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Retirement-from-Racing-2_1000x150

Retirement from Racing

Home » Retirement from Racing

On this page you will find:

  • Retirement and re-homing your greyhounds
  • Surrendering greyhounds to Shelters and Pounds

Retirement and re-homing your greyhounds

Greyhounds make great pets! Re-homing upon retirement is one of the key responsibilities of an owner. GRV have a series of resources to support participants in ensuring their greyhound is able to make a positive transition from racing to retirement as a pet.

Retiring your greyhound from racing starts with a Wind-down period and preparation for re-homing. This is especially important because it provides your greyhound with time to adjust to pet life after the activities associated with training and racing. This is also a good time to desex your greyhound.

Desexing greyhounds prior to re-homing is a requirement under the Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds. GRV has introduced a Desexing and Dental Scheme to support participants with compliance and to promote the health and welfare of our greyhounds in retirement. For more information and access to discounted desexing, visit Discounted De-Sexing Offered by Veterinary Clinics.

The Re-homing Guide – Information for Participants, provides important and practical information to assist participants with re-homing. This guide includes information about preparing your greyhound for re-homing, the wind-down period, and the requirements once a new owner is found.

GRV’s Re-homing Checklist will support you in ensuring you meet all the legal requirements under the Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds and the Local Rules of Racing when re-homing your greyhound.

GRV recommends any owner wishing to re-home a greyhound to a member of the public has that greyhound assessed for prey drive through the Greyhound Adoption Program. If you believe your greyhound has moderate or high prey drive, you must read the following information to ensure your greyhound is re-homed appropriately. Re-homing greyhounds with prey drive is possible but the greyhound must be retired to the “right” home with individuals who understand and can manage the greyhound’s behaviour. Re-homing greyhounds with prey drive is a great resource.

The Notice of Retirement as a Pet – Transfer to New Owner is a mandatory form that must be completed by the GRV-registered owner when they have found a new home for their greyhound. The form must be signed by both the GRV-registered owner and the new pet owner. A copy of the form must be given to the new owner and a copy submitted to [email protected].

The Post Adoption Care Guide – New Owner has been developed for participants to pass onto the new owner of the greyhound. The Post-Adoption Care Guide includes a form for participants to complete that will ensure that all relevant information about the specific greyhound (including any health and/or behaviour issues) is passed onto the new owner, along with helpful information about caring for a greyhound and all legal requirements relating to pet greyhound ownership.

Re-homing Resources for participants:

  • Wind-down period and preparation for re-homing
  • GRV Microchip registry
  • Re-homing greyhounds with prey drive
  • Re-homing Checklist(pdf)
  • Discounted De-Sexing Offered by Veterinary Clinics
  • Re-homing pack

Downloadable version (PDF)

For some further participant re-homing tips,
take a look at these videos.

A number of feature videos were shown at the 2015/16 Victorian Greyhound Awards, including this Greyhound Adoption Program highlights reel.

Participant re-homing tips

Surrendering greyhounds to shelters and pounds

It is a beach of both the racing rules and the greyhound Code of Practice to surrender a greyhound to a (municipal) council pound.

While many councils operate their own pound facilities, some councils contract another organisation (e.g. a registered shelter, veterinary clinic or another council pound) to provide pound services for their local government area.

A pound may include either:

A council-operated pound facility, regardless of what the facility is named and/or whether it is also a registered shelter. For example, Shepparton Animal Shelter and Bendigo Animal Relief Centre (BARC) are council-operated pounds. A registered greyhound cannot be surrendered to any council-operated pound facility.

or:

An organisation that provides contracted pound services to council(s). For example, RSPCA, Lost Dogs’ Home and Geelong Animal Welfare Society (GAWS) are registered animal shelters that also provide pound services for a number of different councils. In one local government area, a veterinary clinic provides pound services for that council. A registered greyhound cannot be surrendered to any of these organisations if the owner, trainer or other registered participant responsible for the care or control of the greyhound reside in any of the local government areas for which the organisation is contracted to provide pound services for.

Before you surrender your greyhound check what facility or facilities provide pound services for the council areas of the owner, trainer and any other registered participant responsible for the care or control of the greyhound. For example contact the local Council offices, check their website or contact GRV by emailing [email protected] or phoning 03 8329 1100. One test is to determine which facility a stray animal would be taken to if it were found wandering at large outside your property.

Below is a list of the 79 councils and their corresponding pound(s) or contracted shelter(s), current as at 1 January 2023. Please note this list is indicative only as council pound operations change, so participants must check before surrendering their greyhound to any registered shelter.

