Treatment of Racing Dogs

Living Conditions

In many of the countries where there are large greyhound race tracks with gambling, the dogs live in kennels at or near the track or by their trainers.

In the United States the kennels are indoor crates stacked two levels high, with the females usually kept on the upper level, and males on the lower level. While the space allocated to each dog varies between locations, the dog are generally provided only enough room to stand and turn around. While living on the track these dogs will spend most of their time in these kennels.

In Ireland and the UK dogs are usually kept by a trainer.

In several European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland) greyhound racing is carried out by the owners of the dogs without financial interest. This amateur form of the sport is also found in some countries, such as the United States, where professional racing exists. In these countries the dogs often live as pets.

Medical Care

In places that allow gambling on greyhound racing, the owners often treat the dogs as short-term investments. This often means that the care they receive is intended only to help them perform on the track, not for their long-term health.

Greyhound adoption groups frequently report that the dogs from the tracks have dental problems, possibly related to either a low quality raw meat diet or damage to the gums from chewing on metal cage bars. These groups often also find that the dogs carry tick-borne diseases and parasites due to the lack of proper preventative treatments. Due to the dense living conditions in the kennels, the dogs require regular vaccination to minimise outbreaks of diseases like kennel cough.

After the dogs are no longer able to race, owners either keep the dog for breeding or dispose of the dog. They will sometimes have ex-racing greyhounds euthanised if they do not want to go through the expense of finding the dogs homes.

In recent years the racing industry has made significant progress in establishing programs for the adoption of retired racers. In addition to actively cooperating with private adoption groups throughout the country, many race tracks have established their own adoption programs at various tracks.

Several organisations, such as British Greyhounds Retired Database, Adopt-a-Greyhound and National Greyhound Adoption Program, try to ensure that as many of the dogs as possible are adopted. Some of these groups also advocate better treatment of the dogs while at the track and/or the end of racing for profit.

In venues where greyhound racing does not involve gambling, the dogs are almost invariably pets and are, therefore, generally well treated.