Greyhound Racing: Britain's Shame

Once hailed as the working-class night out, greyhound racing in the UK has become a national disgrace. What was once passed off as entertainment is now undeniably exposed for what it is: a cycle of commodification, exploitation, and disposal. The greyhound industry doesn’t just “use” animals, it chews them up and spits them out.

Between 2018 and 2023, over 26,000 injuries were reported and more than 2,700 greyhounds died. In 2023 alone, 109 greyhounds were killed on the track. These are not numbers from some unregulated underground ring, these are deaths from the regulated industry, overseen by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). And that doesn’t even account for those who vanish off the books.

They call it a sport. But it’s only ever the greyhounds who risk their lives.

Around 6,000 greyhounds “retire” from racing each year, if they make it that far. Some are lucky enough to be rehomed. Many are not. Unfit for racing? You’re surplus. Unprofitable? You're gone. The industry breeds more than it can rehome and treats life as a numbers game.

Every greyhound born is a product stamped with an expiry date.

These dogs are forced to run at speeds of 40mph around tight bends, of course they get hurt. Fractures, head trauma, internal bleeding. Many don’t survive. Even more are killed after the race if treating them is deemed too expensive. Because when an animal is property, their life comes with a price tag.

Regulations have done nothing to stop this. The GBGB’s “welfare commitment” is a joke, one they’ve been telling for decades while dogs continue to die under their watch. Independent tracks (the “flappers”) are even worse: no central oversight, no accountability, no transparency. The industry can’t be reformed. It needs to end.

No one would accept this for cats or dogs in any other context. But slap on the label of “racing greyhound,” and the public looks the other way. Because they’re seen as resources, not individuals. This is the mindset that allows industries like this to continue. This is the mindset that needs dismantling.

Wales has committed to ending greyhound racing. Scotland is considering it. So why is England still green-lighting greyhound deaths every weekend?

Because profit talks louder than lives. Let’s change that.

👉 Sign the petition to ban greyhound racing in the UK

Don’t wait for more deaths to make it palatable. Don’t wait for more excuses.

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