A greyhound trainer has been banned from every major dog track in the UK after giving potentially fatal drugs to dogs so he could race them while they were still injured.
Professional trainer George Tighe, of Beechwood Crescent, Marley Pots, Sunderland, was found guilty at a National Greyhound Racing Club inquiry of administering the drug methylprednisolone.
The medication – which is used to reduce inflammation and
can mask injuries – was given to a dog called Givehimahammer before a race in March.
Tighe was also found guilty of failing to seek veterinary examination when the greyhound was lame and treating it when he was not qualified to do so and using medication that had not been prescribed for the greyhound.
Former trainer Brian Stirling, of Newcastle, who raced dogs at Newcastle Stadium, was also found guilty of administering the same drug to a dog called Hellfire Utah before a race in February, and one of his kennel-hands, Stephen Duncan, was found guilty of hindering the investigation.
All men were fined and Tighe was disqualified from training greyhounds. Stirling had already given up his trainer's licence because of the impending inquiry.
Tony Peters, UK co-ordinator for international greyhound protection group Greyhound Action, said Tighe's actions could have led to the dog being crippled.
He said: "There is no doubt in these cases that methylprednisolone was given to the dogs to enable them to race while injured.
"This could easily have exacerbated their injuries and caused serious harm to the dogs, possibly leading to them becoming permanently crippled.
"Sadly these cases are just the tip of the iceberg, as methylprednisolone is widely used within the industry to keep injured dogs racing and is very often administered by unqualified people in order to avoid the cost of veterinary treatment.
"It is yet another example of the callous attitude of many of those involved in greyhound racing, who regard the dogs purely as money-making machines, with no consideration for their welfare."
Tighe, who raced dogs at Pelaw Grange dog track in Chester-le-Street, was a former trainer of Bushmills Major, the greyhound that was left to die at Dalkeith police station in Scotland in January.
The Greyhound Action group has urged people to boycott the sport because it says an estimated 20,000 greyhounds are put to death every year.
