By: Cleo Newton

Greyhound racing is a sport that is harmful towards the dogs that are racing. People gamble money on the dogs.

According to Bluecross.org.uk, the living space for greyhounds is very poor. They live in kennels most of the day if they aren’t training or racing, there aren’t any enriching activities for the greyhound to do in these kennels. The quality of the food they eat is also poor, many of them starve to death or die of dehydration. Welfare standards when transporting greyhounds from track to track also impact these dogs negatively. They are transported in trucks that can hold up to 60 greyhounds in crates, each crate holds 2-3 greyhounds.

Greyhounds are expected to compete in races no matter how hot or cold it is out. They have been forced to race in subzero weather and on days when the weather reaches above 100 degrees (Farenheit). This is another health liability that greyhounds face when on the track, as greyhounds naturally lack thick fur and have thin skin. Greyhounds may also be drugged to improve their performance.

Many greyhounds are injured during training or while racing. Between 2018 and 2023, there have been over 26,000 injuries recorded by industry officials. 2,700 dogs have died or have been put down since 2018. Aside from this, there are also many puppies and dogs that haven’t been accounted for in records, these missing dogs are called “wastage” by the industry.

According to Humanesociety.org and Peta.org, a racing greyhound dies every three days in Florida. These greyhounds are also denied medical care. One greyhound in Florida named Kiowa Dutch Girl had a broken leg. It was described as “dangling” and bleeding. She was left in her cage like that for four days.

When greyhounds don’t win, they’re either put up for adoption or sent to breeding farms. Some greyhounds are sent to blood banks for their blood to be taken routinely and sold. 150 of them were found in a filthy, old turkey shed that belonged to The Pet Blood Bank in Texas. Fortunately, The Pet Blood Bank has been closed and all the dogs have been transferred to adoption programs.

After reading this article, I hope you’ve learned a bit more about greyhound racing and have maybe even considered adopting rescued  greyhounds or donating to a greyhound rescue such as MNGR (Minnesota Greyhound Rescue).