Holding placards with slogans such as “Love Dogs, Don’t Use Them” and “For All Life” dozens of supporters of Animal Rising have demonstrated at several Greyhound racing tracks across the UK.

Louisa Hillwood, a primary school teacher and one of those at Romford Stadium today said:

“Whether it’s in Greyhound racing, horseracing, or our food system it’s clear to see our relationship with other animals and nature has been completely broken. The beautiful dogs who are being forced to run are not being treated with the love and respect that they deserve. In a nation of animal lovers, it’s time to ask ourselves if our actions are aligning with our values.

120 dogs died on tracks in 2021, and the Greyhound Board of Great Britain hasn’t even published statistics for 2022 yet. Millions of us consider animals at home a part of our families and would be horrified at the scale of suffering and harm these greyhounds experience.” [1]

Estimates suggest around 80% of the Greyhounds used for racing in the UK are imported from The Republic of Ireland [2]. A 2019 documentary revealed almost 6,000 dogs are killed each year in the country for ‘being too slow’, with many breeders paying knackeries as little as €10 for each dog they wish to be killed [3].

Evidence provided to a parliamentary committee in 2016 suggested that up to 3,700 dogs are unaccounted for each year upon leaving the industry, with grave concerns being voiced that these dogs are killed due to a lack of profitability [4].

Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a safe and secure plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.