why would you buy greyhounds anymore

honestly what hope is there ffs

none czechbet the game coming to an end much more faster than i thought its lucky for people who go romford the stadium was re built before covid otherwise it be gone that's for sure sis cutting everywhere romford even making cleaners redundant ffs

if you have dogs at sis tracks you should check what the cuts going to be with your trainers

Writing has been on the wall for years but hard to see a way back now.  Most tracks are just using dogs as cannon fodder for the bookmakers (who just happen to own most of the tracks....).

My forum name tells you how many dogs I had at the time I signed up to Betfair - now, I have none at all in the UK, just 1 runner in Ireland and 3 pups (7 months old) out in the field.  Have a Droopys bitch from a very good litter but couldn't see the point of breeding her when she came in season a few months back so she is also just sitting there for now - decision to be made when she breaks again but how many pups do you keep in the current market?

The reality is that owners have been treated poorly by promoters for years and it is amazing really how many still subsidise the sport.  Good luck to those who continue to do so but the numbers are dwindling.

Depressed myself now .

just dreadful

its a crying shame

it all started going t1ts up  when betfair took off
began with mobiles banned at tracks
then gradually firms became less competitive
then they stopped taking bets
then you couldnt punt your own dog to try recover costs
now we are where we are today

cant get a decent bet on with firms and prize money reduced
so financial harry carry

in the hope of landing the dream some do shed loads dont i will aim to do so as long as i live

Just bought a sapling with 2 others. One of them a new owner at 30. Not gr8 news on this thread but Star Sports sponsoring a £7500 puppy comp in December is at least some good news for us dreamers.

Unfortunately
The question asked by the o p
Is absolutely spot on

i had a crayford grader in the nineties that won two A8's an A7 and came second in an A6 in the same month and prize money didn't cover the kennel bill.....the premise of owning a greyhound has never changed so prizemoney should not be the end all.......the thrill of visiting the kennel and falling in love with the dogs themselves is the reason......wins and brave runs are the sweets and if possible taking the greyhound home at the end of the racing career is the real reward and one answer to the opening question.......

Difference was you could at least punt your dog back then to some degree at least, these days if you own a dog with some lads cant all get on thus everyone rapidly loses interest and sees any real point to the venture.

if the bookies took bets solves a huge problem in all of this really.

true we could have it on at tracks but i remember having rows with that footpad harkness when ladbrokes were refusing bets and closing accounts around that time......bets were still called up in shops and you still had to work with military precision if you wanted to place proper bets.......but for the soft nosed owners none of that was an issue and probably still isn't....

yep agree Winja, and the owners who just don't bet just like to watch dog run and go to kennel etc etc they wont keep the sport afloat alone its a betting product.

the shops are generally full of paraffin lamps and the great unwashed keeping warm and poncing free bets....anyone who walks in looking like they may have a bet and the manager gets a shake on....if that bet is on a dog race and more than a score a foot of cable is laid in their pants and they are on the phone.....they are not managing their business with any intelligence after relying on the FOBT money banks for all those years.....perhaps they will have to adapt....

lol yep we all know that but problem is they can't adapt now and likely won't they don't see value in the product.

Spot on czech

the negativity
unreal its not all about punting
yup its nice to have a touch its rare it does happen as much now as then
its about the love of
one day maybe not that i have that many left i will own the ultimate spent 50 years more money than sense and i wont give up
will also add any hound i have ever owned has had a sofa
mind you this covid might just feck everything
stay safe

it's not negativity it's reality

boundless optimism without a plan or solution gets you nowhere

Boris esq

I just heard ARC are going to take the sport forward AT PACE.....

reality is all the time i have money i will buy a hound dream and re home it without mugs like me you have no fodder to feed on

stfu

presume you are being rude

sad **** feck you
fair play that i am but reliant on gambling no if you meant that then it just about sums up what you know feck all

the blocked word was to55er

when my trainer retired three or four years ago i stopped owning greyhounds after being involved for over 25 years and to be honest its easy to get out the habit.....but i probably would own again.......

your talking only from the heart wedge, but the head wins long term i'm afraid.

I was paying up to 800 per month kennel bills before lockdown, i do well out the game call it some karma tax

now no runners in the uk or Ire for first time in must be 15 years min, my conscience is clear the way the sport is so badly mismanaged i refuse to support it simple.

