Reports state that greyhounds have been removed from licensed trainer after living in appalling conditions

It has been reported that a large number of greyhounds have been removed from the premises of a licenced Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) trainer, Malcolm Taylor, in the North East of England. It is alleged that dogs were living in appalling conditions and in very poor health when the GBGB seized 58 dogs from Mr Taylor’s kennels but left 3 dogs behind to remain in his care. It is reported that the GBGB have placed the 58 dogs with other trainers and owners, and not with rescue organisations.

However, rescue groups in the North East of England have said that, unknown to the GBGB, Mr Taylor had another 21 dogs hidden away, of which the rescue groups managed to negotiate the safe release this week. Rescue organisations have stepped up to provide the care these additional dogs need and Forever Hounds Trust will be taking some of these dogs via Lancky Dogs, another rescue charity, in due course.

Despite repeated calls from welfare groups to have Mr Taylor’s licence revoked based on other similar situations, Mr Taylor was allegedly trialling a dog on 12^th February 2017 at Pelaw Grange track – after the 58 dogs had been removed.

Forever Hounds Trust was sorely disappointed by last year’s DEFRA recommendations for improvements to the self-regulation of greyhound racing, the Trust is now further disheartened by reports of ongoing issues at the GBGB, including allegations of bribery and fraud under investigation by the City of London Police. Whilst the GBGB have finally acted to remove dogs from Mr Taylor’s care, the question remains as to why existing GBGB welfare measures, which are supposed to prevent neglect and suffering, have proven so woefully ineffectual.

Forever Hounds Trust report all cases of neglect and abandonment the charity encounters to the GBGB. Reporting these cases provides evidence of the scale of the current problem and the Trust urges all rescues and greyhound trainers to do the same.

Emily Burns-Sweeney, Director of Homing, Kennelling and Welfare for Forever Hounds Trust says: “Racing greyhounds cannot wait until 2018 to find out whether the proposed change to the regulations, to include kennelling, are effective. If the GBGB is serious about improving welfare, then we expect to see immediate action to deal with trainers who do not have welfare at the top of their agenda.”

If you would like to donate money towards treating and kennelling some of the dogs released from Mr Taylor’s care, please do so using our Just Giving page  https://www.justgiving.com/foreverhoundstrust We will be sharing this money with Lancky Dogs in the North of England, one of the rescue organisations that has taken five of these dogs in and is readying them for their onward journey to Forever Hounds Trust.