Killing Off a Breed !

The knee jerk decision to ban Greyhound racing in New South Wales in 2017 brought with it a host of lesser matters that is being examined by a transitional task force.   One of those issues is the expected  surrender of working Greyhounds to animal welfare agencies the moment their racing days end and they can no longer deliver a dividend to their owners.   That could become an avalanche, far outside the capability of welfare to find a new home for most of the dogs - and hence euthanasia.

This transitional authority seems to be leaning on progressive dates for both training and breeding Greyhounds.   This raises the question of Greyhound owners still being able to breed and train dogs in this state to compete in Greyhound racing in other states where racing remains legal.    It is thought that such an arrangement would dilute the surrendered option and make the numbers manageable.

It also seems to be heading in the direction of making Greyhounds a forbidden breed of dog in this state.   The transitional authority seems to favour outlawing breeding from 2019 and outlawing any form of training from 2022.    There is no mention of what law would apply to any member of the public continuing to own a Greyhound as a pet, but that breeding ban seems to end continuity of the breed.

At the stroke of a pen it seems that the New South Wales government is about to extinguish a noble breed of dog that is recognised by the world Kennel Associations and which has a place in competition at dog shows.   Well before racing, this breed was a sporting dog valued for its speed in running down wounded game.   The Greyhound is recognised on the world scene and it seems doomed to extinction here simply because of the illicit actions of a small number of trainers who consistently break the law.

We are constantly faced with attacks on the public by many breeds of dogs which seem to have a very aggressive nature if they are badly trained by their owners, and yet there is little interest in applying a similar ban to resolve that problem.    The Greyhound has an enviable reputation as a pleasant and docile pet and is not known to be aggressive.    It is not this dog which is the problem. The point of contention is other humans who break the law with their attempt to employ illegal winning tactics to training methods.

It seems that the New South Wales government needs to think long and hard as to its intentions.  If that objective is to prevent recognised Greyhound racing as scheduled events in this state then that can be achieved by a simple legal ban on the format.   It seems a big step outside its jurisdiction to prevent the breeding and training of a breed of dog that has legal sanction to be raced in other states of this country.  That could be argued as an infringement of the constitution which guarantees the freedom of trade between the states.

It seems that we are perilously close to implementing legislation that will make it illegal to own a world breed of dog - even as a family pet - that was once bestowed on our native dog in some other states.    The Dingo had that shame eventually lifted.

Hopefully, a lesson learned !