The final waves of nostalgia for greyhound racing have washed over Dapto Showground, and a growing sector of the community will not be mourning the end of its 89-year history at the site.
When the final race was run on September 11, a much-lauded era of community connection ended – and so did a shocking toll of death and injury suffered by its star performers.
For animal advocates such as Kylie Field, the race meetings will not be missed.
“The dominoes are finally falling – who would have ever thought five years ago Dapto dogs would be closing, and good riddance to it,” said Kylie, NSW director for the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG).
“The agricultural society, which leased those tracks at Dapto, decided that greyhound racing wasn't what they wanted to use that land for anymore.
“It's all to do with lease holding and not necessarily the animal welfare concerns.
“These are casualties of what happens when you put a dog on a track and race it for money, and its life ends on that track. That's just an unfortunate incident – that is the view of the industry.”
Kylie says the closure of Dapto dogs could have an impact on greyhound rescue centres, which are already overwhelmed.
“At the moment, all the adoption agencies are at capacity as there aren’t enough homes for the number of greyhounds that need rehoming,” she said.
CPG gathered data from stewards reports that shows from 2020 to 2025, 926 racing greyhounds were injured at Dapto, with 237 categorised as having serious injuries which might have resulted in euthanasia after race meetings. Eight greyhounds were euthanised on the track.
Data from the NSW Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission shows a 58 per cent increase in greyhound racing deaths in NSW, with 38 deaths in the financial year 2023-24 and 60 deaths in the financial year 2024-25.
Kylie believes there is a shift in the general societal acceptance of the greyhound racing industry and that there is some external pressure as well.
She says the 2016 Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in NSW was a key moment in greyhound racing.
“The McHugh report was so vile and damning of the industry that the Baird government chose to shut down the industry immediately, but then backflipped,” she said.
“Nine years on, the Drake Inquiry into NSW greyhound racing was completed. We keep having inquiries, but the industry keeps allowing the injuries and deaths of these dogs.
Kylie says greyhounds make wonderful companions who are gentle, kind and very quiet; some owners say their dogs haven’t barked for years.
“They are lovingly called couch potatoes by their owners as after a walk they sleep on your couch all day,” Kylie said.
“We have often called on the government to put a cap on breeding, and they just continue to go down the same path.
“That's always been an industry and government problem, and both refuse to address this issue.
“This is an industry that breeds twice as many dogs as it rehomes. Out of a litter of pups, only one may become a racing greyhound.
“If you close greyhound racing in NSW tomorrow, which would be fantastic, there would be a very large issue with rehoming all those greyhounds. There needs to be a transition plan.”
The findings of the Drake report haven’t been disclosed, and Kylie says the findings will give a clear insight into the industry.
Kylie would like to see the money the state government put into Dapto dogs go to local schools, hospitals, and community nursing.
“The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds aims to keep pressuring the racing industry with the ultimate goal of phasing out greyhound racing.”
