1100 hours 24/01/07
Press Office, Fettes
Police have received a number of calls and emails in response to the news that a greyhound died after being handed in at a police station on 2 January.
A detailed enquiry was immediately launched to establish what went wrong. Staff at Lothian and Borders police obviously share the concern of the public at this very sad set of circumstances.
However because an investigation is taking place and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, police are not in a position to reply to individual calls and emails or discuss details of the case.
We would therefore ask that people allow us to complete that process and would consider refraining from making calls to the police about the matter.
This is a tragic situation and we do want to express our sympathies. We also want to stress that we are treating this matter very seriously.
We have appointed an independent senior officer to investigate all the circumstances and have also reported the matter to the SSPCA.
What is important at this stage is that we do not pre-judge the inquiry, but we are determined that it will be thorough and look at every stage of the process from the moment the dog first came to our attention.
The inquiry will also determine whether misconduct proceedings are necessary and a report is being sent to the Procurator Fiscal.
We hope that this information will give the public reassurance that everything that can be done is being done and that we understand the distress that this has cause to a great number of people.
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Jamiedan Flyer
March 2003 - July 2007 THE GREYHOUND found shot in the head and left dying ran at Ayr Greyhound Stadium the previous night. The dog finished last in its race, says vet Lorna Lazenby, who put the dog down after being called out. A cottage-owner near Dalrymple heard the dog’s yelps of agony, and Lorna found it had been shot in the head with an airgun. Lorna knows who owned the dog, from a racing tattoo number she found on its ear. But the SSPCA says it can’t prosecute – because police told Lorna to dispose of the dog’s body, without doing a post-mortem.
SSPCA spokesperson Doreen Graham said: “We want to prosecute all cases of animal cruelty. But our legal experts tell us that without a body we can’t make a case.” Doreen added: “The bottom line is that the decision by the police was entirely inappropriate. We would have taken the dog’s body to a Glasgow University expert for photographs and a post-mortem. And we would have been confident of a prosecution.”
Vet Lorna said: “I asked the police if they needed a post-mortem. But 15 minutes later they phoned me back to say ‘No, just dispose of it’.”
However, a police spokesman insisted this week that inquiries are ongoing, and the case could be prosecuted.
The matter is now in the hands of wildlife officer, Constable Sam Clark, based in Dalmellington. Anyone with information is asked to contact her on 01292 550322 or sam.clark@strathclyde.pnn.police.uk
Ayr Greyhound Stadium staff are helping police with their inquiries into the dog’s death. A spokesman said: “We’ve showed police the owner’s records. And he won’t be allowed to race his dogs here until this matter is fully investigated. “We have a zero tolerance policy to anyone being cruel to dogs, and we have a vet on call if any dogs are injured while racing. “Sadly, this wee dog won’t be the first to meet this kind of end. And we really need to make an example of people who would do this or be involved in it.”
Lorna Lazenby went back to the Dalrymple area this week with volunteers from Greyhound Rescue Scotland. And they found a second dead greyhound lying in the thick undergrowth. Lorna said: “There’s no way of knowing how many dogs could have died there.”
Bushmills Major
October 2003 to January 2007 The Unseen Agony
Lost and wandering all alone
At last brought here to find a home.
A human leaves and says 'so long'
I'd no idea something was wrong.
No food or water comes my way
Although I wait here day by day.
My stomach hurts, my tongue is dry,
Still no one comes - I don't know why.
A kindly word, a pat or stroke
Just anything would give me hope.
My lovely eyes were once so bright
They're clouding now as pain I fight.
My legs give way as all strength goes
The agony just grows and grows.
I lie here now weak and alone
I guess I never find a home.
My eyes are now dimming and finally close
And no one either cares or knows.
I'm just a poor greyhound alone and in pain
This must not be allowed to happen again
A Supporter
Bushmills Major is believed to be the greyhound who died at Dalkeith Police Station in January 2007. He was just three years old. Please see below for related information on this tragic situation.
