Leading trainer disgusted at ABC footage

A NATION is disgusted with the greyhound racing industry following Monday night’s investigative Four Corners report into live baiting, which left many participants equally as shocked and saddened.

Vision from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland has emerged of trainers allowing dogs to maul rabbits, pigs and native possums while they are still alive.

One leading trainer agreed to speak with Australian Racing Greyhound to convey their horror at the appalling revelations. This person has chosen to remain anonymous due to their involvement in the greyhound racing industry and how their opinions may position them within the sport during this difficult time.

“I think it is devastating for the industry,” they said. “We have to rise off the canvas now and show that our sport isn’t just all about that and there is people in this industry that care about their dogs and don’t do that sort of thing.”

The trainer went on to explain the investigation did not offer a clear portrayal of the entire industry, with those involved representing just a fraction of the greyhound racing fraternity.

“It is not like we all do it, it put it out there like we are all doing the same thing, but I don’t think that is right.

“It just paints us all with the same brush, that we are all bad. Some of those blokes in Queensland, the clothes they were wearing, what they were doing, laughing around and joking about it – it was mountain men stuff.

“The worst part is they were enjoying it and now it makes us all look the same. It just made us look horrendous and I don’t know if I really want to be a part of all this because you cannot defend it – what could you say after what we have seen?

“We are all looked upon as bad, evil scum people. When I meet new people these days, I am embarrassed to tell them what I do and that is not a good thing because I have been in this industry for nearly my whole life.”

The trainer who spoke with us is one of the most respected in Australia and is against the practice of live-baiting. Yet, they are a Group 1-winning conditioner, proving there are other ways to train a greyhound to chase successfully.

“It is going to come across in this [Four Corners] story that it is the only way to train a greyhound, but that to me is totally false. Dogs chase normally anyway, they will chase a piece of paper, it’s what they do. It is not like it [live baiting] is the only way to do it,” they said.

“A lot of dogs are just good chasers and don’t need any encouragement, but we can give them arm trials at any of the tracks. That consists of a squeaker or a teaser to make a noise, which you can put on the arm legally, the dog will bite on and they get their reward that way.

“This is not the end of greyhound racing because there are other avenues to make a dog chase.”

The trainer mentioned harsh penalties needed to be enforced to ensure these types of practices are eradicated from the sport.

“There is no good to come out of it at all – it has come out as bad as it could have. I know some of these guys, but I certainly don’t condone what they have done.

“You start to question with all the things that have happened in the sport recently, are the authorities doing as much as they should be doing?

“[The authorities] need to come down heavily on these people, forget about who they are, and not let their partners train dogs – because then it is just back to business as usual.”

Our trainer was left speechless at the vision, which was enough to make them start to think about their position within the industry.

“… I made the call the other day that maybe we should turn our property into a pet place and forget the greyhounds because the industry has gone to the point where I don’t think anyone trusts it.

“This sort of thing doesn’t go down well with anybody and if this is what makes you a top trainer then who wants to be one? I would rather go to the nth degree to make sure the dog is 100 per cent, to make sure every bit of feed is the best kind of feed I can possibly feed them.

“We do all those little things [to look after our dogs] and then you see the vision like that and it makes you wonder what you are even doing.”

Topics

Welfare Animal Welfare

Past Discussion

  5. Got the evidence here.
    Feeding him to great white sharks.
    You really are a sick piece of work greggy.
    Up there with those who are live baiting.

  6. Got the evidence here.Feeding him to great white sharks.You really are a sick piece of work greggy.Up there with those who are live baiting.

  15. What gets me is most of you knew this was going on, and don’t say you didn’t, word gets around!!!!! Why wasn’t anything done about this earlier…

  16. What gets me is most of you knew this was going on, and don’t say you didn’t, word gets around!!!!! Why wasn’t anything done about this earlier…

  17. Most of us knew what, Roman? Who is “mosy of you” anyway that you refer to? Goodness me, drop the attitude when you speak to me and don’t point your finger my way because MOST OF YOU (general public) know half stories and act like its your God given right to say something now.
    Don’t pigeon hole people when matters can be a given.
    I bet you’ve said things such as all pro-wrestlers are on steroids or sure, you walked into a door to get that black eye or young kids driving Ferraris has to be drug money.
    Something’s in life are a given even though they are an assumption.
    So was live baiting….

  18. Most of us knew what, Roman? Who is “mosy of you” anyway that you refer to? Goodness me, drop the attitude when you speak to me and don’t point your finger my way because MOST OF YOU (general public) know half stories and act like its your God given right to say something now. Don’t pigeon hole people when matters can be a given. I bet you’ve said things such as all pro-wrestlers are on steroids or sure, you walked into a door to get that black eye or young kids driving Ferraris has to be drug money.Something’s in life are a given even though they are an assumption.So was live baiting….

  23. Have been for years mate
    Don’t cop shit from uneducated people about my beloved Greys.
    Happy to educate where needed but if they attack first, I won’t back down

  24. Have been for years mate Don’t cop shit from uneducated people about my beloved Greys.Happy to educate where needed but if they attack first, I won’t back down

  27. As much as we all want to support this industry we love, a story with quotes from a person with no name holds about as much water as a tea strainer. You guys used to be better than that. Find someone who will put their name to it or it isn’t worth publishing.

  28. As much as we all want to support this industry we love, a story with quotes from a person with no name holds about as much water as a tea strainer. You guys used to be better than that. Find someone who will put their name to it or it isn’t worth publishing.

