Britain's Got Talent - the joke must end

There are so many things that Britain's Got Talent should rightly be criticised for: the taunting and mocking of people with learning difficulties; the way it monopolises ITV's schedule for weeks on end; the public humiliation and destruction of hopes; and now we can include animal cruelty.



On Saturday evening, a dancing dog called Pudsey won this year's BGT. An absolute outrage, made all the worse by the fact the British public voted for it.

After this it would be wrong to ever call it the GREAT Vritish public. There is nothing great about making animals perform for human entertainment. It is cruel and abusive. If it had bee an elephant in a circus there would probably have been a public outcry.

But, for some reason that's beyond me, the public, lead by Simon Cowell's enthusiasm for dog acts, think that making a smelly shit machine walk on its hind legs to music is both entertaining and talented.

It is not.

Simon Cowell, the show's prodigal guru, identified the problem and said that it would be wrong for anyone to say a dancing dog act was animal cruelty.

Why did he feel the need to say that?

Because he knows that it is animal abuse.

Some say it's cute. It's not. Some say it's funny. It's not. Some say there's no harm, which is a lie.

The show must be stopped. Paying someone half a million pounds to publicly abuse an animal is just wrong. It should be criminal.

Grand National Sweepstake!!!

Here's your sweepstake kit for this year's Grand National.

Simply print this page and cut out the individual numbered tickets.

Everyone gets to pick a number.

If a horse dies, or is killed, during the Grand National by the method listed on your ticket YOU WIN!

CONGRATULATIONS - AND HAVE FUN!

1 Broke down - destroyed

2 Fell - fatally injured

3 Collapsed and died after winning race

4 Fatal fall

5 Collapsed and died during race

6 Pulled up - broke front leg - destroyed

7 Collapsed and died after race

8 Fell - broke elbow - destroyed

9 Broke leg - destroyed

10 Pulled up lame - destroyed

11 Broke Hind Leg - destroyed

12 Fell - injured - destroyed

13 Fell - broke foreleg - destroyed

14 Fatally injured

15 Lost action -injured - destroyed

16 Fell - broke neck - dead

17 Stumbled and fell on bend - fatally injured

18 Heart attack during race

19 Leg injury - destroyed

20 Collapsed during race - dead

21 Slipped landing over jump - injured neck - destroyed

22 Broke down - fatally injured

23 Tendon injury - destroyed at later date

24 Broke hind leg - destroy

25 Fractured pelvis - destroyed

26 Collapsed during race - fatally injured

27 Fell - Broke Shoulder - destroyed

28 Pulled up - fatal injury

29 Ran loose - heart attack

30 Fell - Broke Foreleg - destroyed

31 Collapsed and died after race

32 Fractured knee - destroyed

33 Pulled up lame - destroyed

34 Struck into - destroyed

35 Injured in race - fractured pelvis - bled to death in horsebox

36 Broke Cannon Bone - destroyed

37 Broke leg after finishing line - destroyed

38 Broke fetlock - destroyed

39 Slipped up on bend - injured - destroyed

40 Hit fence and nearly fell - broke leg - destroyed

These are all ways that horses have been killed as a result of races in the past year. Approximately 420 are killed at race courses every year but many more are disposed of during training, often because they are a financial burden.

Horse Death Watch