Nine years ago, Chapapote one of the greatest greyhounds in Spain and a champion of different occasions went on missing. It was alleged that the greyhound was stolen by unidentified assailants with search and rescue operations by the police having no end until 2013. However, exactly nine years after the champion was stolen, his DNA emerged in one of greyhound events held in Spain. Reports from the Local claimed that two greyhounds that were set to take part in the event possessed Chapapote’s DNA. This called for a massive action to be initiated which prompted the cancellation of the event.

Chaos erupted and the case was presented to the nation’s sports tribunal who will have to sit down and decide on the fate of the event; if it should go on or not. One owner of the two dogs in subject told the Marca newspaper that he had no idea the breed from which his dog came from. He continued to argue that most of greyhound owners are in his similar situation where they have no idea of which breed fathered their dogs. He added that there are other greyhounds that have raced in Spain and some have still been identified to have Chapapote DNA.

The popular race Chapapote vanished and later in 2013 when the police recovered him claimed that it was a group of breeding gang had stolen him. They recovered the champion in a black market when he was about to be sold to other breeding gangs b his assailants. Activist groups who cared for the well being of animals had tabled a motion on how these greyhounds have been mistreated and urged the Spanish government to initiate various methods in curbing the issue.

A British charity that is sponsored by Ricky Gervais and Judi Dench has initiated a strategy to save the lives of some of mistreated greyhounds who are sometimes burnt with acid and cigarettes, others left alone to wander in busy motorways, others hanged on trees while others are left in tunnels to die. Some have had serious injuries with broken limbs, open wounds with others suffering from starvation related diseases after many days without food.

Back in 2014, the People for Ethical treatment of Animals went to court to sue trainer Steve Asmussen for charges on animal cruelty and mistreat. This prompted the Hall of Fame in eradicating his name from the main contenders of the inclusion in the Hall of Fame. Nonetheless, these charges were dropped and brought a new beginning for Asmussen who now is eligible to take part in the final listing for the top awards in the Hall of Fame calendar year.

Two times has Asmussen scooped the Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding Trainer and conditioner of Horse of the Years Curlin and Rachel Alexandra. This was followed by a recent break through after one of his own horses Untapable scooped the 2014 Kentucky Oaks. Asmussen is currently ranked second in the all-time winning as a trainer in the US after he achieved the 7,000 win mark last year.

Investigation conducted undercover by Kentucky investigators could not verify the accusations made by PETA which prompted the New York State Gaming Commission in clearing Asmussen from the charges. However, he would be found guilty of directing the use of thyroxin hormone to his horses two days before the races.

It was during this investigation by the New York and Kentucky investigation that his Hall of Fame matter was put into consideration. In the end, Asmussen was cleared to vie in the hall in Saratoga Springs in New York. He will be among other trainers who have been operation for at least 25 years including Shug McGaughey, Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas.

However, the case is yet to be over as on Tuesday the PETA senior vice president Kathy Guillermo claimed that they had clear prove that shows Asmussen injecting his horses with sedatives and other drugs which kept them running on daily basis. And for this reason, he went against the new legislation to protect horses from drug abuse and thus would be fined $10,000 by the New York State Gaming Commission.

There has been evidence that animal cruelty has been common among various greyhound trainers. This comes after three trainers were found guilty of the act and imposed various punishments. Two of these will have to spend some time in jail whereas the third trainer has been accorded with a long terms suspension sentence. These three men were caught red handed indulging in the Four Corners live baiting scandal.

For greyhound trainer John Cauchi, 18 months in cell awaits him. Furthermore, he was accorded with a 12 month non-parole jail term in the 18 months sentence. The convict who is the current manager of the licensed Boxhill Trial Track based in Western Sydney was eager to plead guilty of using rabbits as a way of luring the ‘bloody’ greyhound. It was evident through a video how Cauchi was trying to excite and entice his greyhound using a rabbit.

John as well as his brother Tony Cauchi did not try to resist their charge and pleaded guilty with over 15 counts of animal cruelty to their names. Tony faced similar sentence of 18 months as his brother. However, the sentence was suspended as it was claimed that Tony had a problem of intellectual impairment.

At the same time, Ian Morgan aged 58 and a trainer of Telopea pleaded guilty of animal cruelty and was accorded with a 12 month sentence. This came after he was caught red handed by a hidden camera back in January using a live possum in attempt to lure one of his dogs.

The video clip showed Morgan taking the possum to Londonderry property of Zeke Kadir a popular person in the industry who is known for his tactics of breaking ingenuousness greyhounds. The evident showed Morgan giving the possum from his car to Kadir.

According to state magistrate Fiona Toose, the trainer was accorded with the custodian sentence after it was evident that the possum inflicted pain and cruelty to the dogs. Morgan has to undertake 9 months of indoor sentence before being granted a parole sentence.

The three convicts were denied a chance to be close to any animal for a period not less than 20 years.

After the cruelty in greyhound racing was exposed, one Australian lawmaker has stepped in to push for a ban of this game in New South Wales (NSW).

At the beginning of this year, there was a show on Australian Broadcasting Corporation that showed cruelty in the greyhound racing industry. It exposed the use of live animals as bait while training the greyhounds. This was an undercover task that was carried out by the Animals Australia and Animal Queensland.

The process involved in training the greyhounds entailed the use of live possums, piglets and rabbits that were tied on lures that would spin round the track as the greyhounds chased them. The dogs were provoked and bring them to lead ups in the race. There were pretty many saddening images of these animals being tortured, as well as kittens being used in the training of the greyhounds.

This investigation triggered a lot of public outrage and action is to be taken on people who are involved in the training. Many of these people involved are prominent people in the industry despite the fact that officials said that they do not tolerate such actions in the industry.

Among those implicated with the charges include a high ranking professional trainer, greyhound racing club president, a former steward who is the president of a peak body and a prolific trainer of greyhounds Australia.

What topped this investigation is the unearthing of a mass grave that has about 55 bodies of greyhounds in Queensland that are believed to have been killed before the investigation was aired. Greens MP John Kaye has come forward on behalf of the greyhounds and animals that were used in legislation to bring down the industry on concerns that there will be no regulations that will make this kind of inhumane acts to stop. He said that the greyhound racing industry will always bring animal cruelty as long as it involves gambling and profits.

This new Greyhound Racing Prohibition Bill 2015 will cease greyhound racing in New South Wales (NSW) by January 2016. It will also dissolve its regulatory body and offer all its assets to the Minister for racing in a venture to rehabilitate and re-home all dogs that were affected.