BBC BROADCAST

[ritchie]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

FIRSTLY I KNOW IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE MARK PETIT STARTED A TOPIC SIMILAR TO THIS ONE BUT I HAVE ONLY JUST HAD THE CHANCE OF HEARING AND READING ALL THE INFO KINDLY FORWARDED BY MARK (CHEERS MARK)

WHILST LISTENING TO THE RECORDING THAT WAS BROADCAST BY THE BBC RADIO STATION I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS HEARING AND IT WASNT JUST FROM WHIPPET RACES THAT HAD BEEN BANNED BUT FROM SEVERAL EXPERTS WHO ARE WELL KNOWN AND OBVIOUSLY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT.

THE FIRST PERSON TO VOICE THEIR FEELINGS WAS A LADY CALLED JAN AMBRINIE SHE WAS BANNED SOME TIME AGO FOR GIVING WHAT SOME CALLED A POSITIVE TEST, JAN`S DOG HAD WON ITS TITLE AND SHE THEN PULLED HIM OUT OF THE RUN-OFF SO NOT TO OVER DO IT .SHE WAS NEVER APPROACHED BY ANY OF THE OFFICALS UNTIL 45 MINUTES LATER BUT BY THAT TIME SHE HAD GIVEN HER DOG SEVERAL TREATS INCLUDING CHOCOLATE AND THE DOG HAD BEEN FED.THE TEST CAME BACK POSITIVE SHOWING LEVELS OF CAFFINE,THEOBROMINE AND THEOPHYLINE.

JAN HAS NEVER RACED SINCE.

THE SECOND PERSON TO SPEAK WAS A CHAP CALLED RAB PATTERSON ALSO HIS DOG WAS TESTED. THE RESULT WAS THAT THE LAB COULD NOT SAY WHETHER OR NOT THE URINE SAMPLE TAKEN CONTAINED CAFFINE,THEOBROMINE OR THEOPHYLINE AND ASKED TO DO A BREAKDOWN TEST TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT (IF ANYTHING) SHOWED UP .THE COMMITEE CONTACTED RAB AND TOLD HIM HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY £800 FOR THE TEST , UNDERSTANDABLEY RAB COULD NOT AFFORD THIS OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY , SO THEREFORE HE WAS BANNED .

THE FORMER PRESIDANT OF THE GREYHOUNDS VETS ASSOCIATION DAVID POULTER WAS THE NEXT PERSON TO EVALUATE WHAT HAD OCCURED

HE SAID THAT THEOBROMINE WAS NOT A STIMULANT NOR WAS THEOPHYLINE AND THAT THEOBROMINE WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE FROM ANYBODY`S SYSTEM INCLUDING THAT OF A RACE DOG AS IT IS IN ALMOST ANYTHING.DAVID POULTER SAID THAT NONE OF THE 3 SUBSTANCES LISTED WERE PERFORMANCE ENHANCING IN SUCH SMALL QUANTITIES INCLUDING CAFFINE.

THE RECORDING ALSO GOES ON TO TELL ABOUT 24 DOGS THAT WERE TESTED 3 COULD NOT PASS ENOUGH URINE TO TEST.THE OTHER 21 DOGS ALL TESTED POSITIVE WITH TRACES OF CAFFINE,THEOBROMINE AND THEOPHYLINE .

NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST THE OWNERS OF THE DOGS BECAUSE THE HFL SAID THAT THE FINDINGS WERE CONSISTANT WITH THAT OF CHOCOLATE.

THE HFL LAB OPENLY STATES THAT NONE OF THE TESTS WERE POSITIVE ONLY THAT THERE COULB BE TRACES OF SOMETHING BUT TO FIND OUT WHAT WOULD COST APPROX £1000 WHICH THE BWRA SAID THEY COULD NOT AFFORD.

IN CONCLUSION WITH ONE AND THE OTHER DAVID POULTER AND THE HFL LAB BOTH SAID THAT THE TESTS DONE WERE ALL CONSISTANT WITH CHOCOLATE NOT PERFORMANCE ENCHANCERS . YET THE BWRA BANNED SEVERAL PEOPLE ON THE BASIS THAT THE OWNERS MAY HAVE USED SOMETHING BUT AS SAID BY EXPERTS THE TESTS WERE NOT POSITIVE .

