Owners angry as Macau Canidrome fails to stop euthanising retired dogs

Greyhound owners are rebelling over the mass killing of retired racing dogs at the Macau Canidrome, where animals are euthanised at the rate of more than 30 a month despite an outcry from welfare groups worldwide.

One woman who owns more than 10 retired greyhounds is refusing to have them put down, and is insisting on continuing to pay for their food and board at the track even though they are no longer racing, according to Macau's Society for the Protection of Animals (Anima).

Other owners say their requests to have their dogs adopted rather than destroyed have been refused by Canidrome owners, said Anima chairman Albano Martins.

Thousands of animal-lovers worldwide have signed petitions, calling for the greyhounds imported from Australia to Macau to be adopted when their short racing careers are over.

The campaign was triggered by a Sunday Morning Post investigation last year that found 383 greyhounds imported from Australia were destroyed over a year. Nearly all were healthy.

They are usually put down if they fail to finish in the top three for five consecutive races.

After the outcry over the killings, Canidrome officials met Anima and the Macau government to arrange for selected dogs to be adopted after retirement.