Greyhounds suffered BROKEN LEGS in a race at Lifford track, a greyhound trainer has reported.
In a post on X, the trainer stated that there were “3 broken legs in the first race” at the County Donegal track on Saturday, 9 August 2025.
The trainer was responding to a post from a greyhound racing supporter who described an incident at the same track the following evening: “What a joke the traps at Lifford...the traps failed when opening [and] all the dogs bumped their heads...madness.”
The greyhound trainer added that “something similar happened the other week as well”.
The Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that in Race 1 on Saturday, 3 greyhounds “did not finish”. One of the greyhounds stopped and the other two were knocked over at the first bend. One of them was “lame”. For all three dogs, it was the first time they were used in racing.
Video footage of this race is not available to view on the GRI website. It has also not been included in the Lifford Greyhound Stadium video of the race meeting on Youtube.
The reported injuries are the latest of many at Lifford track.
Earlier this year, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports highlighted shocking video footage from the Lifford showing greyhounds suffering falls and crying out in pain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V17Tq4H-rZI
Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show that since 2015 alone, at least 103 greyhounds have suffered injuries in races at Lifford track and 48 were killed.
Last year, Lifford track recorded its highest number of injuries and deaths since records began, i.e. 22 greyhounds suffered injuries and 13 of them killed by a track vet.
The 13 greyhounds killed by the vet had suffered broken leg (5), broken hock (3), broken radius (1), fractured metatarsal (1), fractured radial bone (1), shattered hock / broken calcaneus (1) and suspected spinal injury (1).
In the first four months of 2025, 11 greyhounds were injured at Lifford track and 6 were killed.
At races around Ireland since 2014, 3,802 greyhounds suffered injuries and 1,452 were killed. The Greyhound Racing Ireland figures are based on “reported” injuries and deaths, suggesting that the actual number could be even higher. They do not include the greyhounds injured at tracks and later killed elsewhere, or the thousands of greyhounds who are killed every year because they are not fast enough to win races.
It’s time for the Irish Government to stop the suffering and ban cruel greyhound racing.
ACTION ALERT
Don’t go greyhound racing. Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has received €366,986,146 in state funding, including €18.2 million for 2023, €19 million for 2024 and €19.82 million for 2025. This is unacceptable and must be stopped. Tell the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein to stop the funding and back a ban on this dog-killing gambling activity.
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Please sign and share the petitions
Ban Greyhound Racing
https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/ban-greyhound-racing-4
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
Watch RTE’s “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://youtu.be/ZYTb2qBjlMM
REPORTED GREYHOUND INJURIES AND DEATHS AT IRISH TRACKS
2025 (Jan to April): 106 injuries, 56 deaths
2024: 389 injuries, 202 deaths
2023: 257 injuries, 134 deaths
2022: 287 injuries. 122 deaths
2021: 351 injuries. 154 deaths
2020: 255 injuries. 90 deaths
2019: 332 injuries. 119 deaths
2018: 353 injuries. 121 deaths
2017: 357 injuries. 124 deaths
2016: 427 injuries. 139 deaths
2015: 422 injuries. 122 deaths
2014: 266 injuries. 69 deaths (July to Dec 2014)
INJURIES AND DEATHS AT LIFFORD STADIUM
2025 (Jan to April): 11 injuries, 6 deaths
2024: 22 injuries, 13 deaths
2023: 19 injuries, 8 deaths (7 killed by track vet + 1 fatality)
2022: Closed
2021: Closed
2020: Closed
2019: 11 injuries, 8 deaths
2018: 13 injuries, 7 deaths
2017: 10 injuries, 6 deaths
2016: 10 injuries, 4 deaths
2015: 18 injuries, 2 deaths
SEE ALSO
The killing continues: 56 greyhounds killed at races in Ireland in first four months of 2025
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/05/17/the-killing-continues-56-greyhounds-killed-at-races-in-ireland-in-first-four-months-of-2025/
Raced to death: 202 greyhounds killed at races in Ireland in 2024
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/raced-to-death-202-greyhounds-killed-at-races-in-ireland-in-2024/
Greyhound injuries and deaths at Irish greyhound tracks
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/greyhound-injuries-and-deaths-at-irish-greyhound-tracks/