Leash and Muzzling Requirements for Greyhounds
Owning a pet greyhound in Victoria comes with unique responsibilities- and some important legal requirements every owner should know.
Greyhound owners in Victoria must follow state and national laws that apply to all dog owners, including those around pet care, public safety, and responsible ownership. These laws help ensure greyhounds - and the community around them - stay safe, happy, and well cared for.
Muzzles
Effective 1 January 2019, all greyhound pet owners in Victoria can choose to have their greyhounds muzzle free in public. Prior to this, only greyhounds who had been adopted through GAP and wore a special GAP Green Collar were allowed to go without a muzzle in public. GAP greyhounds will continue to have temperament assessments to ensure they are safe around small dogs and are safe to go un-muzzled in public. For more information about the removal of the muzzling requirement, click here. Further information about legal requirements for owners of pet greyhounds in Victoria can be found here: http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/pets/dogs/greyhounds
While there is no longer a legal requirement, there may be times when a muzzle is appropriate and necessary. For example, GAP recommends that greyhounds are fitted with a muzzle when being introduced to other pets and to small children for the first time. The greyhound should also be leashed during these introductions. In addition, some greyhounds may display a level of predatory behaviour (also known as prey-drive) towards small animals. If you have adopted your greyhound from GAP, your greyhound will have been assessed for predatory behaviour. As this assessment is conducted at a point in time however, it is possible that predatory behaviour may present at a later date. As such, it is important that greyhound owners understand the signs of predatory behaviour and contact GAP for assistance if any of these signs are observed. Further information about recognising and managing predatory behaviour can be found here: https://gap.grv.org.au/understanding-managing-prey-drive/.
Leash requirements
It is a legal requirement that all greyhounds (including greyhounds with a GAP Green Collar) are kept on leash and under effective control at all times when away from their home property. This applies to any public area, including off-leash dog parks. GAP does not recommend taking greyhounds to off-leash dog parks (even if kept on leash as required by law), as dog-on-dog related incidents are more likely to occur due to lack of control by other owners. This is a risk in relation to all breeds of dogs, not just greyhounds.
Greyhounds are sighthounds and run at speeds in excess of 60km/h. Many have poor recall skills and often won’t come when called if they see something that takes their attention. Even a greyhound with great recall could see something in the distance and run off to try and reach it. A sighthound in this mode can easily run into a busy road or fence without realising the danger. Therefore, for their safety, all greyhounds must be leashed in public at all times.
Should your greyhound be off-leash and become involved in an incident with another dog, not only could you be fined by your council, but you may also be liable for any injuries or veterinary bills incurred by the other party. In addition, Victorian laws regarding dangerous dogs, may result in you being taken to court and your greyhound being declared dangerous.
For more information on dangerous and menacing dogs please visit https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/livestock-and-animals/animal-welfare-victoria/dogs/dog-attacks-dangerous-and-menacing-dogs
Meet our dogs ready for adoption
All greyhounds adopted from GAP are de-sexed, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and health checked.
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Amber
Yukon
Amy
Lizzy ARP
They say some dogs can just give you a look and its love a first sight, well those eyes will certainly capture the hearts of a fair few we think! This pretty girl is Lizzy, she is a social butterfly with lovely manners and is very calm and polite (there is a little bit of puppy in there somewhere though for special occasions!). We think she may suit households with children 5 and over or maybe even a person looking for a friend to spend their golden years with. She may even suit living in an apartment type setting as she is more on the chill side. If she lives with a canine brother then something medium or larger may be suited to her.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). We have behavioural and health assessed this lovely dog, and they will remain with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, at which point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you be interested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on the understanding that you will be adopting this particular dog, and not other dogs currently in our care.
Tee Tee ARP
Tee Tee will have you “Hee Hee-ing” with her attics. Tee Tee is a stunning girl that can be a little upright when greeting and mingling with new dogs, so an owner that will understand her body language will be better for her whilst she learns about the exciting new world. Due to her funny way of socialising, we think she may be better off with a robust dog of any size that can show her how to ‘dog’. Tee Tee is still only a young girl so we think that children 10and over and a place with a yard would be more her style whilst she grows up.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). We have behavioural and health assessed this lovely dog, and they will remain with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, at which point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you be interested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on the understanding that you will be adopting this particular dog, and not other dogs currently in our care.
Ella ARP
How cute is this sweetheart! She is such a dainty, polite, gentle little soul that is very much looking forward to a home of her very own. She may suit living with another male dog of any size that is respectful of her personal space whilst she settles in and children 5 and over. She also may be suitable for someone that is retired and looking for a companion as she is lovely to walk and quiet. She does loves pending some time outside though whether it just be for a morning sunbake or spend the whole day relaxing, so we think anywhere with some sort of outside area she can bask in would be great.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). We have behavioural and health assessed this lovely dog, and they will remain with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, at which point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you be interested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on the understanding that you will be adopting this particular dog, and not other dogs currently in our care.
Denver Nugget
Indi Was Iddy
Katelyn ARP
Katelyn is a lovely, sweet and confident girl who is so excited for her forever home that she has her bags packed! She may be happy to live in a home with or without another robust medium or large canine companion and children aged 10 years or older. She may be happy to live with full time workers.
Gina