Photo: UNI
The Greyhound Racing Board has approached the Punjab & Haryana High Court to allow races of this breed and claimed that they are not tortured or put to any harm
~By Vipin Pubby in Chandigarh
The refusal by the deputy commissioner of Jalandhar to grant permission for holding greyhound races has prompted the registered Greyhound Racing Board to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Asserting that the tradition of holding races among this particular breed of dogs has been going on since time immemorial, the Board has said that “the raison d’etre for the existence of greyhound dogs is racing”. It said that adequate care is taken to ensure that the dogs are not tortured or put to any harm while being trained to race.
The Board, which has filed the petition under Article 226/227 of the Constitution through Gursharan K Mann and SS Mann, has prayed for issuance of a writ in the nature of certiorari (by which a higher court reviews a case tried in a lower court), quashing the order issued by the deputy commissioner, Jalandhar, on January 29 this year. It sought issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus directing the respondents to allow greyhound races in the state of Punjab and not to cause any hindrance in the organising of such races.
The petition has requested the Court to consider whether the refusal to organise greyhound races was violative of the principles of natural justice and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA, 1960) and whether the order refusing permission to hold the dog race “is arbitrary and illegal without jurisdiction, further causing unnecessary hindrance to greyhound dog races”. The High Court, while taking cognisance of the petition, has issued notice to the Punjab government to file its reply.
The petitioner, Bhupinder Singh Grewal, president of the Greyhound Racing Board, has pointed out that the Board “indulges in organising greyhound races in an orderly fashion. The welfare and health of the greyhound dogs is the primary facet in consideration while organising such races. All such races are organised only after providing proper emergency facilities to the dogs in case of any contingency. The dog sport is conducted in a professional manner and all the established international rules and regulations are followed by the organisers”.
He said that, as per the order no. 28/6/2011-4 PP-1/9858, dated November 25, 2013, passed by the animal husbandry, fish and dairy development department, the permission of the deputy commissioner or deputy director, animal husbandry, has been made compulsory and further district committees have been formed. The order “has been passed on the ground of assumed and presumed cruelty to the animal”. Describing it as an illegal and arbitrary order, the petitioner has said that greyhound dog races “are organised under total control [sic] environment and it is categorically and specifically taken care that only mentally and physically healthy greyhound dogs take part in the race”.
The petition mentioned at length the care taken for the benefit of these dogs. It said that the length of the race track is not longer than 100 m, which is well short of the scientifically proven fact that a greyhound can run at its maximum speed for a distance of 250 m, which is even more than a cheetah. It said that the dogs are not exhausted and that utmost care is taken in organising the dog races. Proper medical facilities are ensured when such greyhound races are organised. “Through empirical research and data by the scientist and doctors it has been proved beyond doubt that the greyhound dogs love running,” it said and added that the “evidence of the association of the greyhound dog can be traced from Bible, and it has been estimated that the dog breed is around 5,000 years old. In Egypt, the dog has been found mummified with humans in the graves. The specific dog has been revered for its speed, agility and grace since time immemorial,” it added.
The petition has said that there are 300 breeds of dogs. Some of them, it said, are suited for different tasks such as guarding, surfing, tracking, herding, hunting, cart-pulling, sniffing, rescue, running, and so on. It said the specific traits and adaptations of the dog make this breed perfect for racing. “Over the years through evolution, the greyhound’s body is structured in such a way that it can run at very fast speed with least amount of effort. The greyhound breed instead of being similar to other dog breeds is actually in consonance with the cheetah,” it asserted.
Giving details of how the races are conducted, the petition said that the track length varies from 80 m to 100 m. The hounds, two abreast, dash behind a manually operated artificial lure. An average dash takes about six seconds and there are, at the most, two dashes a day per dog, with a rest period of about two hours between the dashes. It said that greyhound racing is an organised, competitive sport in which these dogs are raced around a track. “There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing. Track racing uses an artificial lure (now based on a windsock) that travels ahead of the dogs on a rail until the greyhounds cross the finish line. In coursing, the dogs chase an artificial lure, hence no cruelty on any animal,” explained the petition. It said the dogs have a good diet and are taken care of “in a manner which even the most privileged” cannot afford. It stressed that Rs 300-500 is spent daily on each dog for the purpose of diet. This includes mutton, chicken, eggs and other high-protein food.
Taking its plea further, the petition contended that such dog races organised by the Board “help in the integration of the rural population and bridging social gaps and differences. It brings together the rural people from all the walks of life and such events act as catalyst for the assimilation of different cultures. Such events help in inculcating a passion and compassion for living creatures and further the cause imbibed [sic] in the fundamental duties in the form of Article 51-A(g)”. Will the High Court take a sympathetic view of this plea?
A unique dog
The petition explains various body characteristics of a greyhound
- A greyhound has stereoscopic vision. This means that it is best suited to seeing moving objects. They often don’t see stationary objects—so when calling your greyhound back to you, you are best moving around.
- The greyhound is built for speed with a streamlined, muscular body. The neck and head are long. Their characteristic rose ears are usually folded flat against the neck when the dog is relaxed, but prick forward and may even stand somewhat erect when the greyhound is at attention. The loin is slightly arched, the chest is deep, and the waist is narrow, giving the dog a distinctive appearance.
- The running style of a greyhound is similar to that of a cheetah, employing what is known as double suspension gallop. Unlike horses which only have one period during their galloping stride in which all the four legs are off the ground at once, the greyhound has two periods of suspension during the fastest gallop.
- The feet of the greyhound touch the ground only 25 percent of the time. The dog’s long legs, flexible spine, small waist and slender body work together to make it run fast.
- The greyhound has a huge heart for its body size. It ranges from 1.18 to 1.73 percent of its body weight whereas most other dog breeds’ heart size is 0.77 percent. The human heart to body weight is only 0.5 percent and the racehorse’s heart is 1-1.3 percent.
- A racing greyhound has the highest blood volume compared to body size at 11.4 percent whereas it stands at 10.5 percent for a racehorse, 9.5 percent for a human sprinter and 7.2 percent for a average pet dog.
- The breed has the highest packed cell volume of any dog at 60 percent, compared to 35 percent for most dogs and 40 percent for racehorses.
Html code here! Replace this with any non empty text and that's it.