A $1500 compensation payout for each banned greyhound is not only an insult but will shatter dog owners, according to a local greyhound identity.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Reports that NSW Premier Mike Baird is contemplating a payout of $1500 for each racing dog as part of his controversial racing industry ban have been met with anger by Bathurst’s greyhound industry.
Long-time greyhound racing owner, and Bathurst Greyhound Racing Club track manager, Jason Lyne said he would be “shattered” if his top racing dog was still in action when this compensation payout was announced.
His greyhound, Bourbski Fever, was at the top of her game and had just won a Group One race in November last year when he was offered a “very large six-figure sum” for her.
And while Mr Lyne said that type of money would have been “life-changing”, he declined the offer.
“It’s shattering, she’s worth a lot more than that,” he said of the small compensation payout figure.
Mr Lyne is not the only one who has a high-value race dog: Clergate man David Pringle was once offered $1 million for his champion greyhound Shakey Jakey.
Mr Lyne said it costs $4500-$5000 to rear a dog from the moment it is born until it hits the track for the first time at around 18 months of age.
It’s definitely not adequate, it’s an insult.
- Greyhound racing owner, and Bathurst Greyhound Racing Club track manager, Jason Lyne
“It’s definitely not adequate, it’s an insult. It costs a lot more money to get a dog to racing stage,” he said of the compensation proposal.
NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association operations manager Ellen Harris said while the $1500 compensation is not yet official, she believes the final figure may be dependent on the dog’s age.
“We haven’t seen any formal proposal,” she said.
She was also unaware if owners would be forced to keep each dog for its lifetime if they accept the payout.
Ms Harris said the average greyhound will live for eight or nine years and the compensation figure would not be enough to cover potential earnings from races, nor the cost of keeping the dog for its lifetime.