About - Greyhound Welfare
The
Home Office acknowledges the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) as the registration,
judicial and disciplinary body for the 30+ major racecourses in the UK. Greyhounds
racing on NGRC tracks are identified by an ear tattoo, must be registered with
the NGRC and kennelled with a registered NGRC trainer or owner/trainer.
Many
owners make provision for their dogs for life and will take them to live at home
when their racing days are over. The Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT), formed in
1974 to assist owners who were in genuine difficulty, constantly reminds owners
that their greyhound is their own responsibility. The RGT homes a small proportion
of the dogs registered to race under NGRC rules and now encourages all NGRC tracks
to have their own 'home finding' schemes. They cannot assist dogs that have not
been registered with the NGRC. The person running the 'home finding' scheme can
be contacted via the racing manager at any given track. There is no record of
the number of racing dogs that are humanely destroyed or sold through track sales
to various destinations, including areas with independent tracks.
In
addition to the NGRC tracks, there are over fifty Independent tracks, (commonly
known as 'flapping tracks') where racing is licenced with the local authority,
but the tracks are not bound by NGRC rules. Neither is there a requirement for
a veterinary surgeon to be present. The tracks are owned by private individuals
or business consortia. Greyhounds racing on these tracks are almost always tattooed,
but can live at home with the owner.
Racing
greyhounds, unlike other breeds registered with the Kennel Club, do not have the
benefit of a nationally organised or financially supported rescue work. In addition
to the large charities such as National Canine Defence League (NCDL), Battersea
Dogs' Home, Wood Green, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(RSPCA) etc, which take as many strays and unwanted dogs as accommodation allows,
there are now several 'greyhound rescue' groups operating in different areas of
the country.
