For the Love of Dogs

GREYHOUND RACING

It's a practice that has been going on in Australia for at least 100 years.

Australia is one of only 8 countries in the world that allows it.

There are 65 recognised racing venues. With at least one in every capital city.

There were more than 300,000 greyhounds participating in approximately 40,000 races in Australia in 2015.

Every year, punters gamble four billion dollars on the results.

Wentworth Park, Sydney

It's a Saturday night. The sun has just gone down.

Tonight, it’s Ladies’ Night, one of the biggest nights of the year.

Owners and trainers are at the kennels preparing their dogs for the race.

Spectators are waiting for the race to start in the grandstands and at the sides of the tracks. For one group of men, it’s their first time to see a race. It’s their friend’s birthday and they wanted to "do something different". For others, women, men, young old, they come every week.

Punters are gathering in the betting area, looking for tips on which dogs are set to win tonight. Beers in one hand, betting tickets in the other, they watch the screens keenly.

A maintenance worker drives a tractor, smoothing the dirt around the track to make it safer for the dogs to run on.

Soon the first of ten races of the night will begin.

Racers

Amanda Ginn has been involved in the greyhound racing industry for about 38 years, since she was five years old. Before she moved to NSW with her family she live in Queensland where her father owned race horses. When they moved, they didn't have space for horses so they took in greyhounds and that's where her "obsession with greyhounds" started. Amanda is a kennel owner and provides housing for greyhounds, though she doesn't make a living from it.

Peter Lagogiane has also been involved in the greyhound racing industry for a long time. He's been greyhound trainer for 20 years, and for 15 years of that he's been making a living out of it. He trains dogs professionally for other owners and hopes to train dogs of his own one day. His dogs, he says, are like his kids.

Paul Bigeni followed a friend of his to a race in 1967, and that's when his love of racing began. He's been involved in the sport ever since, and currently owns 3 greyhounds. He says he's owned too many greyhounds to remember.

The mood at the track tonight is light hearted, but it's not always that way.

A month earlier, on a Sunday morning protesters were gathering outside Wentworth park. This was part of a national day of action, with more marches against Greyhound racing happening in other areas of Australia.

"Shut it down" and “pets not bets” they chanted, as they walked their dogs around the perimeter of the complex.

Some of these dogs used to come to this track to. But they are retired now. Some, protesters say, suffered debilitating injuries in their time as a racer Other dogs simply weren’t fast enough to make the cut in the first place.

For these activists, the greyhound racing industry has reached such a point where there is nothing that would fix it.

The only solution left, is to close it down for good.

Activists

Georgie Dolphin is the project manager for animal welfare at the humane society of NSW. She works on campaigns to promote animal welfare in Australia and around the world. She has an interest in greyhound racing because she sees it as a "cruel" and “corrupt” industry that needs to be banned.

Lorraine Ramsay started rescuing animals as part of a local community group. But when she saw the amount of greyhounds being taken in she decided to dedicate her time to that cause and go it alone. In 4 years, she's "rescued" and rehomed 300 greyhounds.

Ellie Roberston is a member of the Animal Justice Party. Last year she ran for parliament to give a voice to animals which are affected by "as many as 70% of political decisions". Greyhound racing was one of the issues that inspired her to join, and she is an advocate for the closure of Wentworth park.

An activist who wished to remain anonymous was involved in greyhound racing in another life. She describes herself as a "child of the industry" and say that she "lived it from a toddler up". Her late father was an owner and trainer, and was successful in it. "A lot of people were jealous and there was a lot of competition in it", she says. Now she is an activist, it was the things she saw at the tracks that turned her off racing. Recalling her involvement in the racing community she feels "ashamed". 

Controversy

In 2015 ABC's Four Corners released an episode called "Making a Killing". The reporter, Caro Meldrum-Hanna, and her team revealed horrific practices in the greyhound racing industry.

