Dear Mayor M Whelton,

I am writing regarding your proposed charity event at Wimbledon greyhound racing stadium on 10th October, and urge you to reconsider such an activity.

The exploitation of greyhounds by the greyhound racing industry should not be condoned by yourself and Merton Council by your proposed event at Wimbledon. It is my belief that greyhounds should not be abused, neglected and exploited in the name of entertainment, sport or charity.

An Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare report (The Welfare of Greyhounds, May 2007) concludes that “a minimum of 4,728 greyhounds are unaccounted for” each year in England and Wales alone and “it is reasonable to assume the majority of these dogs will be destroyed.” The report also notes that “this figure is likely to be a significant underestimation of the true scale of the problem of unwanted dogs being destroyed [in the racing industry]”.

Racing is a real hazard for the gentle greyhounds; injuries from collisions or poor track surfaces and heat exhaustion, to name just two. Moreover the conditions in which racing greyhounds are kept and they attention that they receive leaves much to be desired.

I urge you not to let the abuse, neglect and exploitation to occur in the name of charity, or under your patronage as Mayor.

For more information on the welfare of greyhounds, and other sighthounds, please visit the website of Sighthound Welfare Trust; www.sighthounds.org.uk.

Yours sincerely,