Back in August last year, we issued a stark warning of what was coming over the horizon for greyhounds. Commercial greyhound racing, once thought to be consigned to the history books in Wales, made an unwelcome return. It was clear that industry representatives saw the writing on the wall for greyhound racing in our country, and in a last-ditch attempt to forestall a ban, threw a great deal of resources into licensing Wales’ remaining track, the Valley Greyhound Stadium. The rushed nature of the licensing was all too plain to see when multiple dogs were injured at the opening event, prompting the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to temporarily reverse its own decision to allow racing at the track. This, despite claims that the GBGB has a “robust process” for assessing track safety.
At the time, the response to our warning was mixed. Other animal rescue organisations could see the same trends that we were seeing, and were equally concerned. However, we also faced our fair share of criticism. Many people were all too quick to say we were overreacting, calling us “fanatics” or accusing us of playing up the dire situation in Wales to garner more attention. It is of little comfort to say that a year on, those critics have very much changed their tune.
The current model of commercial greyhound racing is, put simply, unsustainable. The sheer numbers of dogs required to fulfill livestreaming contracts (which now make up the bulk of the audience for greyhound racing) is vastly in excess of the number of people coming forward to rehome them once they are no longer active. Latest industry statistics indicate there are in excess of 2,500 greyhounds across Britain “stuck” in trainers’ kennels, awaiting rehoming. We have no way of knowing what kinds of facilities these dogs are being kept in, and in particular what their regime of care is. Racing kennels are not equivalent to rehoming centres and will not generally have the facilities or expertise to properly train and rehabilitate dogs ready for pet life.
These GB-wide statistics match what we are seeing in Wales. The number and frequency of requests to take in ex-racing greyhounds continues to grow week-on-week. At the time of writing, we now have a circa 3-month waiting list for spaces from the date a request is first received by our rehoming team.
Naturally, a follow-on question to this might be “what are you doing to increase the number of greyhounds you rehome?”. We have been working hard over the last few years to grow our charity and consequently the numbers of dogs we can help, but to put it bluntly, this is the worst possible time to be facing a rehoming crisis.
We have had to slow down (or in some cases, stop altogether) many of our plans for expansion, because they are just no longer achievable in the current economic climate. The cost of employing staff, maintaining our kennels, covering veterinary care and more have increased so much over the last 2-3 years, we are having to rapidly grow our fundraising just to keep pace with the level we are currently at. Even with all that in mind, we are still facing a difficult Winter ahead, as the period after Christmas often brings a number of annual bills coupled with a seasonal drop-off in fundraising.
Public perception of charities can vary hugely, but it’s worth saying that Greyhound Rescue Wales is still a relatively small charity that punches well above its weight. By comparison, our annual income is less than one tenth the size of the largest UK greyhound charity. We want to do more, and we will do more, but right now we are focused on getting through what is in front of us.
We are by no means the only greyhound rescue organisation facing these challenges. Across the UK right now, there will be many organisations going through the same concerns of demand for homes continuing to outstrip supply, constantly having to do more and more with less and less. Staff burnout and compassion fatigue are growing issues in the animal rescue sector as a result.
We will never stop trying to find homes for dogs that need them, but there has to come a point where we say enough is enough. Charities, and the people who support them, cannot continue to mop up after the greyhound industry ad infinitum.
Trying to solve the rehoming crisis without stopping the influx of dogs is like trying to fill a bath with the plug out, it is futile and wasteful. The only way to guarantee a home for every greyhound in Wales is to bring about the long overdue ban on greyhound racing. It is an industry that continues to import 100s of greyhounds every year into a Wales already over-saturated with dogs needing homes.
Our vision is a Wales without greyhound racing, where every greyhound and lurcher has a home and receives the best possible care. To find out all the different ways you can support our work, visit www.greyhoundrescuewales.co.uk/support or click the button below.