Same here czech
Was poking 700 a month thru
A certain crayford letter box
Never again
Twenty years previously had one
Didnt realise it had got so bad
Greyhound welfare ?
Its a wonder the gbgb can spell it

yep the welfare overkill is to try and gloss over the fact they are the prime reason there is welfare problems to start with ffs

I had two winners last night in my sole ownership,A brother and sister May 19 pupsthe bitch in a A7 her second ever race I lumped on big style in the early afternoon taking the 11/4 for a big stake and then took 9/4 with other firms who don’t allow me a decent bet she absolutely bolted up although she missed the break completely by about 4 lentghs.Her brother who had won races A6. A4 A3 this month but came last in his A2  last Saturday after losing his legs after leaving the traps.We knew there was to be a non runner in his race so any bet on the freely available 9/4 on offer would revert to S P so I couldn’t get stuck in.They eventually 3 races before him declared a non runner with a reserve running,it was only two minutes before the off that they opened up the betting at 2/1 I got stuck into that as quick as I could already aware of the amounts my bookmakers would allow me leaving my main bookie untill last with a minute to go I did a rare thing well rare for me I put on a large 4 figure bet not fully expecting then to take it,possibly cut it in half or maybe even more.Any way they took the bet and cut him immediately to 7/4.I didn’t have time to sweat as they were now going in the traps but safe in the knowledge that should he fluff the start at least I would come out with a healthy profit.for the first time in his very short 6 week career he came out almost on level terms in trap 6 he is perhaps the widest runner they have on the track by the first bend he was a lentgh up but ran very wide and came out in second he showed good pace on each straight to lead but came our 3rd each time he had the race won on the last bend as I know he is a strong finisher he fluffed his lines big style on the last bend and came out in third about a lentgh or so down but powered Dow the straight to lead probably in the last 10 yards and win by a lentgh. I waited untill this morning to withdraw my money from 5 different firms.Yes luck was on my side yesterday,but I have lost  count of the times Lady Luck has deserted me.The kennel team told me the bitch was as near to a certainty that you could get and the dog had a excellent chance but in a difficult race at this stage of his career.so in a way I took a chance on him but he has won me 3 hefty bets out of 4 so I took the chance and it paid off.i bought another Pup 7 months old last week a full brother to Ice on fire ,by a repeat mating.Would I continue to buy pups,yes yes I would Absolutely yes I would

Come back in a year Les

irishone it’s possible I won’t be here in a year as the MND that I have is always fatal if things go tits up with my dogs then so be it they will all be found a home and a vetted sofa,and me I’ll just die with a smile on my face knowing that I’ve given my life a real good go.Always remember there are no pockets in a shroud

Donny. What track do you run on.

Monmore but I have two on Nottingham they did not race yesterday

The two at Nottingham are very poor,though one has won two races,

Sorry les had no idea
Good luck mate
You are right about the shroud

Always nice to see you get a Winner or Two Donny, all the best with your health for the future.

Derby winners owner in the house watching it on telly while Buckley and friends lapping up glory
just keep paying the bills my man

Well done Mate  Plenty of winners Thus far 

Oct 31, 2020 -- 1:25PM, irishone wrote:

I just heard ARC are going to take the sport forward AT PACE.....

Stop it haha.

To reply to the OP's "why would you buy greyhounds anymore"; because its a fun, inexpensive hobby and I love the breed.
My bitch finally won an A11 on Saturday, which means with her three other races she's earned £240 in win and run money in October. Monthly kennel bill was £223, including VAT. If she had lost on Saturday, the bill would have been £43. My mate and I are not wealthy men, but we can stand £22 a month for a while. "Professional punters" trying to eake out a living from the dogs who cant live with £50 a month per dog might want to reconsider their strategy.
I bought a dog from Ireland a couple of weeks ago for four bags. All six shares sold. There are people still buying and dreaming. Good luck to them.

buy a spanish lottery ticket got more chance than winning the derby,plus you are running for the bookmakers who won't take a bet and now tracks are going to cut prize money the bookmaker tracks are taking owners for mugs and the owners hide behind its fun and we have a dream you may find that harsh but it's true

Exactly Doc. Its a massive rip off. If a trainer tells you your dog cant stand the rigour of the Bags programme your dog goes. "The rigour of the bags programmme' is three runs in ten days. Greyhound welfare goes out the window. You love your dog as a pet. You dont want them to get injured do you ? How ironic ?

