Poor Greyhounds Suffering Again.

[cazzajack]

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/c...icle3908388.ece

 

[em21]

Have just read the article you posted. It's horrific!! I can't believe how badly the human race treat animals, makes you feel ashamed to call yourself one doesn't it?! :rant: absolutely disgusting.

Love Emma xxx

 

[lillybet]

This makes us sick :rant: :rant:

What a complete mess the Greyhound Industry has become

Lillibet

 

[Towy]

Hi just read this, its really sad and i know that i will offend some of you but at least he states he tries to find pet homes and the ones he cant are put down properly by vets and not mutilated and abandoned like some trainers do.

With any animals that are bred for a purpose and they dont reach those standards a lot of people will dispose of them. Their atitude is that it costs the same to keep a good dog as a bad one.

This goes on in a lot of places that we dont know about, whether it be showing, racing or working with both dogs or horses.

 

[galty]

This makes us sick  :rant:   :rant:

What a complete mess the Greyhound Industry has become

Lillibet

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

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Wont change your mind but for others this is Pickerings reply.

Taken of G/D

Copy of Mr.Pickerings Statement on XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear Greyhound XXXXXXXXXXXX,

For several years I have sung the praises of the website you have created, built and nurtured. It is a magnificent and enormous undertaking and clearly must require vast amounts of your time. That you are constantly improving and adding new dimensions to an already mind-blowing site is a tremendous asset for the greyhound world. I find many aspects invaluable and am extremely grateful for the work you all do and the service you generously provide.

The Forum pages are of great interest. I have learned from people all around the world, as I explore your site at any time of the evening or early morning when I get a spare moment. Like all sites, it can be addictive and I try - though often fail - to limit my time reading the views and advice of others. . The addictive element, alongside family and work commitments, led me to make the decision when I first discovered your site that I could not participate in the forum debates. Unfortunately, I find I cannot make available the required amount of time.

Now the problem. I find it impossible to defend myself or my staff, if I believe comments are made that I feel are unfair, unjust or simply untrue, without joining the thread.

I am a defender of free speech. Everyone has a right to their opinion and provided it is within the law, to express that opinion. Perhaps that means that you choose to allow any comment, however damaging or derogoratory it may be to an individual or a business. Perhaps matters of libel are to be left to individuals to persue through the civil courts. The difficulty arises when a thread is allowed to damage an individual and no effective defence is possible, for the above reasons. The site can then be hijacked by those with a hidden adgenda, in an attempt to destroy someone's reputation and livelihood and put at risk the jobs of loyal staff.

Until now, I have chosen to say nothing even when debates take a robust and challenging turn. If I am not prepared to comment and will not allow my staff to defend me or themseves, then views with which any of us disagree must go unchallenged. This policy is particularly frustrating for staff, who treat their work as a passion, not just as a job. Some of the comments recently have made a key member of staff phisically ill.

The Forum thread ' Zig Zag Kennels, Sunday Times', is a particularly difficult instance for me. Do I continue in silence and allow the content of the article to go unchallenged, or must I spend several hours a day, in an attempt to talk to everyone on the site? At present, I feel some members of the Forum thread believe they have scented blood in the water, and the sharks are circling and indulging in a feeding frenzy, tearing flesh from bone at will and with uncontained and uncontrolled glee.

These members may be disappointed by the facts.

Early last week I was telephoned by Mr. Eddie McCredi, who stated he was Head of Department of the Veterinary Section, University of Bristol. Mr. McCredi explained that his counterpart at Liverpool University had informed him that Mr. Fielding, a trainer based near Blackpool , had sent retired dogs to Liverpool to be euthanased and used for veterinary education purposes. I confirmed that Mr. Fielding raced dogs for me. I explained that any dealings with Liverpool University were solely carried out by Mr. Fielding, not by me. Mr. McCredi said he was authorised to purchase greyhounds for £30 and that they would be euthanased by their own vet and used for teaching purposes. I said that we rehomed all of our greyhounds except those too aggressive to be safe in a family environment. Reluctantly, there is no alternative other than to have those potentially dangerous dogs put to sleep by our local vet and it seemed better if they could be of value in the teaching of young vets, to !

give them hands-on experience and further their knowledge. McCredi then told me he had been lying to me and was in fact working for the Sunday Times. and his name was Daniel Foggo. He invited me to comment and gave me his email address. I gave him the following statement by email, which he chose not to publish in his article:- "No dog, of any breed, has ever been sent by me, or anyone authorised by me. to any veterinary university or scientific establishment of any kind, to be used for veterinary education or for any other purpose."

That is the simple truth.

I then contacted Mr. Fielding, who has raced several of my greyhounds over the last few months at Belle Vue. He explained that ten retired dogs, owned by him, had been sent to Liverpool University prior to my dogs arriving at his kennels. He had also been contacted by Mr. Foggo, masquerading as Mr. McCredi. of Bristol University. Mr. Fielding made it quite clear to Mr. Foggo that he had only ever sent ten dogs, all of which were his own dogs. Mr. Foggo asked him again if any of the dogs were mine and again Mr. Fielding told him they were not. These facts can readily be confirmed by anyone who chooses, by contacting Liverpool University, where records of the earmarks and the day the dogs arrived will be held.

Mr. Foggo appears to have a very clear agenda of splitting apart the greyhound industry with the aim of closing down racing in Britain. He has already cleverly sparked a very public and uncontrolled attack on one breeder and his staff. He will get no further, as I always refuse to comment in public, other than favourably, about anyone whether friend, colleague, competitor, customer, governing body or adversary. That means he will soon attack elsewhere, appearing in any guise. Friends of greyhound racing; be on your guard.

We will continue to strive to improve every aspect of our enterprise, with welfare of the greyhounds paramount.

Yours sincerely,

Charles Pickering

Make of it what you will