THE IRISH Greyhound Board are facing fresh condemnation today after it emerged that 12 greyhounds registered to the Irish Greyhound Studbook were found in uncomfortable and dehydrated condition in Dublin Port.
The greyhounds are now in the care of Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) after they were seized by Revenue Customs in Dublin Port after travelling from Spain.
The dogs had been in transit for 24 hours and were left in "cramped conditions with cages stacked on top of each other", with two dogs sharing each cage and 10 of the dogs wearing muzzles.
None of the dogs had access to food or water for the estimated 24 hours of transit.
(DSPCA / Facebook)Under the care of DSPCA, the greyhounds were treated by veterinarians and it was found that several of the dogs had minor injuries and elevated body temperstures. Every one of the dogs showed signs of dehydration.
The dogs are registered to trainers in Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Wexford, and records show that 9 of the 12 dogs have raced in the last month, 1 last raced in 2016 and 2 have no races recorded.
The DSPCA have now renewed calls for the ban on government funding for greyhound racing, saying that the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) have not made any attempt to improve the welfare of the dogs despite promises earlier this year, saying they are "appalled by the barbaric treatment of these animals despite the revelations seen in RTE’s Primetime program".
(DSPCA / Facebook)The future and morality of Greyhound Racing was called into question after the RTÉ Documentary 'Greyhounds: Running For Their Lives' which revealed, among other things, that almost 6,000 greyhounds a year in Ireland are killed for being too slow.
Since the airing of the documentary, the IGB have announced sweeping reforms, releasing a statement earlier this year which promised to invest in animal welfare and implementing the Greyhoud Racing Act 2019 "which will include the welfare of greyhounds as one of the statutory functions of the IGB for the very first time".
However, after this discovery, the DSPCA have condemned the Board's promises of animal welfare as an "illusion".
DSPCA CEO Brian Gillen said:
“This seizure flies in the face of the illusion being created by IGB that animal welfare is being taken seriously. The continuing grant of €16.8 million of taxpayers money is no longer acceptable.”
"The DSPCA are calling on Minister Creed to withdraw all funding allocation to the greyhound industry in Budget 2020,” he finished.
The IGB have launched an investsigation into the incident.
See More: Animal Welfare, DSPCA, Greyhound, IGB
