The deaths of two greyhounds in a single race at the Geelong track on Monday have angered greyhound welfare advocates and sparked calls for an independent inquiry into Victorian dog racing.
In Race 2 on 7 July, Paw Shervington and Just Telling fell at the track turn, with both suffering a fractured foreleg. They were euthanased by the on-track vet.
Another greyhound also suffered a leg fracture in a later race.
Victoria is the deadliest state for greyhound racing. So far this year, there have been 44 racing-related deaths: 18 dogs died at Victorian tracks, while 26 were removed from tracks and died later from serious injuries.
NSW has the second-highest racing toll with 15 deaths, according to analysis of stewards reports by the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds.
A spokesperson for the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds said:
“The latest deaths on the Geelong track highlight a Victorian animal welfare crisis.
The appalling greyhound death toll appears to be out of control. Greyhound Racing Victoria seems to have no answers to the unacceptable suffering that occurs on every racetrack.
GRV says it reviews every greyhound death to improve racing safety. However, after hundreds of reviews, GRV refuses to disclose any safety changes or improvements arising from these incidents.
As well as the deaths, a huge number of greyhounds suffer the agony of broken legs while racing. 126 greyhounds have suffered leg fractures on Victorian tracks this year, including those that were euthanased.
GRV must explain why the death toll is so high and what is going wrong on Victorian tracks. GRV and the State Government must stop ignoring the suffering of these beautiful dogs and start admitting a crisis is occurring.
An independent inquiry into Victorian greyhound racing is urgently needed.”
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Stewards’ report:
https://fasttrack.grv.org.au/