Unseen Victims: The Forgotten Foxhounds of Hunting
Unseen victims of so called "tradition" and lies, foxhounds are bred, used, and discarded, left to suffer neglect, injury, fear, and death.
The forgotten dogs of a bloodsport
When we talk about hunting, the public debate almost always centres on the fox. But what about the hounds? The dogs who, in a nation of dog lovers, should be cherished and protected?
Our new report, Unseen Victims: The Forgotten Foxhounds of Hunting, is the first of its kind, a groundbreaking, evidence-based investigation into foxhound welfare. For too long, the suffering of these dogs has been hidden, dismissed, or ignored, but this report changes that.
Drawing on 1,909 reports from across England and Wales, it provides the first comprehensive analysis of the welfare of hunting hounds, exposing a systemic, industry-wide welfare crisis that has persisted, and worsened, between 2022 and 2025. Until now, no one has held the hunting industry to account for how it treats its own dogs. This report does.
The findings are damning:
2,444 welfare incidents recorded in just three seasons.
Hounds injured, lost, hit by vehicles, trapped in barbed wire, or left behind to fend for themselves.
Violence from hunt staff—dogs kicked, hit, roughly handled, even allegedly almost beaten to death.
A rising trend in key welfare failures, with some hunts repeatedly abandoning hounds and losing control.
This isn’t just neglect. This is systemic abuse, and it is happening right now.
The lie of “trail hunting”
The hunting industry insists it has reformed. It tells us that hunts simply follow harmless artificial trails, and that banning hunting outright would lead to the mass killing of hounds. But here’s the truth:
Hounds are already routinely killed by hunts. Once they are too old, injured, or simply not fast enough, many are shot in the head or allegedly killed using brutal methods like “thumping.”
Trail hunting is a smokescreen. No responsible trail layer would guide hounds through barbed wire, onto busy roads, or into disused mine shafts, yet our report shows that is exactly where these dogs are routinely taken, injured, and abandoned.
Neglect and harm are predictable and preventable. The suffering isn’t accidental, it’s built into the very structure of hunting.
The hunting lobby’s narrative, that foxhounds need hunting to survive, is not just misleading; it’s manipulative. The real risk to foxhounds is not a proper ban on hunting. It’s hunting itself.
A catalogue of silent suffering
The data we collected paints a harrowing picture:
Out of Control & Lost – Nearly half of all recorded incidents involved hounds running loose, unsupervised, across public roads and private land. In 2025 alone, over 3,400 hounds are estimated to have been lost or out of control nationally.
Physical Harm – Reports of hounds stuck in fencing almost tripled over three years. Each season, at least one hound has been killed by a vehicle. In one case, three hounds were killed on the A43 in Northamptonshire, yet no prosecution followed.
Violence – Multiple hunts have been filmed hitting, kicking, or violently yanking dogs. In one shocking case, a huntsman reportedly almost beat a hound to death.
Abandonment – Hounds are routinely left stranded, injured, or alone after hunts. Some are later found dead; others are discovered cold, starving, and howling in distress.
Deaths in Kennels – Away from the public eye, puppies deemed “unfit” are reportedly still being killed using illegal methods. Disease outbreaks linked to poor kennel conditions have reportedly wiped out healthy adult dogs too.
If this level of suffering were inflicted on pet dogs, prosecutions under the Animal Welfare Act would be swift. But hunts continue with near-total impunity.
Why this matters now
This isn’t just an animal welfare issue. It’s a moral one. Foxhounds are sentient beings; dogs who feel fear, pain, and joy just like the dogs we share our homes with. Yet they are treated as disposable tools of an industry built on secrecy and cruelty.
There is hope. For the first time, a landmark case against the Cheshire Hunt will go to court under the Animal Welfare Act this November. If successful, it could set a legal precedent that forces real accountability for hunts across the UK.
But legal change won’t happen without public pressure. The government’s hunting consultation is set to take place later this year, and this is our moment to speak out. Take part. Tell the government why you want a proper, enforceable ban on hunting. This is not just about protecting wildlife, it is about standing up for the dogs themselves.
We are a nation that prides itself on loving dogs. Let’s prove it, for every foxhound who has been hurt, abandoned, or killed, and for every future hound who deserves a life free from cruelty.
What you can do
The suffering of foxhounds has been hidden for too long. It’s time to act.
Share this report. The more people who know the truth, the harder it is for hunts to hide behind lies.
Support anti-hunting groups. Hunt monitors, saboteurs, and local campaigners are often the only ones standing between hounds and harm.
Demand reform. Contact your MP, demand independent investigations into hunt kennels, and call for stricter enforcement under the Animal Welfare Act.
Support our rehome the hounds campaign. Hounds deserve a chance at retirement after their hunting life has ended. Support rescues who help this vulnerable breed.
Never forget the hounds. They are not just tools of a bloodsport. They are dogs who deserve safety, compassion, and dignity.
The time to end this is now
The hunting industry thrives on secrecy. But the truth is out, and we cannot look away. Foxhounds are not expendable. They are not collateral damage. They are living, feeling beings who have been betrayed by the very people who claim to love them.
We are a nation of dog lovers. It’s time to start acting like it.
Read the full report: Unseen Victims: The Forgotten Foxhounds of Hunting
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Want to see more reports like this? Are you a fan of what Protect the Wild does? Please consider donating to our founder’s 24 hour fundraising challenge taking place in just a few weeks. Rob will be running/walking laps of Parliament for 24 hours straight to protest at the lack of action and progress happing for wildlife inside that building!
He’s hoping to raise £24k, a thousand pounds for every hour out on the streets. And we’re already almost halfway to this goal which is just incredible!
Help us fund more reports like this one, hold hunts to account, produce more hard-hitting animations, write more articles, support more activists in the field and deliver the message that hunting must end to the wider general public on a scale never seen before.
Hate the evil hunters not just because of foxes but their dogs and horses too who they do not love
We know what "SICK" "SADISTIC" bastards "COWARDLY HUNTERS" are, it should be brought to the attention of the authorities, about the abuse of the hounds, "OH YES" I forgot the "JUDGES" are on the "UPPER CLASS TWITS" "CORRUPT" side, so what's the point, but we must try, seeing "DOGS" are "MANS BEST FRIEND", "SCUM COWARDLY HUNTERS".