  29. Support your greyhound racing so long as it is done completely fairly in an appropriate and legal manner. Support your greyhound adoption agencies as much as you can, they certainly need it. But don’t shy away from the reality of it just because it’s not all sunshine and happiness like we would all like it to be.

  30. Support your greyhound racing so long as it is done completely fairly in an appropriate and legal manner. Support your greyhound adoption agencies as much as you can, they certainly need it. But don’t shy away from the reality of it just because it’s not all sunshine and happiness like we would all like it to be.

  33. As CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria Adam Wallish said in a letter:

    “You will be emotional, you might be angry. Don’t be angry at those that attack us, regardless of their position. Be angry at those within the sport that are doing the wrong thing and undermining the values for which we stand.” I think you & many others in here will do well to heed this, greyhound racing really needs support right now, your responses seem to reinforce an attitude of minimising the wrongs that have occurred.

    Read more: RSPCA raids – industry braces for Four Corners investigation http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-greyhound-racing/fallout-spreads-as-industry-braces-for-four-corners-probe/61311#ixzz3Tq3xQDlE
    Australian Racing Greyhound – Australia’s #1 greyhound racing resource
    Follow us: @GreyhoundRacing on Twitter | AustralianGreyhoundRacing on Facebook

  34. I can understand that the many people involved in Greyhound racing who are emphatically opposed to live baiting would be upset that the 4 Corners feature could convey to those not involved in the sport that live baiting is common place for many greyhound racers. I must say though I am here as someone with only a ittle involvement in greyhound racing and many of you folk do reinforce a lot of the negative portrayals from 4 Corners. Critical reponse to their documentary is fine but I feel most of you gloss over the horrors depicted and struggle to acknowledge that MANY high profile people in the sport were incriminated and I respect and agree that 4 Corners can improve on its reporting and don’t get me started on the RSPCA-they’re a joke-BUT you can’t argue with the footage & Loz seems like a rabid bogan trying to blindly defend the putrid filth that were exposed-how naive to state “So glad they chose to remain anonomous because stupid programmes like
    Four Corners would go out of their way to say he’s a liar.
    As a greyhound lover of the breed and sport, I was disgusted at that
    programme. Yeah yeah good on em getting every bad guy out there but did
    they educate the public there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” You just seem absurd saying this-please elaborate on how they would go out of their way to say he’s a liar-it’s plain to the eye that the psychopaths in the 4 Corners report were blatant liars as we all saw. You just further tarnish greyhound racing by attacking the messenger. I agree that 4 Corners should have conveyed a message about the many trainers who do do the right thing and how this is done. I must say though that there are massive trust issues as demonstrated by high figures within the sport lying and behaving that way-I would be nervous to demonstrate that someone is doing the right thing but wonder whether the dog has encountered live baiting at some point in its lfe.

  35. I can understand that the many people involved in Greyhound racing who are emphatically opposed to live baiting would be upset that the 4 Corners feature could convey to those not involved in the sport that live baiting is common place for many greyhound racers. I must say though I am here as someone with only a ittle involvement in greyhound racing and many of you folk do reinforce a lot of the negative portrayals from 4 Corners. Critical reponse to their documentary is fine but I feel most of you gloss over the horrors depicted and struggle to acknowledge that MANY high profile people in the sport were incriminated and I respect and agree that 4 Corners can improve on its reporting and don’t get me started on the RSPCA-they’re a joke-BUT you can’t argue with the footage & Loz seems like a rabid bogan trying to blindly defend the putrid filth that were exposed-how naive to state “So glad they chose to remain anonomous because stupid programmes like Four Corners would go out of their way to say he’s a liar.As a greyhound lover of the breed and sport, I was disgusted at that programme. Yeah yeah good on em getting every bad guy out there but did they educate the public there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” You just seem absurd saying this-please elaborate on how they would go out of their way to say he’s a liar-it’s plain to the eye that the psychopaths in the 4 Corners report were blatant liars as we all saw. You just further tarnish greyhound racing by attacking the messenger. I agree that 4 Corners should have conveyed a message about the many trainers who do do the right thing and how this is done. I must say though that there are massive trust issues as demonstrated by high figures within the sport lying and behaving that way-I would be nervous to demonstrate that someone is doing the right thing but wonder whether the dog has encountered live baiting at some point in its lfe.

  36. You attitude is consistent with the guys caught live baiting. You don’t do greyhound racing any favours at the moment with comments like that

  37. You attitude is consistent with the guys caught live baiting. You don’t do greyhound racing any favours at the moment with comments like that

  38. As CEO of Greyhound Racing Victoria Adam Wallish said in a letter:
    “You will be emotional, you might be angry. Don’t be angry at those that
    attack us, regardless of their position. Be angry at those within the
    sport that are doing the wrong thing and undermining the values for
    which we stand.” I think you & many others in here will do well to heed this, greyhound racing really needs support right now, your responses seem to reinforce an attitude of minimising the wrongs that have occurred.
    Read more: https://australianracinggreyhound.com/news/fallout-spreads-as-industry-braces-for-four-corners-probe/61311/#ixzz3Tq3xQDlE https://australianracinggreyhound.com/news/fallout-spreads-as-industry-braces-for-four-corners-probe/61311/#ixzz3Tq3xQDlE
    Australian Racing Greyhound – Australia’s #1 greyhound racing resource
    Follow us: |

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *