42 greyhounds injured, 15 killed at Shelbourne Park stadium in 2021

42 greyhounds suffered injuries and 15 were killed at Shelbourne Park stadium in 2021, sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show.

The 15 deaths included 14 injured greyhounds who were destroyed by a vet, and a “racing fatality”.

The greyhounds killed by vets had suffered injured legs (7), hocks (6) and wrist (1).

Horrific details of the 18 September 2021 “racing fatality” were previously revealed by Greyhound Racing Ireland to Green Party TD Brian Leddin. The dog named Deadly Samuri died with a “severe fracture of the neck”.

Greyhound Racing Ireland’s interim CEO Philip Peake told Deputy Leddin that the greyhound who was less than three years old “sustained a serious injury” following a collision at the first bend during a BoyleSports-sponsored race.

He said that the dog “tumbled and did not get up” and “died soon after the fall”.

“The greyhound’s remains were removed to the Veterinary College in University College Dublin, where a full post-mortem examination was undertaken,” he stated. “The cause of death recorded on post-mortem was a severe fracture of neck.”

A photo obtained by ICABS shows a buggy vehicle carting the dead dog away before racing and gambling continued. Video footage of the fall has been hidden by Greyhound Racing Ireland and is unavailable to view on its website.

Deadly Samuri was one of two dogs who lost their lives at Shelbourne Park that evening. A second greyhound was “euthanised by vet” following a hock injury.

The remaining 27 greyhounds injured at Shelbourne Park in 2021 were “treated by vet”. Their injuries were to hock (11), foot/toe (4), leg (2), muscle (2), wrist (3) and shoulder/back/neck (2). Another three suffered cuts.

This brings to at least 238 the number of greyhounds injured at Shelbourne Park and 62 the number killed over the past seven years alone.

Among the other victims were a greyhound who collapsed and died in December 2020 with a “haemorrhage into the abdomen from a rupture of the aorta”, a greyhound who died of a heart attack after a race in August 2019 and another who was carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”.

At tracks around Ireland in the past eight years, at least 2,763 greyhounds suffered injuries and 938 died or were killed.

The track figures represent only the tip of the iceberg. As revealed in the award-winning “RTE Investigates: Greyhounds running for their lives” documentary, thousands of greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough. It included shocking scenes of dogs being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM

A damning report which Greyhound Racing Ireland attempted to hide, revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they don’t make the grade. The report estimated that, for example, a total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were killed for “failure to produce qualifying times”, “failure to produce desired entry level times” and for an “unacceptable decline in performance”.

How many more dogs have to suffer and die before the Irish Government stops the massive state grants that are keeping nasty greyhound racing afloat? A RED C opinion poll commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports confirms that a two-thirds majority want the funding stopped (with just 16% in favour of it continuing), while petitions urging the government to end the funding have more than 400,000 signatures.

Find out more at https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/greyhound-injuries-and-deaths-at-irish-greyhound-tracks/

Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary

ACTION ALERT

Don’t go greyhound racing or attend events at greyhound tracks. Please join us in urging the government to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat.

Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has been granted more than a QUARTER OF A BILLION EUROS, including €16.8 million for 2020, €19.2 million for 2021 and €17.6 million for 2022. This is unacceptable and must be stopped.

Please contact your local TDs and urge them to oppose this funding. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33

Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 4350
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Leo Varadkar TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar

Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan

Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD

Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
Email: alan.kelly@oir.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alankellytd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alankellylabour

Please sign and share the petitions

Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-racing

GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks

Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing

Injuries and deaths at Shelbourne Park (2021)

Date – Nature of Injury, Veterinary action

08/01/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
15/01/2021 – Foot/Toe, Treated By Vet
23/01/2021 – Muscle, Treated By Vet
23/02/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
26/02/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
06/03/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
09/03/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
02/04/2021 – Foot/Toe, Treated By Vet
10/04/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
13/04/2021 – Foot/Toe, Treated By Vet
16/04/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
24/04/2021 – cut, Treated By Vet
04/05/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
11/05/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
29/05/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
29/05/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
08/06/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
12/06/2021 – Wrist, Euthanised by vet
19/06/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
19/06/2021 – Wrist, Treated By Vet
25/06/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
02/07/2021 – Shoulder/Back/Neck, Treated By Vet
09/07/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
23/07/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
27/07/2021 – Cut, Treated By Vet
27/07/2021 – Shoulder/Back/Neck, Treated By Vet
03/08/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
07/08/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
14/08/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
17/08/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
24/08/2021 – Leg, Treated By Vet
18/09/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
18/09/2021 – Shoulder/Back/Neck, Racing fatality
18/09/2021 – Wrist, Treated By Vet
02/10/2021 – Leg, Euthanised by vet
05/10/2021 – Hock, Euthanised by vet
16/10/2021 – Wrist, Treated By Vet
19/10/2021 – Muscle, Treated By Vet
26/10/2021 – Hock, Treated By Vet
30/10/2021 – Cut, Treated By Vet
09/11/2021 – Leg, Treated By Vet
19/11/2021 – Foot/Toe, Treated By Vet

Download a copy of the Greyhound Racing Ireland 2021 statistics
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14B_3oZ6YJhrLt5qB4bNqn8JDB6zQUdxx/view