MARK ASKED ME TO REPLY TO THE RECORDING SO I HAVE, IN MY OPINION THE BWRA WERE WRONG NOT TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT THE HFL LAB HAD TOLD THEM THAT BEING THE TESTS WERE NOT POSITIVE.

THE BWRA ALSO BANNED MARK PETTIT ......WHY........ NO-ONE SEEMS TO KNOW

MAYBE HE WAS GETTING TO CLOSE TO THE TRUTH ....NO-ONE KNOWS.

ITS NOW MY OPINION THAT IF ORGANISATIONS CANNOT DO THINGS PROPERLY DONT DO THEM..........................

THIS IS JUST MY OPINION

RITCHIE :rant:

 

[tanyia]

Ritchie Mark was not banned for drugs. I think you should ask afew members who were about at that time or ring the chairman of the B.W.R.A he will tell you why Mark was banned.

Pauline.

 

[Tony Taylor]

The evidence against the BWRA committee is overwhelming ( and since the NWRF`s drug policy was even worse the same applies to those then running that organisation). They were wrong to ban those people and the BWRA committee owes them an apology.

Those who have heard the tape can understand the strength of feeling in those unjustly accused without credible evidence and banned. I feel the same way.

The BWRA committee and Whippet News have not acted in a fair way since to those they have mistreated.

Mark was given a life ban AFAIK for bringing the sport into disrepute. There are two sides to this story and those of us around at the time know that the one given by the BWRA committee differs from other credible versions of events. If you read all the available evidence its hard to have much faith in the BWRA committes version.

 

[ritchie]

:clown: pauline i never said that mark was banned for drugs :wacko:

 

[BOB OZ]

I remember being asked in 1985 by the B.W.R.A. to look into the feasibility of drug testing in whippet racing, and the conclusion to it all was that the cost prohibited whippet racing taking the tests to a satisfactory level where doubt was ruled out. A few years later they decided to go ahead anyway and along the way there have been a few disgraceful situations, when you consider the small amount of tests done how many have we heard were "spilt". If so another sample should have been taken, either straightaway or as soon as was possible(this may be the next race meeting). this doesn't happen and it throws doubt not just on the capabilities of those collecting the samples but also on the dog whose sample was "spilt", and it shouldn't be allowed to happen.

We keep comparing whippet racing with greyhound racing but whereas just about all whippets are kept as pets, greyhounds are not and for years we have given our whippets tit-bits, greyhound trainers don't see thier dogs in the same light and don't tend to do it.

If people insist on keeping testing within whippet racing then it needs some form of working party to look into all the aspects of it and especially the mistakes made up to now.

As for Mark Pettit I must say he collated in formation from all the right people but wasn't listened to because of the way he went about things.He was still fighting for people who had long before told him to stop on their behalf, and so perhaps he should have looked at another way of presenting his case.

The biggest ( but not only) problem, I believe , is that both sides of the argument are right, but they are also both wrong. Sounds like "gobbledeegook" but thats just how it is, and how it will stay until some people out there start to forget their personal differences with people and together get their teeth into a suitable solution.

By the way it has been nice to hear some people say sorry just lately for not believing what they were told in the past. Thank you, but even we get it wrong sometimes.

 

[Paws123]

BOB OZ

We keep comparing whippet racing with greyhound racing but whereas just about all whippets are kept as pets, greyhounds are not and for years we have given our whippets tit-bits, greyhound trainers don't see thier dogs in the same light and don't tend to do it.

This is why i say zero tolerance will never work

 

[mutley]

this proves how wrong zero tolerance is ,people who dont no anything about whippet racing must think listen to that lot on about drug testing you,d think they had top greyhounds ,not racing whippets ,less talk of drug testing and more positive topics on racing wouldn't be a bad thing i reckon, most of us have forgotten what its about and that is a fun competitive hobby ......

 

[JoJess]

yes i agree with all that gaz has said in the above post. .....get rid of zero tollerence, :angry: at the moment everyone is bothered about what they can give their whippets, let's get back to enjoying whippet racing ..... :cheers:

 

[BOB OZ]

I personally would like to see testing removed from whippet racing, as it seems to have had a negative effect on the sport since it was introduced. This does not mean that it could not be discussed, debated, investigated etc., for the future, but my belief is that we don't know anywhere near enough about it to be conducting it at the present time. Anyone who says they do could make a fortune, because other sports far bigger than ours have very big problems of their own.

