At GAP, we believe every greyhound deserves a loving home

The Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) finds loving family homes for retired greyhounds. Established in 1996 by two veterinary nurses, GAP is owned and managed by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) and is the largest greyhound rehoming agency in Australia. It operates out of a facility located 90 minutes north of Melbourne’s CBD in the town of Seymour and has an adoption centre in Tullamarine.

Greyhound welfare is the highest priority for GAP. GAP works to ensure the highest standards of care for greyhounds and positive rehoming experiences for the owners, greyhounds, and adopters, promoting greyhounds as fantastic family pets.

Victorian racing greyhound owners are responsible for planning for the retirement of their greyhounds regardless of whether the dog has had a racing career. Many find homes for their greyhounds privately through family and friends. GAP provides adoption opportunities six days a week and also holds regular adoption events and community focused promotional activities across Victoria.

To rehome a greyhound through GAP, a racing owner must book an intake appointment. To be booked for an intake appointment, a greyhound must have completed at least 4 weeks of wind-down from racing-related activities, have a recent C5 vaccine and be desexed.

Once at the GAP kennels, the greyhounds are subjected to additional observation and temperament testing under the GAP Behavioural Assessment (GAPBA). The aim of this assessment is to gather as much information about each greyhound to establish their suitability to live safely in the community as a pet with people and other dogs and animals. It provides the opportunity to see how comfortable and relaxed they are with a range of day-to-day activities, including meeting different breeds of dogs. This assessment along with the program that a greyhound then undertakes, allows GAP to establish what type of home will be best suited to each individual greyhound.

Once a greyhound passes the GAPBA they will quickly become available for adoption. The information collected by the assessors, kennel staff and volunteers all help the GAP Adoption Team match a greyhound to its new home.

All adopted greyhounds who pass the GAPBA are given a GAP Green Collar. The GAP Green Collar is hand made in Victoria and has a unique collar number which is registered on GAP’s database alongside the details of the adoptive owner.

In other cases where the greyhound does not pass their assessment, the greyhound may undergo further training through our foster care program, behavioural rehabilitation program or our highly successful Prison Pet Partnership Program.

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