Greyhound racing is declining globally but continues to generate significant welfare concerns through racing injuries, overbreeding, and inadequate care for retired dogs.
Racing greyhounds face welfare risks throughout their lives: intensive training, racing injuries, inadequate kennel environments, and uncertain futures at the end of their careers. Overbreeding creates a surplus of dogs for whom racing careers never materialize. Welfare improvements including injury surveillance, mandatory retirement planning, and kennel standards have been implemented in some jurisdictions but enforcement varies widely. Adoption of ex-racing greyhounds provides excellent welfare outcomes for individual dogs.