SO Vinnie Jones is supporting the Retired Greyhound Trust (Evening Advertiser July 26).

As you rightly state, he is a lover of dog racing and I am sure that helping this charity will make him feel better about the cruelty connected to this activity.

You stated that the Retired Greyhound Trust has rehomed around 25,000 dogs since its launch in 1975. As at least 10,000 greyhounds retire from racing in Britain every year, what about the other 245,000?

While I know that some trainers love their dogs, keep, and care for them, each year hundreds are put to death. In addition hundreds are shipped to Spain where they are frequently kept in appalling conditions and often brutally killed when they are no longer required.

Then of course, there are the thousands of greyhound pups put to death before the age of 12 months because they fail to reach racing standards.

The people working for the Retired Greyhound Trust are doing a wonderful job and I totally agree that greyhounds make great pets.

However, the only way to prevent the massive amount of unwanted dogs and the suffering and slaughter of these beautiful animals, is for people to avoid attending or betting on greyhound racing so that the exploitation of greyhounds will end.

(Mrs) MARILYN HARRISON

Swindon Animal Concern

Beaulieu Close, Toothill, Swindon