As I sat in the ACT Legislative Assembly on November 28 listening to the debate on the greyhound racing ban, I couldn’t help but think of all of the greyhounds I have known and met through the years.
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Prior to the February 2015 ABC’s Four Corners report showing video footage of live baiting practices across the country, the reality was that I didn’t personally know any greyhounds by name. We rarely saw them come into the shelter for rehoming, and I didn’t see many at our events either.
Shortly afterwards I met Arnott, a large black dog with a goofy personality that we all adored. To this day, I can’t picture him without the recycle bin lid on his head as he was always looking for food in the office, and occasionally got stuck doing so.
Then there was Galileo. He was owned by one of our vets at the time and had been rescued from a research lab. When his racing days were behind him, his new job was as a full-time blood donor. Yes, the only reason why he was still alive was because of his blood.
As I started to know the greyhound rescue groups better, I met even more of these lovely dogs. There was Lucky, the three-legged greyhound that I met a short time after her amputation, the tragic result of an untreated dog bite. Once she had recovered, I marvelled how she’d happily play and chase her foster sibling, Bobby, around as though three legs were normal.
Right after NSW decided to ban greyhound racing (and then backflip), I met Bolt and Lightning, gorgeous brothers who were surrendered to us. I remember letting them loose in the training yard and seeing them run together at full speed. Just a few minutes later, they promptly lay down in exhaustion.
When I thought about all of the greyhounds that I met over the last two or years or so, I realised that I’ve never met a puppy, and I’ve never met a greyhound that wasn’t a part of the racing industry at some point in their life. Isn’t it strange that one breed of dog can be treated so differently than every other breed simply because gambling is involved?
The greyhounds never chose to be a part of the racing industry. They didn’t choose the training methods used to make them faster. They didn’t decide whether or not to use prohibited substances. They didn’t decide whether they would treated by a vet for a broken toe or instead be euthanased.
No, at the end of the day it was never the greyhounds that made the good or bad decisions about being part of the racing industry. This is why the ACT greyhound racing ban is such an important milestone for animal welfare – a government has stood up for the rights of these gentle giants who have never had a choice.
- Tammy Ven Dange is the CEO of RSPCA ACT.
