Placing a Greyhound on the Program
Placing a Greyhound on the Program
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INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE APPLYING TO ENTER GREYHOUNDS INTO THE GREYHOUND ADOPTION PROGRAM
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How do I place my Greyhound into the Adoption Program?
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Please fill out the online application form, or phone the Greyhound Racing Authority Qld (07) 3262 7800 so that a form can be mailed out to you.
If your Greyhound fits our general criteria, once we receive back the completed questionnaire, the dog will be placed on our waiting list.
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Is there a limit on how many dogs I can place on the waiting list?
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Yes. To be fair to all owners of racing Greyhounds, we limit the number placed on our list by any one owner to one or two dogs at any one time.
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How long is the waiting time once my Greyhound goes onto the list?
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This will vary, but is generally a number of weeks or months. We always have more Greyhounds available to us than (temporary) foster homes or permanent homes. We do not have our own kennel facilities. As a consequence, we are only able to hold a small number of dogs at any one time and are unable to take dogs in at short notice.
As we usually have a lot more dogs on our list than bitches, the waiting time is much longer for the males. We will do our best to take in those Greyhounds that have been on the waiting list longest, but this will depend upon our needs at the time - for example, we usually try to have a mixture of ages and sexes in foster care. We do not select dogs based on colour.
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When is the best time to put my dog on the GAP waiting list?
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Because of the unavoidable time delay, we would encourage owners / owner-trainers to put their Greyhound on the waiting list before the dog retires from the track.
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What if my Greyhound is on the GAP waiting list and I change my mind?
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No problems. If you find an alternative home for the dog before GAP can take it in, or if you decide to keep it for breeding, etc., we would appreciate a call to let us know this Greyhound is no longer available. We'll take it off our list.
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Will GAP take on any Greyhound?
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We would like to be able to rehome every retired Greyhound in QLD.
We will generally accept dogs over six months and up to eight years of age.
We require each dog to be physically sound and without medical problems that would lead to ongoing veterinary costs for the adoptive owner. All Greyhounds must possess an even temperament and be sociable in the presence of other dog breeds.
The majority of Greyhounds rehomed by us will go to family homes in suburban or inner city areas, often with other pets, and must be able to walk with their owners around the local streets and parks without difficulty.
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What happens when my Greyhound is ready to be taken in by GAP?
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When GAP is able to offer a place in the Program, we will contact you and arrange for you to deliver the dog to us. Racing owners in country areas must be able to transport the dog to Brisbane.
We ask for a number of items to accompany the dog: a well fitting wire muzzle, a current vaccination certificate that has not passed the due date, the dog's registration papers and the weight card. We will ask you to sign some paperwork transferring possession of the dog over to GAP (QLD).
If a bitch has not had a natural season (oestrus) since retiring, or is due to come into season in the near future, we usually ask that a hormone injection is administered 10-14 days before arriving, to prevent her coming into season while she is in foster care. As we do not have our own kennels, we are unable to deal with bitches in season.
On arrival, your dog will undergo a general health check, and receive parasite preventative, and then be placed in at least one (or more usually two) foster homes for assessment as to their suitability as a pet. The Greyhound is introduced to general household activities and its behaviour around people, especially children, and other animals is assessed. If we judge your Greyhound to be unsuitable for rehoming, it will be returned to you.
Dogs that satisfy our assessment process are then desexed and have their teeth cleaned, before being matched with a person or family applying to adopt a Greyhound as a pet.
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How does GAP "de-program" Greyhounds so they will no longer chase?
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Unfortunately the perception that we can de-program these dogs from wanting to chase moving objects is not true. We are not magicians. We cannot overcome thousands of years of breed history and months or years of race training in a few short weeks in foster care.
However, there is a huge range of chasing instinct (or prey drive) within the Greyhound breed. For example, some Greyhounds are terrified of cats at first. Others are not so friendly with cats. It is our job, on acquiring a new dog, to assess whereabouts in this range the dog lies.
Cat-friendly Greyhounds are generally very easy for us to rehome. A Greyhound that is not safe around small animals must be placed in a home with no other pets, and very responsible owners - those homes are not always easy to come by.
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What can I do to assist my Greyhound's transition from racing dog to family pet?
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There are a number of things you can do to ease your Greyhound's transition into a pet lifestyle before it is taken in by GAP.
These might include:
Get the dog used to spending time loose in the back yard - pet homes do not generally have kennels and runs.
Take him or her out on street walks to different places - to the park; past the local school or shopping centre; beside busy roads, etc.
Bring him or her into the house for short periods.
Introduce him or her to stairs and slippery floor surfaces like tiles, linoleum or polished floorboards.
Introduce him or her to other animals under controlled circumstances - other dog breeds, horses, caged birds, poultry etc.
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Once rehomed, can I make contact with my former racing Greyhound's adoptive owners?
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Because of privacy legislation, we can only pass on other people's contact details if they have given permission for us to do so.
Many, but not all, adoptive families are curious about their Greyhound's former life and success (or otherwise) on the track.
If you are happy to have contact with your Greyhound's new owners, and if they wish to, we will provide your contact details to the adoptive family, so they can get in touch.
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If you have read the above, and believe that you may have a greyhound/greyhounds suitable of becoming a greyt family pet, please proceed to complete the
Application to Enter Greyhound into the Greyhound Adoption Program.
This form will instantly let us know of your need to have a
greyhound/greyhounds put onto the program.
It will also give us details so that we may contact you.
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APPLICATION TO ENTER GREYHOUND INTO THE GREYHOUND ADOPTION PROGRAM
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If for any reason the on-line form below does not display correctly on your computer, please download the PDF file, complete the form and forward to :
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Fax:
07 3262 7809
Attn: Kirsty O'Brien
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Post:
Attn: Kirsty O'Brien
Greyhound Racing Auth
PO Box 250, Albion Qld 4010
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APPLICATION TO ENTER GREYHOUND INTO THE GREYHOUND ADOPTION PROGRAM
USE THIS FORM TO LODGE THE APPLICATION THROUGH THE INTERNET.
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Kirsty O'Brien 0417 725 684
Greyhound Racing Authority Qld (07) 3262 7800
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