Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Greyhound racing

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (21:52): (954) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Racing, and the action I seek is for him to advise whether racing greyhounds will receive the same protections as any other dog under new animal care and protection laws. This past Sunday a beloved furry member of my team was put to rest. Billy was an 11-year-old greyhound, and my staffer Emma lovingly cared for him for over a year after a decade of treatment as a commodity. I would like to tell you all about Billy. He was a cuddly boy. He would whimper when you stopped stroking him. His body wriggled with excitement at walk time. He adored bread and wore a green winter polar fleece. He slept snuggled in bed with Emma and her partner. When Billy was euthanised because of vicious bone cancer he was resting on that very bed. He had CBD oil before the vet arrived. He ate a burger while injected with heavy sedation. He was unconscious when the IV, inserted with numbing cream, was placed to take him away. It was a dignified death following a decision made with love.

The greyhounds killed this year on the very tracks Billy raced on in Shepparton and Ballarat were not so fortunate. Billy bore the signs of his abuse and neglect by the racing industry. Half of his larynx was paralysed, so he worked harder than most dogs to breathe. Vets thought a choke collar was the reason for this. He was arthritic, signifying a poorly healed racing injury. He had a bone that stuck out from under his skin. His teeth had fractures and chips – that is common for dog kept in cages, who bite on them in distress. As the code of practice for the keeping of racing greyhounds stipulates, Billy was legally offered just 3 square metres to live in. He could be kept in that cage for 23 of his 24-hour days, with racing dogs only required to be offered four 15-minute breaks each day to go to the toilet, exercise and train for the races they are forced into. Billy came to Emma with a drug-resistant disease and a tail so scabbed and bloodied from hitting cage walls when he wagged it that amputation was considered. He was extremely anxious and 7 kilograms skinnier than when he passed. After all of his suffering, Billy still found joy, trust and love with his humans. Billy was a dog who deserved rights and protections, but because he was born into the racing industry he did not receive the same protections any other Victorian dog would. I hope the minister will find his conscience when he thinks of Billy and makes sure that our legislation genuinely protects greyhounds just like him.