GAP Intake
Rehoming of greyhounds is a key goal for everyone involved in the sport of greyhound racing. This is reflected in the racing rules and the Victorian Government’s Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds which require owners to make genuine efforts to rehome retired greyhounds. Greyhounds are mostly rehomed through friends, family and contacts of owners and trainers. To assist owners to rehome their greyhounds, GRV is continuing to expand and enhance the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) as an important, but not the only, pathway to rehoming greyhounds.
From 1 June 2024, greyhounds will no longer be required to pass a pre-entry assessment to be accepted into GAP. Instead, they will be booked into a GAP Intake Session conducted at GAP Seymour only. All greyhounds must be medically sound to be accepted into GAP.
Preparation for GAP Intake
As per the Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds, owners are required to prepare their greyhound to be ‘adoption ready’ prior to GAP Intake by ensuring the greyhound:
- has had a wind-down period of at least 28 days without any training, trialling or racing activities;
- is well trained walking on a leash and is used to being around small dogs and other people;
- has been exposed to different environments, floor surfaces and travelling arrangements and;
- has basic pet skills such as not jumping up on people, being toilet trained, staying calm when washed or groomed and coming when called.
Owners are also required to ensure that any medical issues are resolved; for example, a greyhound with a repaired fracture must be sound enough to run around and cannot be lame (if in doubt please contact GRV in advance).
Helpful information to assist with the process of getting greyhounds ready for adoption can be found here.
GAP Intake Waiting List
To enter a greyhound into GAP, the Owner will first need to add it to the waiting list by emailing gapbooking@grv.org.au
To be eligible to be added to the waiting list, a greyhound must:
- be desexed, and the certificate received by GRV
- have a current C5 vaccination (administered within 6 months) and the certificate received by GRV and
- no longer be racing (have an activity status other than training)
Owners are advised not to rely on their Veterinarian to forward desexing or vaccination certificates to GRV. These can be emailed by the Owner to info@grv.org.au
If a greyhound is not desexed, GRV’s Desexing and Dental Scheme will cover the entire cost of both desexing and dental treatment in most cases. Click here for information about the scheme or, to apply for funding for desexing and dental treatment click here.
Some veterinary clinics have waiting lists for desexing, so GRV recommends desexing appointments are booked in early. For a list of veterinary clinics click here or for assistance please contact GRV by emailing welfare@grv.org.au
If a greyhound has not had a C5 vaccination within the last 6 months, a C5 vaccine or a kennel cough booster will be required – click here for vaccination information.
GAP Intake Appointments
When an intake appointment becomes available, a greyhound will be allocated a date and time, and the Owner will be notified via email.
A maximum of 3 greyhounds per owner will be allocated into each intake session and there is no entry fee into the program.
Owners must provide a good quality, well-fitted wire muzzle with the greyhound.
Please Note: A GAP intake appointment is allocated to the greyhound, not the owner, therefore if a greyhound is withdrawn from their appointment for any reason, the owner cannot substitute the greyhound – the next greyhound on the Intake waiting list will be automatically allocated the available appointment.
What do I do if my greyhound is on the GAP Waiting list?
Preparation: you can use the waiting time to further prepare your greyhound for rehoming with ongoing handling and socialisation.
Alternative: You can try contacting other rehoming groups but be aware they also currently have waiting lists.
PetCheck: GRV is offering PetCheck behaviour assessments to greyhounds on the waiting list. This will be useful to provide some certainty about the greyhound’s behaviour and, if you are opting to rehome the greyhound privately, to help you better place the greyhound in the right home. If you would like to have a PetCheck for your greyhound, please ring GAP on 03 5799 0166 to discuss. To be eligible your greyhound will need to be vaccinated as per the requirements for GAP.