The Four Corners team conducted a six-month investigation. Undercover investigators followed trainers and their dogs from their fields and training facilities to track meets.

Live piglets, possums and rabbits were used as bait to train dogs. The animals were fixed to mechanical lures and dragged around the track at high speeds to encourage the dogs to run faster than they would with an artificial lure.

Known as "blooding", Greyhound Racing bodies have long banned this practice.

The airing of this program sent shock waves through the racing community, and the impact it had was undeniable. Because of the program's revelations the entire board of directors of Greyhounds NSW was dismissed.

"It really uncovered the lengths that they go to to win races." 

"It made public what was going on out there, and it's not the nicest of things, but if it does go on then people need to be punished."

This was not the first controversy to hang over the greyhound racing industry, but it brought it under public scrutiny in a bigger way than before.

"We needed a wake up call in the industry. We certainly did."

"People shouldn't go to jail for four months just because they killed a rabbit. It's not fair." 

In response to Four Corners' findings, and community backlash, the NSW Government set up a special commission into the industry.

Live-baiting, death of dogs and misreporting were all investigated.

The key findings of this were:

Of the 97,000 bred in the last 12 years, between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs were killed

10-20% of trainers were involved in live baiting

An estimated 180 dogs per year sustain "catastrophic" injuries

The commission also concluded that the industry is not capable of reform in the short to medium term.

"Unfortunately some of the good have to go to get rid of this sport."

In July Mike Baird, former premiere of NSW, announced that the NSW government would be banning greyhound racing.

Whilst activists were supportive of the government's decision, owners, trainers and racing fans were all faced with the reality that something that was such a big part of their lives and livelihoods would be coming to an end. They were concerned about their futures and the futures of their animals.

"When we heard the news... our hearts just fell to the floor."

"When the ban was on and things were taken away from us, it was a lifetime of dreams and hopes... gone."

But… the announced ban wasn't the end.

A lawyer representing the Greyhound Owners, Breeders and Trainers Association told courts that the report contained factual errors. Racing bodies and participants lobbied government groups for a repeal of the ban.

In October, this came about in what was described as a "backflip" by the media.

The reversal of the ban came with conditions, however. There were to be fewer tracks and races, breeding was to be capped at 2000 dogs, a bond of $1500 was to be aid for each dog and there'd be policies put in place to manage the whole life of the dog.

For the activists, this was a blow to what they felt they'd worked hard to achieve. 

"I think we've got no hope in hell now that that's happened."

"It would have saved the lives of thousands of dogs."

Forty Million Dollars

That's approximately how much money the NSW government will be investing into reforming the greyhound racing industry.

In March this year it was announced that this funding would be rolled out in five years time to be used to upgrade tracks to meet industry standards and to improve animal welfare.

"Greyhound racing had to change and it's going to go forward for the better."

"We need this. We needed this. I think that the game will progress forward... I believe in my heart that the 41 million is not enough."

For some, the government's decision to invest such a large sum of money into what they see as a dying industry worldwide. The industry has been on a steady decline in the United States, with only 19 tracks remaining in the country.

This money, activists feel, can be better spent elsewhere.

"41 million dollars on a gambling sport is immoral, it's just not right."

"If it went to any sort of animal welfare to be effectively spent it could be beneficial."

"If any of you guys have actually been to a track in the the last ten years, hardly anybody goes there... So why are we propping it up?"

The last race of the night has just finished.

Some punters have left, their wallets feeling lighter. Others, feeling satisfied with their winnings are sticking around to have a few more drinks.

Spectators are gathering around the winner's podium to see the prize ceremony.

Though the future of the greyhound racing industry remains unclear, those involved in the sport are hopeful the reforms will turn the industry around and fix the public's perception.

Activists are also hopeful. Hopeful that with growing public awareness of the issues surrounding the industry they can lobby the government to close it down for good.

For these two groups, common ground is difficult to find.

But, in the end, both groups hope that changes are made for a better future… 

...For the love of dogs.