“Well, then they can race around the park, and they can race around the beach, but they won’t be racing on a track and getting themselves injured to the degree that they are getting themselves injured now.”
– Rt Hon Winston Peters, Minister of Racing, in the press conference of 10 December 2024 where it was announced that New Zealand will ban commercial greyhound racing effective 1 August 2026 on animal welfare grounds
When his girlfriend Misty came to stay, I took Sox and Misty to Christchurch’s red zone for off-lead time.
In this video, the dogs run and play. Greyhounds love to run. In this video, both dogs are free to stop, change direction, dodge and weave as they see fit, and stop when they are ready. This greatly reduces the risk of injury and supports enrichment. It allows them to make choices, something that behaviourists call ‘agency.’
The definition of “to run” is “to move along, faster than walking.” The dogs choose to do this and for how often.
The definition of “to race” is “a competition between runners, horses, vehicles, etc. to see which is the fastest in covering a set course.”
Most dogs love to have a run and play, such as I explain in my post There’s a technical term for almost anything – the zoomie. To truly love to race, a sentient being, be it human or animal, must be able to opt into competition of their own free will, accept the risks associated with the race, and take pleasure in it.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and canine fitness, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Posted in animal welfare, dog breeds, dog care, Dogs
Tagged agency, animal welfare, free will, greyhound racing, Greyhound Racing NZ, human construct, love to run, racing, winston-peters
In May, a smaller report from NZ’s Racing Integrity Board (RIB) was released.
The Supplementary Report (dated March 2023) was written at the request of the Minister of Racing. Whereas the December report talks at great lengths about all the things that would have to happen to reform the industry, the bulky report didn’t say much about options for closing down the industry.
The request of the RIB to report on options for closure was done with the express request to keep it confidential. That is, the Board could not talk with anyone working in animal welfare, or from within the industry, about how to manage closure. The report relies entirely on publicly available material from other countries with the understanding that a more detailed strategy and plan are needed.
The RIB is probably not the body that should be in charge of a closure plan, but they’ve come up with a long list of references. Had the Minister bothered to read submissions from previous reviews, he would have seen that people like me cautioned that a planned and phased closure are needed to preserve the rights and welfare of the hounds.
Such is the case, for example, with the State of Florida.
In 2018, 70% of Florida voters approved a ban on greyhound racing with an effective date of January 2021. The phase-out period was two years. The racing industry in Florida blacklisted adoption groups that had supported the industry’s closure; only adoption groups that were neutral or pro-racing were allowed to receive dogs for adoption. Nonetheless,‘it was reported that there are more willing adopters than dogs coming off the tracks.’
The Supplementary Report summarises the pros and cons of a shorter transition period vs a longer one for an industry closure. Those summaries are copied here:
Let’s face it, both options have their benefits and the risks will have to be managed. No one who truly cares about the dogs wants to see greyhounds over-raced and their welfare otherwise compromised. The RIB has already acknowledged in its longer report that progress towards animal welfare goals is only accomplished under strict supervision and watchful monitoring of the industry.
A closure of the industry will be no different.
This report is a start, but what NZ really needs is the leadership to make a decision on greyhound racing. If that leadership doesn’t eventuate, then a binding referendum will be needed and sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, who looks after the dogs?
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in animal welfare, Dogs
Tagged Greyhound, greyhound racing, Greyhound Racing NZ, Racing Integrity Board
On 23 May 2023, MP Kieran McAnulty released a report about greyhound racing that was dated December 2022. Authored by the Racing Integrity Board (RIB), this report is 175 pages long.
There have already been three (3) reports, all reviews, of the NZ greyhound racing industry, in 2013, 2017 and 2021. All have included substantive lists of shortcomings in the industry with issues for improving the welfare of greyhounds. This latest report was to have been the final report – the industry was ‘put on notice’ that it should improve and given one year – until the end of 2022 – to do so.
Since I’m writing this blog in June 2023, I figure you can guess that government has failed to act on its promise; even the delay of five months in releasing the report is suspect in terms of who is committed to animal welfare.
I used to work for local and central government agencies in my earlier working life. Whenever a report is long, it is usually because the writers do not want to be the bearers of bad news and so wade through every possible detail to hide the glaringly obvious. Such is the case with this report.
Please bear in mind that the Racing Integrity Board’s purpose is: Promote and ensure the racing industry complies with high standards of animal welfare, integrity and professionalism for the benefit of the public, participants and racing industry
Let me repeat that – high standards, integrity and professionalism…
Key points (direct quotes from the report):
If you’re reading this and wonder what’s next for NZ’s greyhounds, please ensure you focus on the last few bullet points above. If racing is allowed to continue, progress is unlikely to be achieved without close monitoring for which the RIB does not have the budget and resources to undertake. No one else in NZ is resourced to do this either, and the industry itself will face costs to improve.
What’s the odds of these things happening given NZ’s current economic situation and with the lack of leadership?
But wait, there’s more! The RIB has issued a supplementary report, another 31 pages, this time dated March 2022. I’ll cover that report in a future blog.
Kathleen Crisley, Fear-Free certified professional and specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in animal welfare, Dogs
Tagged animal welfare, greyhound racing, Greyhound Racing NZ, greyhounds, GRNZ, Minister of Racing
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