Greyhound Action calls for Swindon track to shut down
Animal welfare charity, Greyhound Action, has called for a Swindon greyhound track to shut down after a number of dogs needed to be put down following in-race falls.
Greyhound Action pointed to several recent races. Two-year old Rackethall Kenny was involved in a four dog pile up after racing into the second bend on 7 July. Only two days later Swift Abel fell coming into the same bend and sustained a leg injury. Later that month, on 30 July, Wots Er Name fell on the same bend. A fourth dog Day Two collided on the first bend a day later. The Swindon track vet decided to put the dogs down in all four cases.
“We were informed of this appalling carnage by an official at the track,” said Greyhound Action representative, Tony Peters. “He also told us that there were concerns about a recent deterioration of the racing surface at the track, which may have contributed to these tragic incidents.”
Track conditions are important especially coming into turns. The dogs can reach speeds of 65 kph as they race down the straightaways. If the track is in poor condition the dogs can lose footing as they come in to the tight bends at high speeds. A falling dog can cause a pile up, but even if the dog falls while trailing, or away from the other dogs, they can sustain series leg injuries which often lead to their deaths.
“Any injury to one of our greyhounds is greatly regrettable and impacts on everyone at the stadium,” said a stadium spokesman. “We monitor constantly to see if there is anything we need to do to avoid repetitions.”
It is difficult to avoid collisions in dog races as the dogs are anxious to pass each other. They will often cut close to the rails, causing the dogs to crowd. Injuries received due to crowding happen in dog racing, but rarely. When they do the track conditions are usually not to blame.
According to the stadium spokesman the injuries were caused by in-running collisions.
The spokesman went on to say: “No expense is spared ensuring that we have the finest sand and fixtures on the track, plus the best track preparation, veterinary and racing teams in the business, simply because we regard the safety of our greyhounds as our highest priority”.
Swindon has shallow bends, compared to some other race tracks across the country and is generally known for giving exceptional care to the dogs that race there.
They have races every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. Each night has 12 or 14 races. Tonight they have 12 races scheduled ranging from A2 races to A8. At six dogs per race, Swindon sees anywhere from 72 to 96 dogs race per race day. Having three dogs fall on the same bend within a month could be cause for concern, but considering they were involved in collisions it is difficult to place fault on the track itself. No inquiry is currently scheduled, although with Greyhound Action actively attempting to have the stadium shut down, Swindon will try to ensure the track is in top condition.
Greyhound Action is an international dog protection group that formed in 1997. The goal of the organization is to end greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and around the world. While there are many organizations that help find homes for retired race dogs, Greyhound Action feels that there are too many dogs to find homes for. They instead use their resources to pressure the government to ban greyhound racing.
The Swindon dog track is one of many in England. It’s known for hosting the British Produce Stakes in June, and the Pride of the West in September.
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