Profit above public safety
Announcement posted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia 04 Aug 2020
Dear Editor,
Under Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria we cannot have a haircut, exercise for more than an hour, or buy food after 8.00pm. Why, then, is dog racing still permitted? According to the Premier, shutting down the industry would present "significant animal welfare issues."
What can we take from this statement, apart from assuming that a greyhound who no longer makes money for his or her "guardian" is going to be neglected, abandoned, or killed? After all, this is an industry that railed against legislation requiring them to provide dogs with enriching toys, claiming this "anthropomorphised" greyhounds. Greyhound trainers have previously been exposed for dumping dogs in mass graves, and live-baiting small animals.
I am the proud fur-grandpa of two rescued greyhounds. These loving, quirky individuals spent their early lives cut off from natural pleasures like play, socialisation, and regular walks. One of them was confined to a cage for most of the day, and forced to live in her own waste. Her only exercise was being chained to a walking machine. The other dog has badly-worn teeth from chewing on the bars of her cage, and anxiety issues that are only now settling after years in a loving home.
The cruel practices of this patently non-essential business should not be permitted in a State of Disaster, or any state at all. This exemption to the lockdown only serves to prove that racing industries put profit above anything else – including public safety.
Desmond Bellamy
Special Projects Coordinator
PETA Australia
1a Henderson St
Northcote 3070
0411 577 416
DesmondB@PETA.org.au
Under Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria we cannot have a haircut, exercise for more than an hour, or buy food after 8.00pm. Why, then, is dog racing still permitted? According to the Premier, shutting down the industry would present "significant animal welfare issues."
What can we take from this statement, apart from assuming that a greyhound who no longer makes money for his or her "guardian" is going to be neglected, abandoned, or killed? After all, this is an industry that railed against legislation requiring them to provide dogs with enriching toys, claiming this "anthropomorphised" greyhounds. Greyhound trainers have previously been exposed for dumping dogs in mass graves, and live-baiting small animals.
I am the proud fur-grandpa of two rescued greyhounds. These loving, quirky individuals spent their early lives cut off from natural pleasures like play, socialisation, and regular walks. One of them was confined to a cage for most of the day, and forced to live in her own waste. Her only exercise was being chained to a walking machine. The other dog has badly-worn teeth from chewing on the bars of her cage, and anxiety issues that are only now settling after years in a loving home.
The cruel practices of this patently non-essential business should not be permitted in a State of Disaster, or any state at all. This exemption to the lockdown only serves to prove that racing industries put profit above anything else – including public safety.
Desmond Bellamy
Special Projects Coordinator
PETA Australia
1a Henderson St
Northcote 3070
0411 577 416
DesmondB@PETA.org.au