Greyhound racing has won a three-month reprieve after an animal welfare boss made a last-ditch visit to the country’s final operating track.
The chair of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission had been expected to sound the death knell for the sport after a Parliamentary committee asked her for a ruling on plans to ban dog racing.
But just days before Professor Cathy Dwyer was due to give her written opinion, she arranged to visit Thornton Stadium, in Fife, the one venue which still stages dog racing events.
She subsequently penned a letter which gives the sport a stay of execution until the end of February, allowing time to consider all evidence, including the treatment of dogs she witnessed at Thornton last weekend.Track owner Paul Brignal said: “I won’t pre-empt what Cathy Dwyer finally decides to recommend but she won’t have seen anything at the track to suggest there is any cruelty in greyhound racing at Thornton.“We had dogs, all well looked after and enjoying themselves, racing on a good surface and a really responsible set of trainers.“ Dwyer’s visit, accompanied by Scottish SPCA chief inspector Mike Flynn, came after a Record feature on dog racing.
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