Greyhound racing

Greyhounds are pushed to their physical limits – often far beyond. They reach speeds of up to 45 mph while navigating tight, unnatural curves that place extreme stress on their bodies. The toll is severe.

Behind the scenes, dogs are routinely drugged – including with illegal substances like cocaine – to enhance performance. Many race in dangerous temperatures, and there is little concern for their welfare.

Between 2017 and 2025, nearly 4,400 greyhounds died in this ‘regulated’ industry – some from fatal injuries on the track, others were killed behind closed doors because treatment was too costly, they were deemed unprofitable, or ‘unsuitable for rehoming’. In the same period, over 38,000 injuries were recorded, ranging from fractured ribs and broken necks to internal bleeding, torn tendons and spinal paralysis.

This is not a sport – it’s an industry built on exploiting vulnerable animals, costing thousands their health, dignity and lives.

Approximately 6,000 greyhounds are exported from Ireland to Britain each year, making up over 80% of UK racing dogs. Yet many dogs bred for racing never appear on official records.

Thousands disappear each year, dismissed by the industry as ‘wastage’. Those who do race face uncertain futures – some are even exported overseas.

This is a global pipeline of exploitation and the dogs pay the price.

Life for most racing greyhounds is bleak. They live in barren, often filthy kennels, with minimal social contact, enrichment or play. Dogs housed in pairs are often muzzled, causing ongoing stress.

Rough handling, neglect and untreated injuries are common. Investigations have revealed heartbreaking scenes of starvation, abandonment and dogs left to deteriorate alongside dead kennel mates.

This isn’t care – it’s systemic cruelty.

The industry rarely sees greyhounds as sentient beings. Instead, they are disposable commodities, bought, sold and raced for profit. This mindset normalises cruelty and exploitation.

Once dogs are no longer profitable, they face grim fates: shot and buried in mass graves, drowned or exported to countries with little or no animal welfare laws, where they may be raced illegally or bred relentlessly.

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain, the self-regulating governing body, consistently fails to protect these animals, allowing widespread cruelty to persist.

Yet anyone who knows greyhounds will tell you they are gentle, affectionate dogs who deserve safety, dignity and a peaceful life – not a brutal career on the track.