up at least once a week with several of them to take our hounds for a zoom at a secure hound friendly location.

Dinners and other catch ups are common too. Great advice is usually shared and we discuss the quirks of our hounds, more often than not with a liberal dose of laughter. The social scene is a big bonus and an unexpected one too.

Greyhound owners in Wellington are also well connected. Every new hound adoption is usually known about.  Its also a pretty inclusive environment. Most owners know each other and welcome new owners into the fold. The social scene has to be one of the least discussed yet better benefits of adopting a Greyhound.

A gathering of hounds

Greyhounds are an amazing breed. They're so like other medium to large dog breeds in many ways but in others, they're also completely different.

This crossed my mind over the holiday break. Bomber (AKA Tinklebert Woofledink) turned 5 so we held a small birthday party. 10 of his fellow greyhounds turned up along with a dozen or so of their humans.

Most dog owners would see this as a potential recipe for disaster. Yet excluding one or two incidents, the hounds all got on pretty well with each other.

So well in fact that we arranged dog beds along the length of a hedge running across our back lawn. Each hound sat back on their bed and did what Greyhounds love to do - sleep.

Several days later a friend's hound turned 10 so she also held a gathering of hounds and humans at her place. Once again, the hounds behaved. 

So why do greyhounds tend to get on so well together?

Greyhound pups often spend a lot longer with their mothers compared to other breeds. This means they're usually well versed in canine etiquette. They're also raised in kennel environments. Which translates into them being well socialised with other Greyhounds.

This said, nothing is perfect and as will be with any large groups of dogs, there is the odd snarl or snap. Making the hounds wear muzzles is always a good idea, even if the dogs are being quiet and well behaved.