The B.W.R.A. have a set level for the test results and as the rule stands it has to be adhered to, but it's the same bloody level no matter what's in the test sample, which has always made the rule a farce unless you know what you are looking at, and I'm afraid we don't.

When any of my dogs have had their last race of the day they almost always get a treat of some sort, why?, because I love my dogs.

No more Kit-Kats whilst I'm on the diet though.

 

[JoJess]

Well mine have a mars bar when they have finished racing Bob, o we always stop at a shop to buy some and i must say you are looking well on that diet

 

[s25ale]

must admit bobs talking a lot of sense.the way i see it you cant win to do a full test costs too much moneywhich both bwra and fed can ill aford so that leaves to do away with with testing altogether but then you just get the nudge nudge brigade going in overtime.

 

[fed up 2]

:rant: Are you the same people that have been calling Tony/Yvonne cheat's

THE OFFENDING PEOPLE WERE SEEN GIVING THERE DOG HELLBOUND ALOT OF LIQUID AFTER BEENING ASK FOR A DRUG TEST THIS ONLY PROVES ONE THING THEY KNEW THE DOG HAD SOMETHING IN ITS SYSTEM or was it just that it was a hot day and they gaven the dog a drink? and you voted her on your new committee, just untill bob oz can take over in may

 

[mutley]

In the NWRF rules any dog on medication of any sort don't run ..so if they knew that hell bound had, had something it should not have had why did they run it?

Also if you get your facts right it will go to a members vote in may on who should be on new nwrf committee

Seen as your a von n tony supporter could you tell them at the nwrf members what all there equipment , books and moneys returning to them ....

 

[fed up 2]

:clown: What are you going on about the

was something Denise had posted

 

[mutley]

my last post was dee she never logged out .why come on here stiring up shit. why not just get on and race your dogs or whatever it is you do, fed up 2, or are you just another one who wont sign there name, :- "and who do you mean by her , and bob taking over in may, come on put your name...... -_-

 

[JoJess]

My My, can't we just get on with whippet racing instead of all this bickering :angry:

It was the members that voted ppl onto the new FED committee :blink: why, cos tony and vonn and the other committee members resigned.......and if the members want certain individuals on the committee in May :- " then they will be voted on......

 

[mutley]

well said pat

 

[mkp]

Thanks,Ritchie, for being true to your word, and posting your verdict after listening to the BBC tape I sent. Your posting was even more eloquent than I dared hope for, and is just about the best thing I've read on K9. Gives me a little bit of faith. Your questions are well founded. I still do not know specifically what I was banned for, perhaps Tanya can share with K9 since she and apparently any member seems to know. Bob Oz has replied, as usual talking sense, but I ask him as my former representative to stand by my major complaint that I wasn't given a hearing and to confirm to the K9 readership that the S. Yorks region was blanked from the hearings where I was banned, also that the BWRA committee never explained to him or myself why I was banned. Tanya received a copy of the BBC tape sent at my expense with the promise of a posting on K9 upon which she reneged. I ask her again to post her opinion of the tape, does she still think the BWRA was right to punish those members in which case does she think that the BBC and the British Veterinary Association are wrong?

But I digress. The posting is about doping. It has caused immense hardship and has ripped the sport apart. And what has been found in all the years of dope testing? A bit of chocolate, a lick of ibuprofen, a spoonful of tonic. Hardly worth the time and expense, really.

You all talk it up really well. I am banned and can therefore do nothing. You all have the power to do something, the best route is an EGM to have a good look at dope testing and to look at the BWRA lab reports.

mkp

 

[kipper fluke]

I agree with Bob about scrapping drug testing-if you can't do something right and proper -100% don't do it at all.

As for the nudge nudge brigade, well you'll get them with or without drug testing.

Karen

 

[JoJess]

Well we never had drug testing in days gone by, :b nor did we have all this bother :blink: but i do think that drug testing is necersary because it acts as a deterent but i also think zero tollerence is not workable..... Peter thinks differently he believes drug testing should be zero tollerence.........