When greyhound trainers John and Tony Gauchi tried to downplay the cruelty of their live-baiting regimen in court yesterday, the RSPCA responded with a righteous, totally-justified smackdown.
The pair, who operate out of Sydney’s Boxhill Trial Track, are facing charges of animal cruelty for using rabbits to “blood” their dogs. They were initially exposed in Four Corner’s investigation of the dog racing industry earlier this year.
Their argument yesterday focussed on the idea that since they’re only using feral rabbits – as opposed to, say, something cute, native and endangered like a bilby or a possum – it wasn’t such a big deal.
LOLNOPE.
The RSPCA’s David O Shannessy gave the court some straight logic, saying the animals were capable of very real, very needless suffering, regardless of whether “they’re native animals, non-native animals or pest species.”
The pair face sentencing on December 16, where they could become the first trainers locked up over live baiting, and a two year sentence is on the cards.
Two greyhound trainers from Box Hill could become the first in Australia to be given a jail sentence for live baiting. www.7News.com.au#BoxHill #7News
Posted by 7 News Sydney on Wednesday, 2 December 2015
