Retiring your greyhound
Greyhounds as Pets WA (GAP) is the industry-run program responsible for assessing, fostering and re-homing retired racing greyhounds in Western Australia. We are also involved in the education of the wider community on the benefits of greyhound pet ownership.
GAP is committed to continually improving the program.
1
Nomination process
Trainers can nominate one, two or three dogs per month as per licensed kennel numbers.
Registered Kennel Numbers Pre-Assessment Numbers 0 to 30 One 31 to 50 Two 51 or More Three Pre-assessment bookings are open on the first Wednesday of each month between 9am and 12pm. Nominations are added to the intake list. Nominations made outside of the allocated hours will not be accepted. Please read the explanation below regarding List A, List be and Express Entry. Trainers will need to nominate a category type per greyhound.
Trainers will be notified approximately 1-2 weeks before GAP have availability for the dog to enter the program. If the dog is from List B and still racing, a date is set after the 28th day.
Kennel Notes are updated monthly to remind Trainers of the process.
Trainers must submit copies of the dog’s vaccinations/any required medical paperwork when completing their Trainer Questionnaire prior to entry. Original copies of these documents will be required on the day of intake.
GAP to allocate order of entry at their discretion.
Entry Types
List A:
Greyhounds are accepted onto List A because;
The Trainer is deceased or experiencing major medical issue and can no longer look after the dogs,
They are unnamed pups that didn’t qualify,
The dog has pannus and unable to race,
The dog has been stood down for 90 days in OzChase due to race incident (marring, failure to chase, etc.),
The dog was retired for breeding,
The dog last raced more than 28 days ago and the trainer doesn’t want to continue racing, or/and;
The trainer has accessed the GISR or GRI schemes for the dog (application must include veterinary clearance).
GAP will prioritise entry to greyhounds who have been nominated successfully for Express Entry*, and then according to requirements for the dog/urgency/need.
List B:
A Trainer or Owner elect to retire their greyhound. The greyhound must have a minimum of 28 days from its last race before presentation to GAP for a pre-assessment. Once they have a place, the dog is booked for intake 28 days after their last race. If they race again after they’ve been booked for intake, the dog will be removed from the list.
*Express Entry
The Express Entry system enables GAP to prioritise entry for greyhounds that have retired from racing and are behaviourally suitable for rehoming, allowing a faster transition through the program. Trainers should work with their greyhounds to prepare them for the transition to retirement before presenting them to GAP for assessment. The sooner dogs can learn the skills to cope in a home environment and be ready for adoption, the more dogs can move through the GAP program.
The Express system will focus on the below points:
Greyhounds’ socialisation with other breeds of dog
Basic loose leash walking skills
Time in a home environment
Trainers must nominate on the GAP Intake Nomination form if they wish to nominate their dog for Express Entry. The links below are resources that will assist in preparing your greyhound for this process. Prior to entry, video proof of the greyhound socialising with other breeds of dog and spending time in a home will need to be sent to GAP via Dropbox or messaged privately to the GAP Facebook page.
2
On the Day
Please bring:
- Race papers/ID card.
- The dog’s original C5 vaccinations/any required medical paperwork.
- Greyhound(s) to be pre-assessed – clean and flea free.
GAP will be conducting a shortened version of the socialisation dog interaction on intake with the trainer present, with the full socialisation dog interactions will taking place as usual several days after entry.
By conducting a shortened version with the trainer present, it allows the trainer to see how their greyhound reacts to other dog breeds and how they cope being handled by an unfamiliar person.
Consequently, greyhounds that have very high prey drive or highly fearful reactions will not be immediately accepted into the program.
This should only affect a small number of dogs that are presented to the GAP program and will allow GAP staff to spend time working with dogs that are ready for the adoption program. Trainers can re-present the dog in six months if entry is unsuccessful.