Greyhound racing during heatwave prompts concerns

Animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports has accused the greyhound racing industry of putting profits before the health of greyhounds by pushing ahead with racing during the current heatwave.

It comes as the RSPCA urges dog owners to make an urgent change to their routines this coming week as another spell of extremely hot weather will see temperatures reaching 34C.

Emily Lawrence, campaigns manager at the League Against Cruel Sports, said:

Greyhound racing is already inherently hazardous, but to race greyhounds in extreme hot weather is putting them in danger and is in clear breach of animal welfare advice.

The greyhound racing industry is putting its own interests and gambling company profits before the welfare of the dogs.

It’s time for change and for the UK government to follow the lead of the Scottish and Welsh governments which are banning the sport, and to ban greyhound racing in England.

Dog welfare experts at the RSPCA have been urging all dog owners to instigate a temporary lockdown over the next few days as soaring temperatures present a real risk to dogs. But the greyhound racing industry has failed to respond to this and carried on racing.

The grim toll of greyhound racing

Meanwhile, new death and injury figures have come out, which the government stipulates that governing body the Greyhound Board of Great Britain releases every year. And they paint a bleak picture.

The number of greyhounds euthanised at British greyhound tracks rose to 161 deaths in 2025. This was an increase of 31% on the previous year, and the highest number since 2020.

There were 3,648 recorded greyhound injuries during 2025. This brought the total of injuries up to 38,816 since 2017 when figures started being published. The trackside death toll since 2017 has now reached 1,518.

The League Against Cruel Sports and GREY2K USA Worldwide issued a report in spring 2026. Titled Reaching the Finish Line: Time to end dog racing in the UK, it highlights the inherently dangerous nature of greyhound racing around oval tracks.

The report also highlights:

• Overbreeding.
• Poor quality of life for greyhounds kept in kennels for up to 95% of the time.
• The challenges in finding homes for the dogs once they retire.

Two landmark bills banning greyhound racing passed in the Welsh and Scottish parliaments earlier in 2026.

New Zealand is phasing out greyhound racing this year and it’s now illegal in 42 US states.

Lawrence added:

Racing greyhounds in soaring temperatures is yet another example of how the greyhound industry is failing the dogs and putting their lives and health at risk.

We are calling on the public to take action and sign up to our campaign to end greyhound racing in England for good.

You can sign up to the campaign to ban greyhound racing in England here.

Featured image via the Canary