Geoff Helisma|

When the Greyhound Industry Reform Panel released its report in 2016 it noted that “the 2015-16 NSW re-homing initiative (GAP program) registered 324 adoptions compared to Victoria’s 895 adoptions”.

The Independent contacted the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission to see if re-homing had grown in line with the panel’s expectations.

“The Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission’s role in the re-homing of NSW registered greyhounds is to implement and enforce the Greyhound Re-homing Policy, which was introduced by the Commission on 1 July 2018,” the commission said in a statement.

“The Greyhound Re-homing Policy requires the owners of registered greyhounds in NSW to make genuine and documented attempts to re-home greyhounds that they no longer wish to keep themselves and report this information to the Commission.

“The Policy outlines an owner’s obligation to attempt to re-home their greyhounds through a re-homing organisation or animal adoption agency, such as the Greyhounds as Pets program (GAP), or independently to someone outside the greyhound racing industry.

“For the period of 1 July 2018 – 19 March 2019 the Commission has recorded a total of 705 greyhounds that were reported as retired for re-homing. This includes: 175 greyhounds that have been reported as retired and re-homed through GAP; 307 greyhounds that have been reported as retired and placed with a pet rescue or animal adoption agency other than GAP; and, 223 greyhounds that have been reported as retired and re-homed privately, to a non-participant.

“The Commission is currently collating full year data (1 July 2018 – 30 June 2019) to be released with the Commission’s annual report.

“The Commission is also committed to improving the public reporting of re-homing statistics on a more regular basis.”