Campaigners want a full-scale inquiry into the scandal of British greyhounds cruelly used as “puppy machines” in China.
The Sunday Mirror revealed last week how at least 40 champion dogs had ended up in horrific conditions in breeding centres . Their puppies were being sold for thousands of pounds.
Now the Greyhound Forum, a collection of nine animal welfare groups, has demanded answers from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain – which confirmed it will investigate.
The RSPCA and Dog’s Trust are among the charities which wrote to the board’s boss Mark Bird demanding a “full report into this deplorable situation”.
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Clarissa Baldwin CBE, who chairs the Greyhound Forum, said: “We were all disgusted by the details that emerged.
“Greyhounds being sent to China to meet the most excruciating lives and death is sickening and unacceptable. We demanded an immediate and thorough investigation by the GBGB and have been assured we will receive one.”
We reported on the plight of racing dogs in China after two British hounds used for breeding were rescued and brought home by Birmingham Greyhound Rescue.
Dogs used in the evil “sport” were filmed chasing a dead rabbit swinging from the back of a motorbike for up to four hours. A crowd of 30 gathered near Baicheng, in the northern province of Jilin, to race their dogs and gamble, a source said.
The Brit, tipped off about the illegal races by a dogmeat butcher, said: “Dogs who fail to win races and make their owners cash are beaten at the trackside.
“The owners admitted dogs’ legs regularly break in the races. After that they are sold for meat.”
Breeders use the opportunity to sell puppies, the source said.
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He said: “I had to hide my shock. This is where the puppies produced by British dogs that go to China could feasibly end up.”
Retired Dog’s Trust chief Clarissa said the renewal of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations this year provides a “golden opportunity”.
She added: “It’s time to stop the exports of these beautiful creatures once and for all.”
The GBGB said: “The key challenges we face are the limits of our regulatory powers, which do not extend to third parties once a dog has retired.”
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