No more nights out at the dogs
I FULLY endorse the opinions expressed by John Daly (Letters, March 9 and 27) in which he highlights the short-lived and often miserable existence of thousands of Irish greyhounds.
Like many others, I, in my ignorance, have gone to a night at the dogs.
In doing so, I unwittingly supported an industry in which these noble and gentle creatures are put down simply because they are no longer fast enough.
Needless to mention, I will never again visit one these stadiums to witness these unfortunate dogs literally running for their lives.
Greyhound racing is under pressure in many countries as more and more people come to realise that beyond the track there are the unreported and unseen statistics of abuse and death. Many US states have banned it.
'The Guardian' recently carried an article on the plight of unwanted greyhounds. It pointed out that "there are good and bad owners and trainers, but as soon as you put humans, animals and money into an equation, you're going to have problems, and it's difficult to warm to an industry that dumps 10,000 dogs a year".
Mark O'Brien
Dun Laoghaire, co dublin
Irish Independent
