Ten odd years ago I met a dog called Ajax. A brown Greyhound from Hull, he was naturally an explosive runner. But despite this he was always very mild mannered at home, and loved the attention he got from a small and busy household. My family and I took care of Ajax for three weeks in the cool spring, but found it tricky to provide a good amount of exercise. He loved to run, but living in central London we didn’t have the space he needed, and we could all tell how much he longed for the green, green grass of home.
So, we decided to as often as we could walk with him up the Euston Road to Marylebone Green in Regent’s Park, to let him off the lead and run around in circles as much as he wanted. At first we brought a tennis ball, but Ajax quickly got tired of retrieving it from the pitiful distances we were capable of throwing the ball, and decided to play his own game. When we threw the ball he’d retrieve it at lightning speed, and then turn and set his sights on us. He’d bolt towards us, tennis ball in mouth, and run right past us, by some way, before turning and running towards us again. Rinse and repeat until one of us managed to tackle him, at which point he’d let go and allow us to throw the ball back to him once again. Each time afterwards we’d bring a cricket bat with us down to Marylebone Green to smack the ball with, so Ajax would have a lengthier chase, and to preserve our energy for the ensuing chase.
The family who had adopted Ajax took him in from the greyhound races, where sadly abuse and neglect of these brilliant dogs is widespread.
The League Against Cruel Sports has been doing fantastic work and research around hunting and racing since 1924. According to LACS, 200 greyhounds died trackside in 2020 in the United Kingdom, despite the reduction in racing frequency due to COVID restrictions. Also, in 2014, LACS released a report regarding the state of greyhound racing in Great Britain, revealing that 95% of the time racing dogs get no social contact and are kept in small kennels. It’s utterly tragic that dogs who could be living an otherwise joyous family life are confined and mistreated because of their physical excellence.
Greyhound racing continues in the UK, US, and Australia despite its steeply declining popularity and increasing costs, leading to increasingly worse conditions for the dogs involved, It is absurd that a sport almost entirely behest to the gambling industry has been allowed to go on with so little regulation, and is indicative of government that has, over the years, turned a blind eye to tragedy on its doorstep.
You can donate to the League Against Cruel Sports and read more about what they do here.
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