Jane Dodds is right that retired greyhounds make great pets (Letters, 5 June). But greyhounds in this country are not “cruelly treated” as she claims. They are invariably and passionately loved by the trainers and the staff who look after them. And racing is not cruel or dangerous for the dogs. Thanks to sustained industry efforts, the injury rate in races is under 2% and most are not serious; 9,997 out of every 10,000 greyhounds that run go home safe. And today 94% of former racing greyhounds are successfully rehomed; 20 years ago, fewer than one in six were.
Fortunately, British ministers and their shadows have made it clear that they have no intention of banning greyhound racing, provided the industry continues to progress on welfare. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain has just published a new strategy for that; and Premier Greyhound Racing, a company I chair whose owners also own around half of licensed greyhound tracks, is committed to making it happen.
David Lipsey
Labour, House of Lords
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