Dear Josh,
I write to you as a former student of yours. You taught me during my primary school years and were an incredible role model to myself and my peers. The values you helped to instil of kindness, compassion and empathy have stayed with me into adulthood.
I now work as a qualified dog trainer and am completing a Bachelor of Science in Animal Behaviour. I credit my decision to follow this path, in part, to the encouragement I received during my formative years in your classroom.
That is why it is so incredibly disappointing to see you, now in a position of influence, defending greyhound racing, an industry that is in stark contrast to the values you once taught us. It seems as though the principles of compassion, recognition of suffering and empathy have been set aside in favour of something which causes undeniable harm.
Through fostering greyhounds, I have personally witnessed the physical and psychological toll the industry takes on these dogs. Many arrive carrying not only visible scars but deep behavioural trauma. Often showing heartbreaking conflict of having a desire for human connection but an inability to trust it.
It takes time, patience and care to help them adjust the most basic aspects of life such as learning to walk up and down stairs, feel safe on unfamiliar surfaces, interact calmly with other dogs, and to understand that food, toys and comfort are no longer scarce resources they must guard. These are not minor adjustments for these dogs, they are signs of animals which have been deprived of a normal, enriching life that other breeds experience. At the same time, the number of dogs leaving the industry continues at a rate that the rehoming systems struggle to sustain.
You have argued that greyhound racing is important to the economy. Yet I would ask if this was the case, why does the industry rely so heavily on government funding to sustain itself? If public money is being invested could it not instead support a structured transition, one that’s protective of workers while phasing out practices that are increasingly viewed as unethical?
Momentum is shifting across the world, as seen in Scotland and Wales in recent days. Public sentiment is changing, attendance is declining and awareness of welfare is increasing. The direction has been made clear. It is difficult not to see your position as being on the wrong side of history. With previous leaders such as David Bartlett reflecting and expressing regret over support, it is further confirmation that perspectives are changing. I write to you with hope, that you will consider whether now is the time to move with that change, rather than remain behind it.
You taught us to be compassionate, stand up for what is right and to think critically about our actions, I ask that you now do the same.
Sincerely,
Madeline Gowans
