Help our retired and surplus greyhounds

AS a greyhound owner, I was sickened to learn recently that a re-homing charity may be brought to bankruptcy because the Irish Greyhound Board refuses to help with its funding.

These charities do immense work in what is a typically Irish approach to our problems — the exportation of them.

The greyhound industry in Ireland is vibrant and entertaining yet there remains a large elephant in the room which no one wants to admit exists. That is the care of greyhounds after they finish their racing career and, in particular, pups deemed not good enough to race.

I know there are decent people in Bord na gCon who do their best to tackle this problem but whose hands are tied by the pitiful amount of funds allocated to them. €250,000 per year is a pathetic amount to put aside for the well-being of retired and surplus greyhounds. These animals are the essence of the industry yet the Bord na gCon chairman and the Minister for Sport and Tourism deem it more important to refurbish corporate boxes and cosy up to celebrities.

An awareness campaign to educate Irish people on the benefits of owning a retired greyhound would be inexpensive and invaluable. A few posters and a couple of TV advertisements wouldn’t make too much of a dent in the profits of this multi-million euro industry.

It is time this problem was confronted, funded and solved by Bord na gCon and by the Irish race-going public.

Gordon Kennedy

97 Botanic Road

Glasnevin

Dublin 9