Action for Greyhounds UK

Greyhound racing is now marketed as a fun night for all the family to try and halt the industries demise but the image presented is far removed from the reality of this so called sport.

For every greyhound that enters racing another will not make the grade and is likely killed. It is the same fate for many dogs that have competed on the track and not all are humanely put to sleep by a vet.

The British tracks fuelled the breeding of 23,000 plus greyhounds in 2007 and in excess of 26,000 the previous year (the majority bred in Ireland).

New registrations, however, for greyhounds to compete on tracks that come under the regulation of the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC) is about 10,000 annually (9,751 in 2007). Perhaps an additional 10% can be added to the above figure for the independent (flapping) tacks that are minor players in comparison.

Sadly, the desire for only the highest performing animal leads to over breeding, and many greyhounds are simply too slow, fight or will not chase.

Annual statistics for greyhounds homed are slowly increasing but they remain only a fraction of breeding figures; 7,000 would be a realistic estimate for 2007 (about 70% having retired from NGRC tracks).

It is a figure that includes a growing number of greyhounds that are given to anyone by their trainer/owner with little or no regard shown for the future welfare of the animal; a practice in breach of NGRC rule 18-1-E, and driven by a need to off-load greyhounds as cheaply and quickly as possible.

Many of the above dogs see a quick succession of ownership and many are later found neglected, abused and abandoned.

The average age for a greyhound to retire from racing is about 3 ½ years after competing in approximately 50 races. Length of career, however, varies greatly and is frequently brought to an abrupt and sometimes horrific end through injury.

Research points towards a five figure number for injuries incurred annually on NGRC tracks with hundreds of greyhounds put-to-sleep solely on economic grounds. It is one of the most sensitive subjects within greyhound racing and one that industry officials remain very tight-lipped about.

And the notion (perpetuated by industry officials) that racing dogs are lavished with care is, for all but national champions, ludicrous.

Don’t take our word for it. The RSPCA has stated greyhounds are “generally kennelled for 23 hours a day for their entire racing life, if not longer, usually two dogs per small kennel, sharing one bed. And to avoid fighting… dogs are muzzled as a long-term solution.”

In all aspects of welfare the industry has failed dismally and since 1926 (when commercial greyhound racing began in Britain) hundreds of thousands of greyhounds have been killed.

STOP SUFFERING IN ITS TRACKS – BOYCOTT RACING

We would like to say thank you to those people who have come forward and given us information about various owners, trainers, and local tracks. This has enabled us to build a dossier of where these rescued dogs have come from, who owned them, and where they were raced, and if these same owners/trainers are still racing other dogs at the same tracks where their previous 'cast offs' were running for their lives.

We guarantee complete confidentiality to all information received.

There are two types of greyhounds: 'winners' and 'losers' - this section is dedicated to those dogs who have been deemed to be of no further use to their trainers/owners, and for those dogs who will one day no longer be 'winners'

Click here to view reports and information of these 'losers'

Norwich Evening News 15 August 2006 quote from Stephen Franklin managing director of Yarmouth Stadium:
“Trainers do care greatly for the well-being of their dogs, and it is very sad that people have brought about this myth that they do not”

Norwich Evening News 24 July 2006 quote from Yarmouth Stadium:
“Bosses at the stadium say they take the issue of rehoming ex-racing dogs very seriously"