[Jan Fisher]

In another blow for animal welfare after a greyhound rehoming centre was abruptly shut down last week.

The NSW centre is one of only two and there are concerns that dogs will face being put down due to the limited resources available.

The governing authority says the cuts are due to a 22.5 per cent fall in gaming revenue, which is terribly sad.

I know this marks me as a hopeless softy, but I’ll never understand how people can just give away their dogs after their racing life. Surely they could keep them on at home?

At least there is a pathway to save them these days. Previously they pretty much always just culled. And before you get concerned about their nature. All greyhounds put up for adoption are thoroughly vetted for temperament and most are happy to laze away in bed for hours on end.

It’s a harsh reality former racing horses face as well. It’s estimated about 10,000 horses are sold to abattoirs each year and about half of those are former racehorses.

Maybe both industries should put forward more money to rehome these animals. Certainly there is enough money sloshing around the horse racing industry to cut down on the slaughter.

What do you think, could there be better solutions?

[John H]

It’s time to again reconsider phasing out greyhound racing in NSW. It was not popular with many rural people when it was first mooted by then Premier Mike Baird but the world has moved on and attitudes towards animal welfare are gradually changing.

[Author]

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