Greyhounds drugged to fix bets, Panorama reveals
While being secretly filmed, a trainer admitted to "stopping" his dogs - using drugs to slow them down. (file photo)
An undercover investigation by BBC's Panorama has prompted animal welfare campaigners to call for a change in the way greyhound racing is regulated.
The sport is a £1.5 billion industry in the UK, and is regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). According to Rick Holloway, chairman of the Greyhound Trainers' Association, bookmakers earn £237 million profit, while trainers lose £3 million a year.
An undercover reporter for Panorama met with and secretly filmed trainer Chris Mosdall, on the pretext of buying one of his dogs, which Mr Mosdall continued to kennel and race.
On camera, he admits to illegally "stopping" his dogs - using drugs to make them run more slowly. This lengthens the odds on the dog and may even result in it being regraded so it runs against lesser dogs. The dogs are then later allowed to run without drugs, vastly increasing their chances of winning.
While being covertly filmed, Mr Mosdall said he has to wait a couple of months before drugging the dogs again because of the negative impact it has on their systems. "You will burn her kidneys out," he said.
Speaking on the Panorama programme, Eric Martlew, former chairman of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, said: "The dogs are being damaged for people to make money…there is a serious animal welfare issue here."
Mr Mosdall has since claimed he loves and cares for his dogs and only told the undercover reporter about the drugs to imply that he could give the dog being bought an advantage.
Clarissa Baldwin, former chief executive of the Dogs Trust, said around 8,000 greyhounds enter racing each year, meaning it follows that 8,000 dogs should retire at the end. However, the Retired Greyhound Trust rehome about 4,000 and other charities 1,500, leaving 2,500 greyhounds unaccounted for every year. Animal welfare campaigners fear these dogs may be being killed when they come to the end of their racing lives.
GBGB would apparently not answer questions from Panorama on the number of greyhounds registered for racing, the number of injuries and how many retired dogs are euthanised.
Clarissa Baldwin also said: "We have been given the absolute runaround. We've been to the chairman, back to the chief executive, back to the chairman, and still they will not be transparent about the numbers of dogs that are killed at the end of their racing life."
Mr Holloway said he had suspicions about doping while he was a trainer at Wimbledon Stadium, where Mr Mosdall more recently raced his dogs on a weekly basis, and raised these concerns with the GBGB, along with other trainers and members of the Greyhound Trainers' Association.
The Panorama programme also raised questions about the adequacy of penalties imposed by the GBGB. Of the trainers caught doping their dogs with substances such as beta blockers, steroids and cocaine in the three year period 2011-2013, only 11 were banned from holding a licence.
The full programme can be viewed on BBC iPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04q0l0p/panorama-03112014
Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.
