Jane Dodds MS and the greyhound racing ban in Wales - The Truth- 10 March 2025

A couple of weeks ago, UK greyhound racing was hit with the news that the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd, was preparing to ban greyhound racing.

The decision was met with shock followed by a statement by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain suggesting that the decision had not been based on sound evidence but following some questionable political tactics by the majority Welsh Labour party. 

But the Greyhound Board weren’t the only ones questioning the motives. This is what the BBC made of it . . .  

The fact that Ms Dodds has a personal interest in the banning of greyhound racing came as no surprise to anyone.

Here she gives her reasons to the Senedd: 

This coincided with a submission calling for the ban.

It was as a result of these statements that a small group of racing and welfare enthusiasts, somewhat confused by some of Ms Dodds’ claims, decided to do some detective work. 

For a start, who was ‘Arthur’? 

There were various clues from Ms Dodds, despite the fact that she apparently knew very little about him. 

The enthusiasts started working backwards from Ms Dodds own statements to pinpoint Arthur’s life story. 

They noted: “Ms Dodds stated that Arthur was 10 years old (therefore born in 2012), had raced at Wimbledon and had two earmarks (meaning he was Irish bred), that he had come from a rehoming centre that are specialists in greyhounds, that a family had him for six months but then returned him to the dog’s home and that he had stayed in the dogs home for over two years. 

“We started by checking back on the public records of the rehoming centre and found an immediate reference to ‘Arthur’,whose initial pet name was 'Chunky'.

“His actual racing name was Telex Chunky, born in February 2012, sired by Westmead Hawk out of Ballycowen Sal and he had raced at Wimbledon. After sustaining a muscle injury during a race, he remained with his trainer until 8 November 2016 when he joined the rehoming scheme. 

“In August 2018, after nearly two years in the rehoming centre, Chunky was adopted by a young couple, his name was changed to ‘Chuck’ and they created an Instagram account for him.  

“There are over a dozen photos of Chuck on his own Instagram account and dozens more from his adopter’s own account, from almost every angle which show his markings, character and adventures and comments. He had clearly been much loved by his first adopters from the footage available on the social media platforms.

“In the Rehoming Centre’s celebratory post about Chunky/Chuck’s adoption, they thanked the volunteer walkers who took him for walks and made him feel special whilst in their care, and reassured us that despite being there longer than other hounds, he was never overlooked.

There are no references to Chunky/Chuck suffering from any anxiety or traumatisation due to his racing background. 

“Unfortunately,” as was stated at the time by the homefinders themselves, “family circumstances changed for the owners and Chunky/Chuck was returned to the rehoming centre.” 

He was warmly welcomed back by all those who remembered him and in particular by one volunteer who had known him before and adored him. 

At this stage, he was renamed Arthur. The most likely explanation would be so not to cause upset to the family who had been forced to give him up and seen their ‘Chuck’ with another family. 

“To further verify that we are talking about the same greyhound, we showed Arthur’s photo and video to Toby, the grandson of Telex Chunky’s trainer. Toby helped to look after the dog in his racing days.

“Toby instantly recognised the dog in the photos and video to be how he remembered Chunky. Given his unusual patches on his head, speckles on his muzzle and ‘saddle’ in the middle of his back, it wasn’t a particularly tough call.” 

An advert was shared by the rehoming centre on 3/2/20 describing Arthur’s character as ‘a gentle giant that loved cuddles, people, walks and a sofa to relax on and that he had been in a home before but had to be returned when their circumstances changed and that he had an Instagram account showing how happily he had settled into home life.’  

“Additionally in early March 2020, the rehoming group posted a ‘Foster Report’ on Arthur which described him as ‘the most delightful guest. He was full of enthusiasm to meet the foster person but relaxed when travelling to her home. He enjoyed long walks and snuggles on the couch.’ His birth date on the foster report matches the birth date of Telex Chunky.

“Again, reference was made to him previously living with a family who adored him but had to return him when their circumstances changed.  The author was convinced that he would settle into a forever home without difficulty. There were no reports of any signs of him being traumatised in this report and very shortly after that it appears Arthur was adopted by his new owner.

This timeline ties into the time when Ms Dodds adopted her Arthur in 2020. We have seen confirmation that confirms that Arthur was indeed Chunky/Chuck (aka Telex Chunky).  

Arthur’s trainer at Wimbledon sadly passed away in recent years but his grandson Toby remembers the dog very well.  

Who better to provide an account of the dog’s character and life in their kennels along with a photo of Chunky taken on 13/08/2014 which was taken shortly after he arrived from Ireland.

Toby said “Chunky will always hold a special place in my heart. I remember the day he arrived at the kennel. Some dogs leave an unforgettable mark, and Chunky was one of them. He loved racing, he loved attention, and he loved a cuddle from anyone willing to give him one.  

“Chunky and his kennel mate Tobias shared a kennel equipped with a raised bed, and we used a specialized soft shredded bedding to keep them warm. Additionally, the kennel had heating installed to ensure the dogs were always comfortable, even in cold weather.’ 

So this is a story of greyhound racing rehoming.

All of which leaves us with more questions. Questions that the volunteers have attempted to have answered by Ms Dodds but have thus far received no response. 

1. 1 - Is it not beyond reasonable doubt that ‘Arthur’ is in fact Telex Chunky? 

2. 2 - On what grounds, could Ms Dodds claim that Arthur was from a ‘puppy farm’, when Telex Chunky was in fact born at a property in Ireland where the breeder only had one litter of greyhounds. This property adhered to all breeding requirements and regulations and Chunky was reared to racing age with just his litter brother with a family in Wexford.

3. 3 - There is only one video available of Chunky winning a race. Does this look like a greyhound who is unhappy racing?
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6. 4 - The comments and feedback from Telex Chunky’s final race bears no comparison to Ms Dodds view. He was seen by the track vet before racing and passed fit, he suffered a muscle injury during the race and had not been knocked over. 
7. 5 - All racing greyhounds are traceable from their earmarks and microchips and other unique identifiers. Should a greyhounds' unique racing name be used when they are discussed in presentations in the Senedd or other media?
8. 6 - Given the considerable evidence to suggest that ‘Arthur’ was a happy friendly greyhound, what could have possibly happened to make him such a nervous pet in later years?

9. Is this really the sum total of evidence that led to a serving MS calling for a ban?