Last Thursday, we headed to the Scottish Parliament to hand in our open letter to phase out greyhound racing. 

Unbound the Greyhound coalition members, 14 four-legged campaigners rescued from the greyhound racing industry, and 10 supportive MSPs joined together outside the Parliament to call on the Scottish Government to put an end to this dying industry. 

 

Read the open letter 

Politicians and paws 

We were delighted that 10 MSPs joined us to demonstrate their support for our campaign- and to pet the rescue greyhounds in their Unbound the Greyhound campaign jackets, of course! 

We want to thank each of the MSPs who took time out of their busy schedules to stand up for greyhounds: Mark Ruskell; Ruth Maguire; Collette Stevenson; Bill Kidd; Colin Smyth; Gillian Mackay; Monica Lennon; John Mason; Ben MacPherson; and Clare Adamson. 

 

Rescue greyhound, Sasha, was also at the open letter hand-in. Sasha was injured 8 years ago and was almost killed as a result. Sasha broke her leg during a race at the former Armadale Stadium, in West Lothian, and was left in her kennel without treatment for days. When her owner finally did take her to the vet, he wanted her to be put down, despite her injury being treatable. Thankfully, the vet convinced Sasha’s owner to surrender her instead.  

Winner of the 2023 Holyrood Dog of the Year Pawblic vote, Joy, was also in attendance. Beautiful Joy lost her leg after being used for greyhound racing.  

Pledge your support for a ban 

22,655 signatures 

 

Our open letter, which secured an incredible 22,655 signatures, was given to Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Jim Fairlie for consideration. 

Signatories to the open letter included celebrities such as TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, actor Peter Egan, and historian and broadcaster, David Olusoga. 

OneKind Campaigner and a spokesperson for the Unbound the Greyhound coalition, Eve Massie Bishop commented on the day: 

“Our campaign has attracted the support of animal lovers from across the world, including the US, Australia, Japan, France, and Spain. All eyes are now on the Scottish Parliament, which can show leadership and compassion and take steps to phase out this dying industry”. 

Mark Ruskell’s Bill and pledge 

Mark Ruskell MSP, who recently launched a consultation for his proposed Bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland, joined the coalition in support of their campaign. 

He commented on the day: 

“Animal welfare organisations are clear - the inherent risks of greyhound racing mean that the welfare of these beautiful dogs can only be truly protected by banning racing for good. And that is exactly what my proposed Bill intends to do.  

“Thanks to the Unbound the Greyhound coalition, we know that the public also wants to see our four-legged friends protected too”. 

We are very grateful to Mark Ruskell for recognising that greyhound racing carries inherent welfare risks and that only a ban will protect these gentle dogs.  

The Proposed Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill is a crucial opportunity to secure a greyhound racing ban and we need your help to demonstrate the public support for this proposed Bill.  

We’re asking you to please pledge your support for the main aims of the Bill, which are as follows:  

• To prohibit the use of greyhounds in racing.  
• To achieve this aim through the creation of a criminal offence for a person to use or permit the usage of greyhounds in racing at (licensed and unlicensed) racetracks for commercial and non-commercial purposes in Scotland, and the creation of provisions for enforcement of that offence. 

Pledge your support