Madam, - Like many Irish people, I like dogs. I share my home with a Jack Russell cross who can sometimes be hard to handle. She loves cats and horses, fears chicken and thrushes, and generally hates men and children. She has been described as neurotic by some, represents no financial worth and does not have a "job" to do, unless one counts the fact that she keeps my lap warm on winter evenings. I love her dearly and would never willingly part with her.
In contrast to this, I would like readers to consider the fate of the Irish greyhound, bred for one purpose only - to make money, and not in the pet market. Only 25 per cent of puppies born will reach the racetrack. The rest are killed before they even get the chance to grow up.
A dog which cannot run fast enough to bring in money or which has an age where it has lost its speed faces a grisly fate. Some are mutilated by having their ears sliced off to prevent identification and prosecution; some have bricks tied around their necks before being thrown into the sea; some are poisoned or shot; and some are exported to Spain in terrible conditions. Once there, they face even more horrific cruelties, as dogs who have been run into the ground are routinely hanged once the season is over and they are no longer a lucrative commodity.
Only a tiny minority ever end up in the care of rescue organisations and shelters.
The 2005 Book of Estimates pledged €4.1 million to the Combat Poverty Agency, €7.8 million to the Education and Welfare Board, and €69 million to the greyhound and horse-racing industries. We are all funding the torture of these dogs without even realising it.
I urge readers to boycott dog racing. "You Bet, They Die" has been the slogan of recent campaigns, and it reflects the reality behind the scenes of an industry based on neglect, wanton and deliberate cruelty, and amounts of money so large that the Government refuses to recognise the corruption and cruelty inherent in its activities. - Yours, etc,
CATHERINE KEATING, Tuam, Co Galway.