Drugs Testing Yes Or No?

[Darcia]

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I must admit, I feel abit like Kim. While I do not want people who are "possibly" drugging their dogs get away with it, this is supposed to be an amateur sport and a bit of fun. We have put an awful lot of work into our dogs (at times) too but I do not want to see even higher entry fees and the bad feeling and protests that you read about on the non-ped board (sorry non-pedders, not being funny but have seen alot of ill-feeling and arguements caused by the testing) and would not like that to happen at what is generally a nice and friendly sport for us.

Despite which - if someone out there is drugging their dogs and winning (and we don't know if anyone is - this is all a "possibility") - what a hollow victory! How can/could they sleep at night knowing what they are doing. Just very sad

 

[Darcia]

Even on here it has brought about bad feeling already - and we are only just talking about it! :- "

 

[conway]

I must admit, I feel abit like Kim. While I do not want people who are "possibly" drugging their dogs get away with it, this is supposed to be an amateur sport and a bit of fun. We have put an awful lot of work into our dogs (at times) too but I do not want to see even higher entry fees and the bad feeling and protests that you read about on the non-ped board (sorry non-pedders, not being funny but have seen alot of ill-feeling and arguements caused by the testing) and would not like that to happen at what is generally a nice and friendly sport for us.
Despite which - if someone out there is drugging their dogs and winning (and we don't know if anyone is - this is all a "possibility") - what a hollow victory! How can/could they sleep at night knowing what they are doing. Just very sad

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i agree darcia i dont think that there is any one in our racing that would drug their dogs to win.

and i hope there never will be.

june is right about it being serious though just look around you at the opens and see how much money has been spent just on transport, compared to 5 yrs ago. and it is all for the dogs.

 

[Judy]

I must admit, I feel abit like Kim. While I do not want people who are "possibly" drugging their dogs get away with it, this is supposed to be an amateur sport and a bit of fun. We have put an awful lot of work into our dogs (at times) too but I do not want to see even higher entry fees and the bad feeling and protests that you read about on the non-ped board (sorry non-pedders, not being funny but have seen alot of ill-feeling and arguements caused by the testing) and would not like that to happen at what is generally a nice and friendly sport for us.
Despite which - if someone out there is drugging their dogs and winning (and we don't know if anyone is - this is all a "possibility") - what a hollow victory! How can/could they sleep at night knowing what they are doing. Just very sad

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My feelings too.

 

[Strike Whippets]

I must admit, I feel abit like Kim. While I do not want people who are "possibly" drugging their dogs get away with it, this is supposed to be an amateur sport and a bit of fun. We have put an awful lot of work into our dogs (at times) too but I do not want to see even higher entry fees and the bad feeling and protests that you read about on the non-ped board (sorry non-pedders, not being funny but have seen alot of ill-feeling and arguements caused by the testing) and would not like that to happen at what is generally a nice and friendly sport for us.
Despite which - if someone out there is drugging their dogs and winning (and we don't know if anyone is - this is all a "possibility") - what a hollow victory! How can/could they sleep at night knowing what they are doing. Just very sad

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Spot on Darc :thumbsup: ........Also I do feel this poll isn't really a "true" view of us peddie lots real views as this is on an open forum where the antis, pet people etc ....have been voting and many don't have a clue about how peddie racers train, race, look after and love their dogs dearly ......We're not known for rehoming un-racable dogs.......I've spoken to soooo many people in the past who tar us with the same brush as some Greyhound racers ......and people can't grasp the fact this is just fun, if our dogs don't want to race then they just don't race (some more than others lol :b ) ..........I'd say for a true view as to wether there is a general feeling that drugs testing should be brought back in then lets ask the WCRA to send every ped racer a questionnaire as this in my honest opinion will give a clearer picture :thumbsup: ........but as I said this is just my personal opinion :thumbsup:

 

[slimfast]

Kim, as I see it, it wouldn't affect all dogs - I take random testing to mean random finalists - I can't see any point in testing the dogs that get knocked out. 
It doesn't need to take the fun out of whippet racing. 

A lot of us do take racing seriously - otherwise, why would we be out walking the dogs and getting them fit, when sometimes after a days work, you really feel you can't be bothered, and would much rather sit and watch TV.  We also spend a lot of time nail clipping, massaging etc, in the hope that we will get the best from our dogs.

I probably felt the same as you when we first started racing - we had show bred dogs too, and I remember saying that I would never have my dogs that thin, in an effort to win races.  Now, we get them to their optimum weight - the weight they run best at - which is a lot slimmer than I had my show breds when we started.

We also spend a lot of money keeping the dogs, feeding, travelling etc.  We even moved to different part of the country in an effort to cut travelling time and costs.  That sounds pretty serious to me - but we still have fun, and enjoy racing.

A typical weekend for us costs approx £50 (sometimes more) for fuel, £15-20 entry fees, sometimes camping fees too.  Add that up over a month, and it's almost like having another mortgage!!! 

You can be serious about racing, without being a bad loser, or willing to congratulate those whose dogs have won.  So, in a nutshall it can be serious and fun :thumbsup:

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i feel the same you can be serious and and have a good time. and we congratulate the winners and hope our dogs do better next time

 

[kim & Tilly]

I didnt mean you didnt take racing seriously, more if it gets um serious as in drug testing, vets at opens that sort of thing....

It takes the fun out of it

One of the things i like is everyone is so willing to help you, if you have a dog needs catching or trapping or just to help fill in the programme....would this relaxed attitude change, if people thougth others were cheating..

Just my thoughts and a bit scrambled as im very tired and a bit stressed...

 

[*Lesley*]

I didnt mean you didnt take racing seriously, more if it gets um serious as in drug testing, vets at opens that sort of thing....
It takes the fun out of it

One of the things i like is everyone is so willing to help you, if you have a dog needs catching or trapping or just to help fill in the programme....would this relaxed attitude change, if people thougth others were cheating..

Just my thoughts and a bit scrambled as im very tired and a bit stressed...

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I know what you're saying Kim being new to racing myself I like the friendliness and fun of it, it's great if you win but the congrats and well wishes from others makes the difference too also of course if you lose (which mine do a lot) the fact that no-one thinks any less of you or your dogs because they know you go because the dogs like it whether they win or lose, and also it's nice to socialize with like minded folk :huggles:

I do think that drug testing makes it different because at the end of the day by the way the topics have lead to arguments when it's just talked about, goes to show that, if people need to cheat to win then more fool them at the end of the day what do they gain, they know they haven't won on ability.

I would like to think that when we go to big meetings and such that because my dogs are running on pure honest ability win or lose and that the ones they are running against are too :thumbsup: to me it's not worth it any other way.

 

[wild whippies]

Is it just me or does no-one else feel that by drug testing you are preventing anyone from comprimising an animals welfare and health? If folk cheat yes I agree they have to live with themselves but in all honesty we know anyone doing this to their 'pets' hasn't got a conscience anyway!

I haven't cast a vote ( I feel it's for WCRA members to decide) but providing drug testing is correctly carried out - as in obtained correctly and results to be accurate (i.e. discrepancies indicated between cups of tea and deliberate drug 'enhancers') then I'm all for it.

I think it can prevent ''bitching'' remarks - something I suspect has caused far more detriment to whippet racing and ultimately it supports the well being af all dogs racing - something the anti's should take note of.

Just wanted to add as a newcomer ( I think I started out the same time as Lesley and Joanna did) this is just my initial observations of racing and I certainly don't feel my opinion offers any expertise on the subject.

Just another observation, indeed there is little gain to ''enhancing'' your dog from a financial point of view when it comes to prizes, however I do wonder how much financial gain is made through breeding progeny using ''interesting'' advertising campaigns aimed at the unexperienced and unknowledgable? As peds tend to sell for 3 times the cost of a non-ped it does make me wonder why the ped racing world wasn't the first to implement drug testing?

