Protesters want greyhound racing to be banned in Swindon

Founder of the Stop Swindon Greyhound Racing group, Stephanie Poyntz, demonstrates every Saturday at Abbey Stadium along with other activists.

But the stadium has responded to their allegations, stating that animal welfare is one of its key priorities.

Stephanie said: “Since January of this year, there have been 33 incidents at the Swindon track of dogs being bumped, knocked over, hitting the railings or not finishing races. The poor construction of tracks can lead greyhounds to be injured during races from falls and collisions into the rails and many dogs are then put down if an owner deems to be too expensive to treat the injury.”

READ MORE: Greyhound racing ban calls spark social media debate

The stadium’s new track was approved last November despite campaigners’ objections.

“When I started working in Swindon 18 months ago, I found out that there is a track still in the town and I wanted to do something to raise awareness,” said Stephanie. “I set up a group of like-minded people who go to the track on a Saturday evening to speak to the public and to alert people as to what they are inadvertently supporting. We have had some people thank us for bringing it to their attention and we get a lot of support from people driving by.”

She said she became aware of the plight of racing greyhounds in 2006 when she saw a newspaper report of a man in County Durham who claimed he was paid to kill greyhounds when they were no longer useful to the industry. “At the time of the report it was estimated that he had killed around 10,000 dogs. He buried them in a field on his land. Up to that point, I had assumed that all greyhound owners loved their dogs and would look after them once they had finished racing.”

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain revealed more than 1,000 greyhounds were put down in 2017 for reasons including retirement or the cost of veterinary treatment.

Stephanie said: “Most people don’t know much about it and think, as once did, that the dogs are all well looked after and go to loving homes after they have finished racing.”

A spokesman for the stadium told the Adver: “As a GBGB licensed stadium we strictly adhere to its rules of racing and fully support it in delivering the Greyhound Commitment, a series of pledges which sets out how our sport and industry should be run with welfare at its heart. As with any licensed stadium, every greyhound that races at our track is checked by an experienced vet both before and after racing to ensure they are fully fit and healthy.

“Each year, GBGB releases independently verified data on injuries and retirements within our sport, which means that registered greyhounds across Great Britain receive far greater protection than domestic pet dogs. The three activists who occasionally stand outside our stadium obey the law and whilst we do not accept the slogans or allegations they portray as fact; we entirely accept their right to protest.”