From the Edinburgh Evening News 23/01/2007: Dog left to die of thirst in Police StationALAN MCEWEN CRIME REPORTER
POLICE officers were today facing possible animal cruelty charges after a greyhound died of thirst when it was left alone for ten days at a Lothian police station. The dog's death has sparked an investigation led by a senior police chief while a report is expected to be sent to the procurator fiscal within days The fiscal will then decide whether charges should be brought against any officers over the death of the dog at Dalkeith police station. The stray brindle greyhound was placed in a holding kennel at the station after being picked up by officers on January 2. It is thought the officer at the front desk, who is not normally based at the station, logged its details but did not pass on the information. As greyhounds rarely bark, no-one was alerted to the dog's suffering and it died silently in agony. Police only became aware something was wrong when they noticed an unpleasant smell from the kennel in the station courtyard on January 12. Lothian and Borders Police said today the "tragic situation" was being treated "very seriously". Alongside the report to the fiscal, police are carrying out an internal inquiry to decide whether any officers will be hit with disciplinary action. It is believed officers could face charges of animal cruelty and abandonment. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which would normally be informed within 24 hours of a dog being picked-up by police, has also been alerted to the case and the charity will conduct a separate independent inquiry. A police spokesman said: "This is a tragic situation and we express our sympathies. We want to stress that we are treating this matter very seriously. "We have appointed a senior officer to investigate all the circumstances under internal conduct procedures. "We have also reported the matter to the SSPCA and they have allocated a senior officer to carry out a separate, independent inquiry. "We would not, at this stage, want to pre-judge either inquiry, but we are determined they will be thorough and look at every stage of the process from the moment the dog first came to our attention. "The inquiry will also determine whether misconduct proceedings are necessary and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal." It was reported today that inquiries into the case had been hampered as the officers who found the decomposing body, yards from the station's car park, immediately got rid of it. A spokeswoman for the SSPCA confirmed that the organisation was assisting the police with its investigation into the dog's death. She said: "We are obviously concerned about this and we have offered the police our help in terms of getting to the bottom of this tragic case." The dog is likely to have died from dehydration. Although under-nourished when it was brought in, there is no evidence that it was ill. It is likely the greyhound was an ex-racing dog abandoned by its owners. ___________________________ From the Daily Record 25/01/2007: I DUMPED DEATH DOG THE owner of a greyhound left to die in police kennels yesterday admitted he dumped it at the cop shop. Trainer Colin Kerr, 44, handed three-year-old Major over to officers in Dalkeith, Midlothian, claiming he was a stray. In fact, the dog was a racer he had bought weeks earlier. Kerr, of Dalkeith, said: "I feel terrible. I have never inflicted any cruelty on an animal and I thought I was doing the right thing." ___________________________
DOG DEATH, LOTHIAN AND BORDERS POLICE
Statement regarding death of greyhound at Dalkeith
___________________________ Info from Greyhound Action Scotland 25/01/2007:
It appears the identity of the dog who died at Dalkeith Police Station is "Bushmills Major", a three year old Brindle boy.
He first raced at Derry track in Northern Ireland then came over to race at tracks in the North of England, Brough Park at Newcastle, Sunderland and finally at Pelaw Grange.
Bushmills Major's last races were poor performances and he failed to finish his last recorded race at Pelaw Grange.
Some of you may remember that Pelaw Grange was the track where the two trainers and Racing Manager were caught handing over two greyhounds in July to the Seaham Greyhound Killing Fields.
This track was a flapping track until last year when it became an NGRC registered track.
Please see link to pedigree and race history (warning - this is a racing site) and a photo of the poor boy:
Letter - Evening News - Back the dogs, not cruel racing gameIT should come as no surprise that the greyhound left to die in Dalkeith police station was an unwanted victim of the greyhound racing industry (Dead dog was ex-racing star, Evening News, February 6). Many thousands of greyhounds are "retired" from racing in Britain every year, usually aged just two-and-a-half years old. This is either because of injury or because they are judged to be no longer good enough to continue racing. Very few of these dogs manage to find good homes - many are simply abandoned or killed, sometimes by extremely cruel methods such as drowning or poisoning. Owners sometimes cut off their tattooed ears to avoid identification of the corpses. Likewise, young dogs that don't show racing promise early on can be simply disposed of. They are treated as little more than commodities, used and abused for financial gain. This in a hugely wealthy industry with £2.5 billion of bets placed each year. Unlicensed racing tracks, which don't even have a vet present, should of course be shut down. New tracks, like that currently being built at Wallyford, East Lothian, will simply increase the demand for the breeding and importation of racing dogs and are likely to perpetuate many of the existing and inherent welfare problems. Advocates for Animals works to raise public awareness of the suffering issues inherent in the greyhound racing industry and to discourage people from attending and betting on races. Anyone who wants to do something positive to help these dogs could consider giving a home to one of the many unwanted and abandoned greyhounds that are used and exploited and abused by this "sport". Ross Minett, Director, Advocates for Animals, Queensferry Street, Edinburgh
SEAFIELD GREYHOUND KENNELS
This land is owned by the City of Here live at least three greyhounds although the exact number housed here is hard to determine. The land is situated opposite
If you are local, please write to your local councillor objecting to the conditions these greyhounds are kept in. Please write to the local press objecting or anyone else you can think of. The greyhounds appear to have insufficient shelter for either hot or cold weather and the conditions they are living in is appalling.
If you are aware of any situations like the Seafield Greyhound Kennels, please contact us in confidence |
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