Written by
16 March 2023
1
min read
Happy birthday GAP, we’re proud of you.
March 17 marks the 27th anniversary of the founding of Victoria’s Greyhound Adoption Program, which is a significant milestone for the welfare of former racing greyhounds, and probably the most successful greyhound re-homing service in the world.
In 1997, two veterinary nurses from Sandown Park, Mel Tochner and Anita Smith, saw the need to find retirement homes for the dogs they cared for at the track.
Mel and Anita realised that most racing dogs retire at around four or five years of age; probably only a third of their life.
The continued success is the tangible result of Greyhound Racing Victoria’s welfare priority; that racing dogs are promised a happy retirement.
From these humble beginnings, the world’s most successful greyhound adoption program was born. GAP now regularly finds homes for up to 1000 greyhounds every year and assists other adoption agencies reach double that figure.
Apart from the successful promotion of the greyhound as a pet, particularly suitable for urban living, the program has been the catalyst for a whole community of like-minded greyhound owners who have formed walking groups and social media assemblies where may new friends have been made. The sheer volume of images of greyhounds in silly poses that adorn the internet is staggering; not to mention wildly funny…
The secret is out. The greyhound is now on ‘next pet’ lists throughout Australia and regularly appears on ‘most popular’ breed lists, thanks to their beautiful nature and the work of people like Mel, Anita and the hundreds of volunteers and staff members who have dedicated themselves to the breed.
Here’s to GAP. 27 years young, many more happy retirements to come.
Meet our dogs ready for adoption
All greyhounds adopted from GAP are de-sexed, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and health checked.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Name
0 Years Old
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla.
Alfie
Shimmer
Leaf
Clover
Greta
Wolf
Jacko ARP
Jacko's dream is to be in a home witha family that can include him all of their activities; he is up for camping,going to the café, beer garden, local markets, you name it! He loves nothingmore than human attention and affection. He may suit living with another dog ofsimilar size or if living as an only dog may need to have some training earlyon to learn to be home alone. He may suit living with children aged 10 yearsand older.
Boppy ARP
Are you ready to get Boppy!! Cause this sweet girl is ready to take on life with her own family and show them what having fun is all about. Boppy is an affectionate and happy girl that thinks life is GREAT! She cant wait to have many adventures in her new home with possibly some side kicks (children 10 and over) or just a fun loving owner that is wanting to get out and about and “Bop” around. We also think she may suit living with another medium or larger male dog companion and full time workers.
Zoom ARP
How adorable is Zoom? She is a lovely, quiet and sweet girl who thinks the world is a bit of a scary place. She will be looking for someone special who can show her the way and help her to build her confidence. She really tries hard to please so we think she will flower into a lovely dog. Zoom might be best suited to a quieter home with no children, however she may suit full time workers.
Xinji ARP
Xinji (pronounced Shin-jee) is a lovely young girl who has a world of love to give you. She can be a bit of a worrier and can be shy when she first meets you, but with a little bit of time and patience, we know she will blossom into a wonderful companion. She walks well on the lead and will be looking for a quiet household to settle into. She may be happy living with or without another canine companion of any size, though she would prefer having access to a backyard. She may also suit full time workers and living with children aged in their teens.