Judge lets owner keep all nine ‘noisy’ greyhounds

Court allows dog owner to keep greyhounds despite complaints

source: Tania Branigan
Guardian May 17 2001 p9

A high court in London, England, has allowed a dog owner, Stephen Hitchman, with a smallholding to keep nine greyhounds, despite complaints from neighbours. The complaints had led planning officers to seek to impose an order for the dog owner to give up three of the dogs, or destroy them. Hitchman asked to be able to simply not replace his greyhounds after they died. The judge accepted this, and said that the order against Hitchman did not specify how many dogs he was allowed to keep. Supporters of Hitchman argued that he was an exceptional dog owner, and that racing greyhounds in the UK have few protectors after their careers are over. Most of the 10,000 racing greyhounds retired annually are destroyed.

DO,LW