The obligation remains on the participant surrendering the greyhound to check whether a shelter is operating as a council pound, and GRV may take enforcement action for a breach of the rules or Code of Practice despite any error or omission contained in the list below.

Council Name Council-operated pound or Contractor that acts as the pound
Alpine Shire Council Council-operated pound
Ararat Rural City Council Council-operated pound
Ballarat City Council Council-operated pound
Banyule City Council Nillumbik Shire Council Pound
Bass Coast Shire Council Council-operated pound
Baw Baw Shire Council Council-operated pound
Bayside City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Benalla Rural City Council Council/Contractor
Boroondara City Council RSPCA Burwood (contractor)
Brimbank City Council Council-operated pound and
Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Buloke Shire Council-operated pound
Campaspe Shire Council Council-operated pound
Cardinia Shire Council Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne (contractor)
Casey City Council Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne (contractor)
Central Goldfields Shire Council Council-operated pound
Colac-Otway Shire Council Council-operated pound
Corangamite Shire Council Council-operated pound
Darebin City Council Epping Animal Welfare Facility

(Whittlesea Council-operated)

East Gippsland Shire Victorian Animal Aid Bairnsdale (contractor)
Frankston City Council Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne (contractor)
Gannawarra Shire Council Council-operated pound
Glen Eira City Council RSPCA Burwood (contractor)
Glenelg Shire Council Council-operated pound
Golden Plains Shire Council Ballarat City Council Pound
Greater Bendigo City Council Bendigo Animal Relief Centre (BARC) (Council-operated)
Greater Dandenong City Council Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne (contractor) and
AAPS (contractor)
Greater Geelong City Council Geelong Animal Welfare Society (contractor)
Greater Shepparton City Council Shepparton Animal Shelter

(Greater Shepparton Council-operated)

Hepburn Shire Council Ballarat City Council Pound
Hindmarsh Shire Council Council-operated pound
Hobsons Bay City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Horsham Rural City Council Council-operated pound
Hume City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Indigo Shire Council NSW Shelter (contractor)
Kingston City Council Lost Dogs Home Cranbourne (contractor)
Knox City Council Victorian Animal Aid Coldstream (contractor)
Latrobe City Council Council-operated pound
Loddon Shire Council Council-operated pound
Macedon Ranges Shire Council Council-operated pound and
Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Manningham City Council Council-operated pound
Mansfield Shire Council Council-operated pound
Maribyrnong City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Maroondah City Council Victorian Animal Aid Coldstream (contractor)
Melbourne City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Melton Shire Council Council-operated pound
Mildura Rural City Council Council-operated pound
Mitchell Shire Council Council-operated pound
Moira Shire Council Council-operated pound
Monash City Council RSPCA Burwood (contractor)
Moonee Valley City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Moorabool Shire Council Council-operated pound
Moreland (Merri-bek) City Council Epping Animal Welfare Facility

(Whittlesea Council-operated)

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council Council-operated pound
Mount Alexander Shire Mount Alexander Animal Welfare (contractor)
Moyne Shire Council RSPCA Warrnambool (contractor)
Murrindindi Shire Council Council-operated pound
Nillumbik Shire Council Council-operated pound
Northern Grampians Shire Council Council-operated pound
Port Phillip City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Pyrenees Shire Council Ballarat City Council Pound
Borough of Queenscliffe Geelong Animal Welfare Society (contractor)
South Gippsland Shire Council Korumburra Veterinary Clinic (contractor)
Southern Grampians Shire Council Council-operated pound
Stonnington City Council Save A Dog Scheme
Strathbogie Shire Council Shepparton Animal Shelter

(Greater Shepparton Council-operated)

Surf Coast Shire Council Council-operated pound
Swan Hill Rural City Council Council-operated pound
Towong Shire Council NSW Shelter (contractor)
Wangaratta Rural City Council RSPCA Wangaratta (contractor)
Warrnambool City Council RSPCA Warrnambool (contractor)
Wellington Shire Council Victorian Animal Aid Sale (contractor)
West Wimmera Shire Council Council-operated pound
Whitehorse City Council Victorian Animal Aid Coldstream (contractor)
Whittlesea City Council Epping Animal Welfare Facility

(Whittlesea Council-operated)

Wodonga City Council NSW Shelter (contractor)
Wyndham City Council Council-operated pound and
Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Yarra City Council Lost Dogs Home North Melbourne (contractor)
Yarra Ranges Shire Council Victorian Animal Aid Coldstream (contractor)
Yarriambiack Shire Council Council-operated pound

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