17-09-2006 - Pet Home A Conveyor Belt of Killing

Sad and sickened to see yet more mass euthanasia of these beautiful dogs again. Well done to The Time for continuing to keep this travesty in the limelight.

Greyhounds aside there is also the mass euthanasia of the other breeds who pass through this Sanctuarys doors.

The Sunday Times September 17, 2006 Pet home 'a conveyor belt of killing' Daniel Foggo

AT FIRST glance the white-washed single-storey building could pass for a holiday chalet. Tucked away among Leigh Animal Sanctuary’s complex of kennels, the bland exterior of “Block 8” gives nothing away. But anyone venturing inside encounters a sinister scene: a stuffy boxroom in which thousands of dogs have allegedly met their deaths. “It stinks of dead dogs in there,” said Jane, a former staff member who worked at the site in Greater Manchester for years. “It is a sickening smell.” The dominant features of the white-walled and red-floored room are two industrial-sized freezers. They are the last stop on what former staff and greyhound trainers say is a conveyor belt of killing, starting with dogs being delivered at the sanctuary’s front desk on an almost daily basis; leading to lethal drugs fired directly into their chests; and ending with the bodies dumped in the freezers. Ostensibly the sanctuary, which has been open since 1975 to rehome unwanted animals, is offering succour to dogs found wandering the streets by council dog wardens or brought in by owners who no longer feel able to look after their pets. But the reality behind the facade is that, according to the testimony of former staff members, about half of all the dogs entering will be killed, often within days or even hours. The testimony is backed by interviews with three greyhound trainers who said the sanctuary had long been used to dispose of unwanted dogs. The question of what happens to greyhounds after their racing careers are finished has become a scandal following revelations in July by The Sunday Times that one man in Seaham, Co Durham, had acted as an unofficial “executioner” for the industry for at least 15 years, killing and burying dogs in his one-acre allotment. The resulting outcry provoked inquiries by the government, Inland Revenue, Environment Agency, RSPCA and the authorities governing greyhound racing. The Labour peer Lord Lipsey, who is chairman of the British Greyhound Racing Board which represents many of the country’s dog tracks, said that while the killing of dogs was “abhorrent”, it was restricted to the “odd bad penny”. However, trainers who frequent Leigh Animal Sanctuary disagree. Three greyhound trainers gave interviews, on condition of anonymity, stating that the facility has been the killing ground of choice for the industry in the northwest for many years. All said that it came down to a matter of cost, with the sanctuary considerably undercutting vets’ prices. One said: “It’s £35 at Leigh Animal Sanctuary but if the vet put them down at the track it’s £65. Every track uses it, they come from all over, Belle Vue [Manchester], Kinsley [West Yorkshire] and Doncaster [South Yorkshire].” Vets in the vicinity charge up to £70 to put down a dog and are likely to ask the owner why they want the animal put to sleep. The trainer, who admitted taking greyhounds to be put down at the sanctuary, said: “The majority of registered trainers take them there. They have put down thousands. “I’ve seen loads of dogs going there [just because they] have not turned out to be any good for racing.” Greyhounds are the breed most likely to be summarily put down since they are seen as difficult to rehome and therefore of no profit to the owners, claim ex-employees of the sanctuary. Many greyhounds are brought by their owners or trainers when their racing careers are curtailed through lameness, age or lack of speed. Most of these will specifically ask for their dogs to be put down. The sanctuary is happy to oblige with no questions asked. While killing dogs humanely, such as with lethal injections, is not illegal, trainers belonging to the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) are required to put dogs down only as a last resort and then only under the supervision of a vet. But according to former staff at the sanctuary, a vet was rarely present when dogs were killed. “The drill was for the dogs to be kept in an isolation block until they can be checked over by a vet but many greyhounds didn’t even make it that far, they just went straight to Block 8,” said a former employee who asked for her name to be withheld. “It was the same with any dog which was considered to be ugly or otherwise unlikely to sell,” she said. “If anyone rang back later to ask about a dog we always said it had been rehomed rather than admit it had been put down. The sanctuary is run in a very commercially minded way. “If it is something pedigree or attractive, it might sell to a member of the public for up to £250, which is a big profit. “But dogs like greyhounds are considered a burden since they are thought to be difficult to rehome; so instead they just tend to put them down straight away.” One trainer said: “They can take £35 for rehoming, put them to sleep and then they’ve got £35. They don’t have to feed the animal, they just put it to sleep. It’s money for old rope.” A reporter posing as a greyhound owner contacted the sanctuary by telephone last week, seeking to have some greyhounds put down. After being told it was £35 per dog he asked if he needed to make an appointment. Receptionist: “Just turn up any time.” Reporter: “I’ve got three greyhounds [to put down], is that a problem?” Receptionist: “No, that’s fine, you can bring them down any time . . . Just remember it’s £35 each.” Two days later the reporter walked into the reception block and spoke to a member of staff named David. During a perfunctory exchange the reporter told David he had two young greyhounds to be brought in the next day that he wanted putting down because they were “past it”. David, who declined to ask why he wanted them dead, charged the “trainer” £70 and gave him a receipt. The blue slip included the “trainer’s” name and address and telephone number, but no details about the dogs except that they were greyhounds. David simply pencilled in the words “For P.T.S” [put to sleep] on the line headed “reason for rehoming”. When asked if he would lie to the “trainer’s” wife if she called by telling her the dogs had been rehomed, David agreed he would.

All three former staff said dogs were put down by other employees rather than vets. One said: “The dogs would be injected in the chest because that was the quickest way, though vets usually put the needle in a vein in a paw. “When the bodies were collected by a company to take them for cremation they would write down a figure only about half the actual number we were taking. I suppose that was to make it look as if they weren’t putting that many down.” Yesterday Linda Buxton, 48, the woman in charge of the sanctuary, refused to comment. Others are also seeking to speak to Buxton. Alistair McLean, chief executive of the NGRC, said: “Following the Seaham exposé we have had information about a number of places, one of which was Leigh Animal Sanctuary, and we are now investigating to identify those trainers using it.” Trio banned Three leading figures in greyhound racing have been banned from the sport for life following The Sunday Times’s exposure of the Seaham scandal. At a stewards’ inquiry last week at the National Greyhound Racing Club, Gillian Young and her father Sid Fenwick, both licensed trainers, were “warned off” the sport, an effective ban. Young was fined £1,500 and Fenwick £1,000. Both had been pictured in July delivering two young greyhounds to David Smith in Seaham, Co Durham, to be put down. Smith could face two years in prison and a £20,000 fine. Young’s husband Graeme, an assistant track manager, also received a life ban and was fined £2,000.