ePetition - Protect kids from animal cruelty: make Hove greyhound track 18+

Brighton & Hove Greyhound Stadium actively promotes itself as a family venue, with specific marketing aimed at encouraging children, including very young children, to attend greyhound races.

Yet greyhound racing is an activity in which dogs are regularly injured and killed. More than 50 falls were recorded between January and August 2026 at the Brighton and Hove track. Official Greyhound Board of Great Britain national figures show that between 2017 and 2025 there were almost 39,000 racing injuries and over 1,500 trackside deaths. Thousands more greyhounds were euthanised for other racing-related reasons.

A child attending a race at Hove could witness a dog fall, collide with other dogs or the track-side, or be removed from the track in distress. Greyhounds run at over 40mph and frequently suffer catastrophic injuries when they fall. No child should be exposed to animal suffering and death as a form of entertainment.

Research has linked children's exposure to violence against animals with reduced empathy, desensitisation to suffering, and other harmful developmental impacts. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child stated in 2023 that children should be protected from exposure to violence inflicted on animals.

Despite these concerns, Brighton & Hove City Council has confirmed that it has not undertaken, and will not undertake, an assessment of the potential impact on children of witnessing injuries, suffering and deaths at the greyhound track, nor will it commit to carrying out such an assessment in future.

We are in full support of the growing campaign for a national ban on greyhound racing. Wales and Scotland have both banned it, and England is one of only a handful of countries to still permit this cruelty.

While Brighton & Hove Council has said it doesn't have the authority to close Brighton and Hove Dog Track, it can and should use powers in licensing conditions to ensure that children aren’t exposed to this cruel and outdated ‘sport’.

This ePetition runs from 09/11/2026 to 08/05/2027.

9 people have signed this ePetition.