RWWA’s Greyhounds as Pets Open Day
12 December, 2016
Greyhound
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) hosted its first Open Day at its new Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) Kennel Facility in Southern River on Sunday.
With over 50 guests in attendance the day provided an opportunity for industry and media to have a tour of the new facilities as well as gain further insight into the GAP program.
The Open Day also included announcements regarding proposed plans and future investment into the program.
Implementing methods to demonstrate the best practice in animal welfare forms part of RWWA’s overall strategic priorities.
“RWWA is putting the welfare of its racing animals at the forefront of all decisions and we are committed to ensuring that the best levels of care are given to greyhounds throughout all stages of their lives,” said Greyhounds Manager Barry Hamilton.
Since taking over the administration of GAP from Greyhounds WA in April 2015, RWWA has heavily invested in the GAP program, with funding more than tripling from $150,000 per year to $500,000 per year, which has included the lease of the new Southern River facility.
In addition to this, the RWWA Board has just announced that a further $150,000 from feature stakes funding will be reallocated to the GAP program. The funding will be put towards additional staffing and projects, to meet the demands of greyhound assessments, following new policy requirements which require all greyhounds to be pre-assessed to track their suitability for rehoming upon retirement.
As a result of the increased investment, adoption figures have risen significantly from an average of 9.4 dogs per month in 2014/15 to an average of 10.8 dogs per month in 2015/16, and an average of 17.75 dogs per month in the current financial year.
Adoption figures are set to continue to rise, with November 2016 hitting an all-time record with 30 dogs adopted out in 30 days.
“Based on the success of our GAP strategy, we will be announcing further target measures in the rehoming space in the new year upon the release of our strategic plans,” said Greyhounds Manager Barry Hamilton.
Future plans for the GAP program include investment in marketing campaigns to position greyhounds as the breed of choice for domestic pets, as well as investigating the use of greyhounds as therapy dogs.