SINCE even the British Greyhound Racing Board (BGRB) admits that only a quarter of all greyhounds retiring from the tracks each year are satisfactorily rehomed, common sense dictates that the remainder have to be disposed of by some means, else the highways and byways would soon be awash with spindly-legged, long-nosed vagabonds on the lookout for rabbits (Killing field of the dog racing industry, News, last week).

The real beneficiaries of greyhound racing are the bookmakers, the majority of owners and trainers by contrast making a barely acceptable living from it. It is not surprising therefore that some of them take a very utilitarian view of their dogs.

Every greyhound racing stadium in the country, whether registered or not, has its “greyhound executioner”.

The League Against Cruel Sports has long been asking this £2.5 billion industry for 1p in every £1 of profit to be dedicated to the welfare of ex-racing greyhounds, as opposed to the 3p in every £100 it currently donates, a request which it resolutely ignores.

David Smith remains merely a disquieting symptom of a much deeper malaise. While greyhounds continue to be bred, 30,000 each year, to satisfy public demand for this form of entertainment, they will be disposed of in the same numbers, brutally, prematurely, covertly, and above all, cheaply.

Helen Tucker
Worcestershire Action for Greyhounds (WAG)

ON TRACK: Thank you for exposing the terrible treatment given to the greyhounds and how they are disposed of when they can no longer race. My rescued grey is next to me as I write this. Here many tracks have been closed down now the public knows the real story.

Audrey Cien
Michigan, USA

MISSING: Lord Lipsey (chairman of the BGRB) maintains that the majority of retired greyhounds are rehomed and well cared for. The RSPCA, on the other hand, expresses “grave concerns” about the fate of up to 12,000 retired hounds “missing each year”. Can Lipsey account for the missing 12,000?

Joanna Nowill
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

RACING ODDS: Too many dogs are bred, particularly greyhounds, which can have as many as eight puppies. Dogs shut in kennels, sometimes for years, is not the answer. Horses are another cause for concern. The “waste” from the racing industry is appalling.

Margaret Moore
Ledbury, Herefordshire

WASTE DISPOSAL: This is a huge problem and one that the industry likes to keep under wraps, so it’s good to see you brought the issue out into the open. There are thousands of greyhounds that are thrown from cars, dumped miles from anywhere and have their ears hacked off (so they can’t be traced through ear tattoos).

Julie Brammer
Washington, Tyne and Wear

HOUNDED: I am so pleased that you have brought to public notice the fate of these dogs at three-and-a-half to five years. Foxhounds are also shot at around six years because they are no longer fast enough. They would also live to 14 if allowed.

Charles Turner
Bridgwater, Somerset

FAT CHANCE? Rather than putting down greyhounds, they should be allocated (once their racing career is over) to people in the overweight to obese category. The dogs would have somewhere to live and couch potatoes would have a reason to exercise, saving the NHS millions and pleasing all us dog lovers who find the content of your article upsetting and obesity distressing.

Chris Daniels
Weymouth College, Dorset