Health and Fitness

In a one page fanciful article (courtesy of Our Dogs, 15 August 2008), Greyhound Star editor Floyd Amphlett, conjured up a romantic image of greyhound racing that had little in common with reality. “You build a kennel” writes Amphlett, “buy a greyhound, pay for its registrations, inoculations and the rest, apply for a licence and then race at your closest track. It is a hobby not so different to those of you readers of Our Dogs who enjoy agility training, fly-ball, or other assorted fun activities with dogs.”

Amphlett’s very evident fertile imagination is surely wasted as editor of a minority ‘news’ paper. The survival of racing is increasingly dependent on professional trainers such as Michael Peterson and indeed survival for the trainer is dependent on running a large number of dogs. Peterson’s kennel strength stood recently at 96 and he was to remark: “You need that many to pay the bills.”

Peterson – attached to Oxford – freely admits the ‘sport’ of greyhound racing is in turmoil, and in a series of forthright conversations gives an insight into the hard economics of being a trainer and the dog’s welfare.

It was dialogue instigated through yet another report of a greyhound found abandoned; a greyhound on this occasion that was raced and retired under Peterson. The white and black male called Chapelane Tom was picked up in the Croydon area mid July and taken to a dog pound. Luckily he was found a foster home and now has a secure future but who last owned Chapelane Tom had yet to be established.

The industries regulatory body should receive a completed form detailing the fate of all greyhounds retired but no such form for Chapelane Tom was ever received. Not to worry, Peterson keeps a record of his dogs. Unfortunately the book in question (for greyhounds retired in 2006) could not be found. The trainer, however, believed Chapelane Tom was adopted through the Watford branch of the National Animal Welfare Trust and had no doubt the dog was not homed independently.

Just four greyhounds have been adopted through the above branch in recent years and Chapelane Tom was not one of them. The search, however, for the 2006 book would continue or so the person making the inquiry was told.

Peterson has been training greyhounds for the last 7 years and took over from his father who has 45 years experience as a trainer. He is a major player at Oxford and a serious contender in this year’s Trainers Championship that is based on the number of winners.

It might seem a glamorous life but Peterson is running a business and the retirement of greyhounds is an additional drain on resources: “It’s hard to home racing greyhounds. The finances in this sport are piss poor. A lot of trainers are basically just covering their cost which to be honest with you I am. I am not making bundles of money, I’ve got a young family and I have eight to nine dogs here that need homing.”

Practical and ultimately financial considerations have seen an ever increasing number of trainers off-loading greyhounds independently. Peterson works with a number of rescues but keeps his options open: “I’m not being funny, anywhere possible to home a racing greyhound, ye know, anywhere.”

The trainer speaks favourably about Greyhounds 4 U (G4U) – a rescue that interestingly does not agree with yearly vaccinations, conventional wormer or flea treatment. Peterson’s dogs available for adoption through G4U are on occasion still running. Tragically that was the case for Aintsheapeach. The beautiful blue brindle female had been seeking a home through the rescue since May 2009 but was never to enjoy retirement. On 4 September 2009 Aintsheapeach was put-to-sleep after breaking her right hock in a BAGS meeting at Oxford.

Asked how many dogs he has lost at the track this year Peterson replied: “This year, probably four.” It was a question put to him in September and so whatever the actually figure might be, expect it to be higher come the end of December.