Don't get me wrong - I believe breeding a litter for profit is a venture into madness and I imagine anyone who did so would be shunned by fellow racing members - and rightly so but I just felt it should be noted that there is the possibility of financial gain, even though this may not be direct.

 

[*Lesley*]

I agree with what you're saying about the welfare of the animal Jaq, but anyone who pumps their dog full of crap to win what should be a friendly and relaxed sport which they and their dogs enjoy hasn't got the dogs welfare at heart anyway :angry: and this begs the question to me are they fit to have the animal anyway?

I think the fact that people sell pedigrees for 3 times more is simply that, because they have the KC reg and a lot of people want that,in any breed (not agreeing nor disagreeing with that) I don't think ability will change that.

To be honest I don't think I will ever change my view in that we go to racing because we enjoy it and the dogs enjoy it, but if it ever got to a stage where it wasn't a nice place to be for us we would pack it in tomorrow and live the pet life, the last thing I want to do it get into the serious world of it where it changes that for me, and I think when you start to doubt people with drugs ects that's where you are

Of course this is just my personal feeling, niave maybe but a nice place to be never the less

 

[Joanna]

It may surprise people - but I have actually been offered something before  Of course I declined - it was then turned around to make it seem he was joking, but I don't think he was.

There will always be cheats, it's human nature. I know what you're saying Lesley, it is far nicer to trust people than not, but sadly life throws out all sorts, good and bad. We can't possibly imagine what drives people to want to win so much, but there are some incredibly competitive people out there. It is some-thing I was genuinely surprised by in during our short foray into the world of racing. We met some really nice people this year, who I can't imagine for one moment would consider risking the health and welfare of their pets, but the plus side of introducing testing is it would act as a deterent and therefore protect the dogs. I couldn't care less about winning or losing, but if it were introduced at some point in the future (and I daresay it will be), it would create a level playing field for the people who it does matter to. Stay fluffy and nice Lesley :thumbsup: , you are right, it is a nicer place to be

 

[*Lesley*]

Fluffy and nice :lol: :lol: :b

 

[Vicky]

At the end of the day whippet racing is a "competative sport" regardless of whether you cheat, have the fastest dog of the day, win £???, each race has a winner no matter what, you will always have those kind of people who want to win no matter what the cost, same with every day life. Whether people choose to do anything about it is up to that particular governing body. Non ped's did something about it and started testing, i can't hand on heart say i am 100% convinced in our testing but if that's what people need for piece of mind then so be it.

For a dog to fail a test it doesn't need to be "pumped full of crap" it's clear a lot of the ped racers are well in the dark - there's LOADS of topics about it on non ped, some are very useful.

 

[Judy]

When we had drug testing before, (ped racing) I don't remember it changing anything. Things didn't get any more or less serious. On the other hand there weren't any positive results. Things might have been different if there were though.

 

[Joanna]

When we had drug testing before, (ped racing) I don't remember it changing anything. Things didn't get any more or less serious. On the other hand there weren't any positive results. Things might have been different if there were though.

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Purely out of interest Judy, what was the criteria for testing?

 

[Judy]

Not absolutely positive but I seem to remember they put the winners names in a hat and pulled out a certain number at random. Sort of an amalgamation of two of the options in the poll.

 

[springfield]

what is the outcome of this poll?

 

[Judy]

If you can't see it , you need to vote or click the null vote option - then it will be visible to you.

 

[springfield]

I think one of the main points to be asked is ...Are all dogs running on a level playing field, we all know how much it cost when traveling to race meeting , we all know how much work we have put into our dogs plus we all try to give them the best of every thing ie food etc..Even if drug testing works as a deterrent its well worth it. A lot of Performance-enhancing drugs can be  Dangerous, damaging and potentially deadly i am not talking about the odd chocolate biscuit or the dregs from your coffee, tea cup.

I personally agree with testing but only if its done properly.

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Hopefully this may come in 2007 by the amount if interest in this poll