Greyhound racing raises significant welfare concerns around injury rates, housing conditions, and the fate of dogs who retire or fail to perform. Reform efforts have achieved meaningful progress in some countries.
Greyhound racing welfare concerns span the entire lifecycle of racing dogs. Puppies not fast enough to race are often killed before their racing career begins — a practice documented in industry investigations. Racing dogs are kept in conditions that restrict their natural social behaviour: individual kennelling, limited exercise outside of racing, and minimal enrichment. On-track injuries include fractures, muscle tears, and collisions that cause acute suffering and often result in euthanasia. The economic incentive to continue racing injured dogs before welfare costs force retirement creates pressure for inadequate veterinary care. Industry reform programmes have introduced mandatory injury recording, welfare codes, and rehoming requirements in some jurisdictions — demonstrating that improvement is achievable when regulation is enforced.