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Sports correspondent & historian with |
Never test the patience of a politician, which is a harsh lesson that New Zealand greyhound racing learned in December.
Racing Minister Winston Peters has banned greyhound racing due to ongoing dog welfare issues, following multiple notices and a final warning.
A large number of racing greyhounds are to be rehomed.
The end of the sport in New Zealand will occur after the annual racing season in July 2026.
Greyhound racing in New Zealand began in 1878 with the first Waterloo Cup, where hounds chased a live hare in Oamaru.
After coursing was banned in the country in 1948, attention turned to a mechanical rabbit on an enclosed circular track.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the sport progressed with new tracks nationwide, as administrators saw growth potential in legalizing gambling alongside horse racing.
Equalisator betting, a form of a lucky dip, was allowed in 1971, and on-course betting became a reality in 1978.
My interest in the sport coincided with the introduction of TAB betting in early 1981.
A brother-in-law’s work with greyhounds in the late 1970s got us involved when his dog had several pups in July 1979.
Along with my father-in-law, I took a share in a dog, which was given the race name of Sporting Lad.
Even then, the partners privately discussed what happened to dogs that didn’t measure up on the racetrack.
Success came early with a victory in the Hawke’s Bay Guineas on Waitangi Day 1981, and the winners’ commemorative rug is proudly displayed on my office wall.
When Sam reached his mark for my brother-in-law, he was handed off to another trainer with little concern for his retirement.
The Greyhound racing ban is primarily driven by the mismatch between registered racing dogs and those recorded as retired, as the law requires.
It became apparent as the years passed that our dog had been put down as surplus to requirements.
We tried to right our conscience two decades later by fostering a retired racing greyhound.
Henry became part of our family for six years before he left us to go to doggie heaven at 13 due to old age.
While the majority of greyhound trainers love their charges to bits, a few have continued to live outside the rules and regulations of the sport.
The Peters’ patience ran out as administrators ignored the final warning about terminating greyhound racing in December.
I recommend adopting one of the many greyhounds that will be available for rehoming in the next eighteen months.
Greyhounds are gentle souls that love to sleep upside down on couches or beds.
I recommend visiting the ‘Greyhounds as Pets’ website. Adopting a greyhound benefits both the pet and the owner.
