Animal welfare groups condemn greyhound shipment

GREYHOUNDS bought at a sale in Ireland and shipped to Spain were transported in appalling conditions, according to animal welfare groups.

A joint surveillance operation by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) and its British equivalent, the RSPCA, discovered the dogs were only given one water break during a 38-hour journey and were kept in cages where they were unable to stand up fully.

“They were hot, thirsty and hungry, unable to stand properly and hidden from view. These are the atrocious conditions that 36 greyhounds had to endure on their 1200km journey to Spain,” a statement from the ISPCA said.

The statement also claimed the dogs were put in 20 cages and hidden under a thick tarpaulin during the trip from Roscoff, France, to Barcelona, where they were expected to be sold on for greyhound racing. The ISPCA claimed only four of the dogs were taken out during a stop in France for exercise.

“Temperatures during the journey reached in excess of 40 degrees centigrade. The size of the cages meant the majority of dogs could not stand up to their natural height,” the ISPCA said.

The treatment of the greyhounds contravenes current animal welfare legislation which states dogs and cats transported for commercial purposes should be watered once every 12 hours and fed every 24 hours.

However, under ferry guidelines, the animals are considered as freight when travelling and cannot be checked during a journey.

The dogs were trailed to Barcelona by the animal welfare groups. They were inspected on arrival by a vet who said in his report:

“Many of the greyhounds were panting in the truck, which would not be expected at that time of night and is likely to be more related to anxiety of metabolic disturbances during such a long trip.”

The ISPCA has strongly condemned the conditions.