But seriously, it’s long overdue that this ban went national.

How many more greyhound deaths at the track each year does it have to take?

With up to 17,000 healthy greyhounds dying annually at the hands of the industry, 200 dogs reported injured during official races each week and the “lucky” survivors living in appalling conditions, the biggest tragedy is that this industry hasn’t been shut down sooner.

To see how desperately sad things have become, one only has to look at Bossey, one of five greyhounds found by RSPCA inspectors in a raid on a farm in Western Sydney.

They had been living and sleeping on a stinking, muddy floor in a dark shed.

Bossey was severely underweight, lame and limping on three legs - the pain in the greyhound’s eyes was palpable.

And the punishment? A $10,000 slap on the wrist, whilst also being able to keep the dog.

Clearly the worst punishment being meted out here is to poor Bossey.

How society has failed these beautiful animals.

I see that National Greyhound Racing United are bleating and blustering that for every bad person in the sport, there’s 2000 good ones.

That is, when they’re having a break from smearing the name of NSW Premier Mike Baird.

And it appears that the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association has hastily formed an industry alliance to campaign against the ban.

Perhaps the many (but undisclosed) dollars they are spending on their grandstanding could be better invested in rehoming some of the many greyhounds needing a forever couch. Or simply paying some vet bills. The GBOTA’s campaign theme is ‘Racing to a Respected Future’. In my experience, the couch is the only place a greyhound wants to race to.

Sure, their campaign may go on for a long time, but it will be nowhere near as long as I will be fighting to get every last loving, lazy greyhound a soft bed and a forever home.

And I would say to anyone considering adoption, you’ll never go back once you realise the power of sharing your lounge with a hound.

Brione Sargent

Alderley

Everyone knows that a dog is man’s best friend and that greyhounds are also the punters best friend.

No jockeys or drivers to manipulate their running in races.

Racing greyhounds only know one thing.

They jump from the boxes and put in a 100 per cent effort to finish in front of their rivals.

If Premier Baird succeeds in banning the sport then there is going to be a lot of despondent punters around.  

Colin Field

Gundagai

Major natural disasters such as major bushfires, cyclones, tornados, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis - these have increased progressively and dramatically in the last 50 years. 

In graph form they would show us as a steeply upward moving curve. If this trend continues, and all indications are that it will, then we have to brace ourselves for far worse to come – ‘we ain’t seen nothin’ yet’.

It also puts into perspective that any man-made pollution will be totally out of proportion (insignificant) compared with natural disaster pollution. The climate change promoters will have something far bigger to worry about.

Paul Bosman