Tracks of their Tears

Swansea
NOW CLOSED

2 articles.

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ONLY ONE TRACK LEFT IN WALES AS SWANSEA CLOSES November 2009 various sources

Owner fined for keeping dogs in bad conditions

Swansea dog track in South Wales has closed less than two weeks after the owner, Eric Short, was
fined £250 for keeping greyhounds in poor conditions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8332622.stm

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/2009/11/03/swansea-greyhound-stadium-to-close-91466-25075938/

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Dog-track-set-run-race/article-1473606-detail/article.html

for more information.

The track's closure leaves just one greyhound stadium in Wales, where at one time there were at
least half a dozen.

Greyhound Rescue Wales and five other animal welfare organisations have launched "Operation
Greyhound" to find homes for greyhounds that have been discarded by their racing "owners" following
the closure.

In our opinion it is disgraceful that such people are not prepared to look after their dogs for the
rest of their lives, once they can no longer use them for racing.

Anyone who would like to help by offering a permanent or foster home to a Swansea greyhound should
contact Greyhound Rescue Wales on 0300 0123 999 or at info@greyhoundrescuewales.co.uk

Although Swansea was one of Britain's smaller independent tracks, we estimate that its existence was
nevertheless responsible for the putting to death of dozens of greyhounds every year, so its closure
is a cause for celebration and another victory in the struggle for greyhound protection.

The slaughter of greyhounds in South Wales was given public attention five years ago when local
greyhound executioner Andrew Gough was sentenced to six months imprisonment for the mutilation of an
ex-racing dog called Rusty (see http://www.greyhoundaction.org.uk/justiceForRusty.htm).

Greyhound Action's first ever demo took place at Swansea in July 1999
(see pics at http://tinyurl.com/SwanseaDemo).
We received the following message in September 2003:


"I went to Swansea greyhound track a few months ago to attend a charity event. The greyhounds that were there were in absolute terrible condition. They were covered in sores and so thin.

Later in the day they were being auctioned off and some were going for £20. If I had the money I would have brought them all. A few nice people did rescue some that day but then what happens to the others?

I found out that the dogs had came over from Ireland and had been transported in tiny cages one on top of the other. I saw six cages in a van, but there would have been six more behind these and so on.

A lot of people were upset by seeing all this, but when we asked about the dogs, we just got told that they should have been there the day before.

I'm glad the dogs turned up a day late because otherwise people wouldn't have any idea about what really happens at greyhound tracks.

Since that day I have been helping the greyhound welfare charity in South Wales by raising money, but the thing is more dogs like the ones I saw will be coming over to the UK every week and ending up at Swansea and other tracks."