SIGN: Ban Cruel Greyhound Races Where Cocaine-Drugged Dogs Are Run to Death

PETITION TARGET: Mairi Gougeon, MSP, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment

Ruthless greyhound trainers in Scotland are forcing dogs to take cocaine in a cruel effort to make them win more races, callously placing profits over the dogs’ safety — and even their very lives.

An investigation released by The Sunday Post found that as well as cocaine, dozens of greyhounds at Shawfield Stadium have been given prohibited drugs including amphetamines, prohormones, beta blockers and steroids. All of these can cause heart attacks, strokes and seizures.

Greyhound racing is already a brutal and deadly sport. Thousands of dogs suffer debilitating injuries like broken legs, necks and spines. When deemed no longer competitive, many are simply killed and tossed like trash.

When not racing, these beautiful creatures are forced to live in filthy, barren kennels or out in the cold with inadequate shelter and food.

In 2018 alone, approximately 932 racing greyhounds died and another 4,963 suffered terrible injuries in the UK. Racing greyhounds are rarely given veterinary attention and are often riddled with internal parasites, fleas and ticks.

Even though a number of trainers have been caught doping greyhounds, there has been little or no action to prevent this ongoing cruelty. The only way to end the dogs’ suffering is to ban dog racing completely, as local activists such as those in Say No to Greyhound Racing in Scotland are working to do.

Sign this petition to urge MSP Gougeon to prohibit inhumane greyhound racing and close down Shawfield Stadium permanently so these graceful dogs are no longer forced to endure pain and death in the name of “sport.”