This database contains details of greyhounds involved in track incidents where a dog either Did Not Finish (DNF) – Finished a Distance (DIS) or Finished Lame for all GBGB licensed tracks from 2005 to 2014.
The information has been gathered over a period of 4 years from various websites that publish racing results but we have only published data that can be verified via a link to the GBGB website. In this respect – we cannot guarantee full disclosure by the GBGB of ALL dogs involved in incidents due the inconsistency of the way results are recorded from track to track – so in essence there may be many more incidents that we have been unable to identify. SEE NOTES
In compliance with the GBGB Rules of Racing greyhounds can be destroyed with the option to tick the euthanasia box 'Injury not treated on economic grounds'
Section ‘D’ of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s Retirement Form
Many of the ‘unaccounted for’ dogs will have been destroyed by either the track vet or by some other means in accordance with the GBGB Rules of Racing’s Retirement Form – see section D – ‘Was the greyhound euthanased by a veterinary surgeon?’
Some may have been homed by the industry’s homing scheme – Retired Greyhound Trust – or homed by rescues independent of the racing industry. Some may have been sold to race on unlicensed ‘flapping tracks’ or sent to universities for research and dissection or even given away – without any checks of the suitability of the adopter.
Whatever their fate or fortune – it is the responsibility of the GBGB to publish their records and account for these dogs.
Why are the tracks so dangerous causing much suffering and injury?
Although varying in size and shape – designed purely for the spectator – all tracks are dangerously configured with long fast straights leading into tight bends. Greyhounds love to run but their athleticism is exploited by the gambling industry to create a betting product for the bookmakers who fund and effectively control commercial greyhound racing.
Greyhounds are trained to chase a mechanical lure and although six greyhounds leave the traps evenly spread out – they all come together vying for pole position at the first bend and for many greyhounds – the FIRST bend is often the LAST. Orthopaedic Vet Graham Oliver gives his independent and professional opinion here Graham Oliver on injuries
With the pressure on trainers to fulfil their contracts to supply a gambling product for the industry – many greyhounds are already carrying existing injuries and quite often this injury is aggravated during a race. Whether suffering an existing injury or one sustained during the race a greyhound will still keep running if at all physically possible because the dog is in a heightened state of excitement. Very rarely is a race is stopped to recover an injured dog and the dog is left to complete the course which further compounds their injury.
Poor construction and maintenance also play a part in the high rate of injuries and the increased incidents peak during the summer months when the track’s dry sand – without the required costly watering – produces a much faster and a more dangerous racing circuit. The relaying of new tracks has been a contentious issue with contracts awarded by the GBGB without any formal tendering procedure to one company that has no history in construction or otherwise.
Poor grading of dogs in the same race – young inexperienced dogs with older more experienced dogs – and trap positions by Racing Managers can also result in unnecessary collisions.
In 2012 the racing industry failed to account for an estimated 10,000 greyhounds bred for British racing - despite much of that data collected by the GBGB via their retirement forms. GBGB 'Retirement Forms'