A Welsh dog rescue has handed in a petition to Welsh Government calling for the ban of greyhound racing in Wales.
Charity founder Vanessa Waddon of Hope Rescue, based in Llanharan, submitted the petition to the Senedd after gathering more than 35,000 signatures calling for the total ban of the sport in Wales.
Hope Rescue had been working with the last remaining greyhound racing track in Wales, where they claimed to have rescued more than 200 greyhounds.
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The track currently holds a race once a week but Hope Rescue said the organisation plans to become a Greyhound Board of Great Britain track which could see up to four or five races per week.
Charities working with Hope Rescue on the campaign, Greyhound Rescue Wales and Forever Hounds Trust, said the move would increase the number of dogs needing to be rehomed.
Hope Rescue said grehounds commonly present injuries including broken legs, broken backs, and skull fractures.
Vanessa Waddon, founder of Hope Rescue, said: "We worked at the track for several years and we were greatly concerned about the number of injuries and the number of dogs dying at the track and other welfare issues.
"The track has now been sold and is actually going to become a Greyhound Board of Great Britain track and that means greatly expanding the amount of dogs that are racing here in Wales, and that is going to mean more deaths and more injuries and more surplus dogs needing rehoming."
Sarah and Raphael Jones rescued their greyhound Vinnie from Hope Rescue last year. They said they are now familiar with the impact that racing is having on the dogs.
Vinnie had become lame after a stone had become lodged in his paw when he came to the charity.
Raphael said: "I really think that Vinnie educated us and opened our eyes to what was happening in greyhound racing. I had been to tracks in the past and I had no idea of the suffering they endured.
"Since we rescued him we have done so much research and are fully supportive of a ban on all greyhound racing in Wales."
Malcolm Eames has been rescuing former racing greyhounds since 1989. His fourth ex racing greyhound is named Hector.
"Hector had been racing at the track as an 18-month-old dog where he crashed on a bend which resulted in a compound fracture," he said.
"Vets were unsure if they could even save his leg.
"He now has a metal plate with 11 screws in his leg, it was shattered. He's the lucky one remarkably, his other littermate lost their leg from racing and the other died on the operating table."
Hector spent eight months in recovery from his injury which cost Greyhound Rescue Wales more than £7,000 for the operation alone. This was paid for from the Last Hope fund.
Last Hope was set up by Greyhound Rescue Wales. "Last Hope" was an ex-racing greyhound who was found left for dead on a mountainside in the Rhymney Valley in south Wales. He was discovered lying on rubbish with a hole in his forehead and both ears cut off on May 2, 2004, by a walker and was later humanely destroyed. The fund now pays for lifesaving treatment for other racing greyhounds.
Malcolm said: "Regulation will not improve the situation, it will not stop the injuries. This is a subsidiary of the betting and gambling industry, and should be treated as such.
"The injuries sustained by all my rescues has been different but they are all traumatised and frightened, have cuts and skin lesions and my rescue prior to Hector died of kidney failure, which the vets said is common with ex-racing greyhounds as they have not had access to enough water.
"We need a Wales free of greyhound racing and the support behind a total ban. Wales need to show leadership on this, this is the 21st century this is no longer acceptable."
Debra Allen is on the board of trustees for Greyhound Rescue Wales and said that "the feeling from members has changed, it is no longer possible to maintain a neutral stance".
A meeting was held recently by the trustees where they discussed the change in attitude towards their approach. While they had never supported greyhound racing, they felt it was important to maintain a relationship with the industry so that they could take ownership of the dogs and to rehabilitate them.
However, that has now transitioned and they too are in support of a total band of greyhound racing in Wales.
On Monday, the Senedd’s Petitions Committee agreed to take evidence on the petition calling for a ban on greyhound racing in Wales.
Following the decision, Petitions Committee chair Jack Sargeant said: “It was great to receive the petition earlier today on the steps of the Senedd and meet the petitioners and their greyhound friends.
“This petition has attracted a great deal of interest already and received 35,101 signatures from all corners of the World, including 18,707 from Wales alone.
“The Committee will now invite animal welfare campaigners and the new owners of the Valley Greyhound Stadium, to give evidence and inform a future debate in the Senedd on this important issue.”
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