WALTHAMSTOW: Animal rights activists welcome stadium closure

6:31pm Tuesday 20th May 2008

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ANIMAL rights campaigners are celebrating the news that Walthamstow Stadium will close and say their campaign led to the decision to sell.

The Greyhound Action group, which aims to end greyhound racing altogether, claim Walthamstow Stadium is responsible for 500 dogs being unnecessarily killed every year.

"This is excellent news. We're absolutely delighted."

Greyhound Action's Tony Peters

UK co-ordinator Tony Peters said: "This is excellent news. We're absolutely delighted, we've had a very concerted campaign against the stadium with people leafletting outside on Saturdays for about a year.

"We're convinced that this played a big part in driving the attendance down."

Mr Peters said that although welfare groups existed to try and find homes for retired racing dogs, many dogs were killed before they had a chance to race.

An estimated 40,000 dogs enter the sport annually, but more are never registered, he said.

"A large number of greyhounds are judged unsuitable for various reasons. They end up being put down. The racing dogs are the lucky ones.

"A lot of the dogs doesn't make it and the tracks are responsible for that."

The racing industry is not alone in causing unnecessary deaths. Around 8,000 dogs a year are put down by local authorities, and more by the RSPCA because they are unwanted.

But Mr Peters said the "irresponsible" racing industry created an extra problem and added to the pressure for places in refuges.

He called for no Walthamstow-based greyhounds to suffer as a result of the sale.

"The Chandler family should finance the upkeep of the dogs for their rest of their lives, even if it means building special facilities," he said.

"They have plenty of money, There is no reason for any of them to be put down."