Just one day after Joy – a greyhound who lost among her legs after being seriously hurt throughout a race – won the general public vote at the yearly awards on June 26 her previous fitness instructor, Rebecca Perkins, was sentenced to 36 weeks in jail after pleading guilty to 2 counts of animal cruelty and one count of animal suffering.
She was likewise handed a life time restriction from keeping animals by Scarborough Magistrate’s Court.
Perkins was signed up with the regulator for registered greyhound racing, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), at the time the criminal offenses were dedicated.
However, in September 2022 a GBGB steward visited Perkins’ property after being tipped off about a possible case of animal cruelty.
It was found that the animals on her property were not supplied with veterinary care “for the causes of their poor body condition, lameness and sores” and they were right away taken into suitable centers.
Mark Bird, the president of the GBGB, said Perkins’ case was an “isolated incident”.
“It was our own examination that initially discovered this and we right away took all the needed actions to guarantee suitable action was required to secure the wellness of the greyhounds,” he said.
“There is definitely no location for any mistreatment of greyhounds within our sport and, as the regulator of certified greyhound racing, we will constantly put the health and well-being of the animals above all other factors to consider.
“Whilst this case is very distressing, it is an isolated case and through our robust regulatory practices and policies, we ensure that all registered greyhounds are given the care and protection they deserve at all times.”
It comes as a petition getting in touch with greyhound racing to be prohibited in Scotland makes its method through the Scottish Parliament.
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At present, Scotland has just one greyhound racing track: Thornton Greyhound Racing Stadium near Kirkcaldy.
However, it is not licenced by the GBGB – triggering worries that comparable animal well-being breaches might be going undetected.
Gill Docherty is the chairperson of Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE), a group requiring the sport to be prohibited.
She said that Joy’s case highlighted the requirement for action.
“We were not surprisingly frightened to become aware of the case of Rebecca Perkins and the overlook and suffering she caused on the dogs she ought to have taken care of.
“However, this is a sign of numerous other cases we have actually heard which didn’t make it to court.
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“The market regulator GBGB declares to have high well-being requirements with techniques in location to secure the dogs they utilize as betting products.
“And yet cases like these are all too typical, showing what we have actually constantly asserted: that guideline merely does not work.
“Only recently the GBGB launched their injury and death stats for 2022, which revealed that the rate of injuries is really greater than 2018 – no development at all.
“That’s why we, along with many other groups such as the SSPCA, the RSPCA, the Dogs Trust, Onekind and many others are urging the government to take decisive action and enforce a ban.”
Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell, who accompanied Joy throughout the Holyrood Dog of the Year occasion, informed press reporters on Monday that he felt “greyhound racing has had its day in Scotland”.
