Seven-year-old Patrick Quilty from Pearcedale enjoys Jack’s company at Cranbourne By Marc McGowan
CRANBOURNE Racecourse was the latest stop in the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) as it celebrated its 10th anniversary last month.
The adoption program is backed by Greyhound Racing Victoria and aims to find homes for greyhounds that are no longer racing.
To promote the cause, GAP sends volunteers out to several events which have big attendances such as race meetings, sporting family days and the Royal Melbourne Show.
One such volunteer, Eumemmerring resident Mandy Davis-Ward, brought her own and other greyhounds to Cranbourne Racecourse’s annual Tricodes meeting to promote the dogs’ appeal as pets.
“We show people how quiet they are and we also explain that dogs adopted through GAP don’t need to wear a muzzle to walk because they are assessed for temperament and how well they get on with people,” she said.
Ms Davis-Ward said the biggest misconception was that greyhounds were vicious animals.
“They are fabulous dogs and they figure very low in dog bite incidents,” she said.
“They’re very quiet, very calm, very, very tolerant of children and they lay around the house all day.”
There is also a perception that greyhounds require much maintenance. “They are actually very low maintenance. You just have to brush them occasionally. They don’t shed very much and they’re very easy to look after,” Ms Davis-Ward said.
“They’re not racing any more, so you can walk them like any other dog. Twenty minutes, three times a week would be plenty.”
The assessment period lasts for six weeks and tests each greyhound on different variables such as how it reacts to television, how it associates with other animals and its personality type.
The latter is particularly important as GAP attempts to match each greyhound with a suitable family.
“Through the adoption program, the price is $200 to adopt a dog and that includes de-sexing, vaccinations, and any dental work and other head work that has to be done,” Ms Davis-Ward said.
“So that’s a pretty good price with all those extras.”
Interested parties or anyone looking to gain further information can contact GAP on 5799 2909.