Genuinely thought this might be an old fred from like 2012-2014 , how can it be cut anymore

Might as well start paying prize money in dog scran.

last i will say on this
without the like of me who purchase the hound how the hell would you have a product
its not all about the punter who thinks the bookie will not take a bet
for some it really is an expensive hobby a sad old feck i might be but as i have said someone has to supply in the hope that some of you
can waste your hard earned dollar its an addiction

as a lad who has been to many derbys,i watched a great dog win the last one at nottingham.then i watched a video of the last irish derby i was lucky enough to be at.watching the causeway get up compared to the notts winner was like chalk and cheese.

my point is,please do not accept this as normal.greyhounds are our life. they are taking everything away from us as we give up every little bit of our independence.lets start saying no.

as a lad who has been to many derbys,i watched a great dog win the last one at nottingham.then i watched a video of the last irish derby i was lucky enough to be at.watching the causeway get up compared to the notts winner was like chalk and cheese.

my point is,please do not accept this as normal.greyhounds are our life. they are taking everything away from us as we give up every little bit of our independence.lets start saying no.

nineteen points......accept what exactly as normal?

Another winner yesterday Saturn Storm 11/36 at Nottingham won by a S/H in a 480 he doesent get home Thats two 480s he’s won by a S/ H also a sprint by a lentgh he just doesent stay but he’s only 22 months old so maybe he’ll get a bit stronger his full brother runs tomorrow at Nottingham he’s never won a race and I doubt tomorrow will be his day ,my best Pup 18 month old 4 time on the trot winner METEORIC RISE runs in a A1 torrow evening at Monmore I think the gander has probably got a grip of him now but 4 wins in October can’t be bad

The gander ?

Goosey goosey ?

Great to see it !

when i had dogs would always have one big punt to get money back from the money laid out for the dog then you would invest again to buy other greyhounds hand on heart i have never paid for a greyhound the bookmakers did some might say i got lucky i would say i had a very good trainer but the days of doing that have got so hard it's just not worth it i bought greyhounds to bet them not win a derby or opens if i had a greyhound who run in opens i got lucky i was very happy having graders the games not finished yet but like a house built near a cliff it's getting to the stage the house won't take very long to fall over the cliff

Agree Dr Atkins,but I am in a almost unique position to most ( thankful ) in so much as I have motor Neurone Disease my sister died from it in my case it is hereditary which is unusual.So you see as greyhounds and to a lesser degree horses are a passion of mine I am also a very successful gambler no debts credit cards mortgage etc etc so I can indulge my passion of owning dogs have six in total though only two owned outright I own the others with my wife and son with me owning 50% in each the other 50% split equally four of my dogs I have never actually seen except on camera but I’m kept imformed on a daily basis and have lots of videos and photos ,I’m probably doing better than most MND patients so I just look forward to my dogs running and win or lose ,it’s not the end of the world,it’s just six dogs running around in a circle

Well put Doncaster, its been gr8 hearing about your purchases & their progress + the pleasure its giving you at a difficult time in your life. Keep it & may the winners keep coming for you.

I have always wanted to own a greyhound but only in the past 10 years have I been able to afford one. The problem is my nearest tracks Sheffield and Kinsley are neither to my liking and Belle Vue which would have been ideal is no longer here.

Yes a great Interest  for you  ,Spec when it can be hard to get about as in the current Climate ,Keep the winners coming G luck mate

Infact for us all , Without the Dogs I may well have gone round the bend by now .

Well les jupiter ran well there

Well what a time I’ve had of it Meteoric Rise won for on the belt in October his sister Scorched Earth won two out of four and has gone from A7 to A3 Rise is now A1Saturn Storm has won three races and was very unlucky not to win his B2beat a head and two short heads,Also on Wednesday the first pup I bought JUPITER broke his duck in a 5 leading from trap to line.Oh and maybe almost as important on Friday 6 th November at 5 AM I suffered a heart attack fortunately my wife aged 6 7 a retired fully trained nurse knew exactly what to do undoubtedly saving my life.This brings life into full perspectivIm home now and have to rest up for two weeks I now know that greyhound racing is a hobby and pastime nothing more nothing less

sorry to hear of your health doncaster,i hope you are recovering,you have done well with the pups,i hope you get some more luck you deserve it

wow doncaster rover you luck with the dogs rub off on you thank the lord your wife was there wish you well

Wish you a recovery as fast as your greyhounds Doncaster.

.... Yes, get well soon Donny.

G luck Don these dogs are running for you

Sorry to hear about yer health mate
Get well soon
Hundreds of stray dogs on greek beaches
Brought one home yesterday
Fed and watered
Got a pet now, cant call it blacky.... racist
Gone for mrs black.....
Sexist and racist....

Hope your better soon doncaster. Good luck to you and your good lady.

all the best Doncaster speedy recovery