To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Greyhound Adoption Program, Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) made a $20,000 donation to this year’s Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

GRV Board member Peita Elkhorne (pictured) presented a giant cheque at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre as part of Channel Seven’s television coverage, in what was the culmination of 3.4 kilometre walk by a group of greyhounds and their owners which started at GRV’s West Melbourne headquarters (see image gallery below).

Earlier this month GRV celebrated the 20th anniversary of the first dog to be adopted through GAP and marked the occasion with a generous donation to the Good Friday Appeal.

More than 6100 greyhounds have found new homes through GAP in the ensuing 20 years including a record 847 in 2015 alone, making it one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind in the world.

Greyhound Racing Victoria chairman Bernie Carolan said GRV and all greyhound racing participants took great pride in being part of the Good Friday Appeal.

“What better way to give to those who need it and celebrate the 20th anniversary of GAP than to donate $1000 for every year of our program’s existence?” – BERNIE CAROLAN

“Giving to the Royal Children’s Hospital on Good Friday has been a Victorian tradition for many years and we are excited to once again contribute to it by doubling our $10,000 donation from last year,” Mr Carolan said.

“What better way to give to those who need it and celebrate the 20th anniversary of GAP than to donate $1000 for every year of our program’s existence?”

As well as providing pets for family homes, GAP also introduced innovations such as the Prison Pet Partnership where inmates at minimum security Victorian prisons foster greyhounds to prepare them for life as a family pet, weekly testing days around Victoria to assess a dog’s suitability for adoption, set up a meet and greet yard to introduce greyhounds to their prospective new owner’s other pets and established a dedicated veterinary clinic at its Seymour headquarters that handles all veterinary procedures, including de-sexing and dental work.

GAP’s growth is set to continue as it aims to find new homes for more than 1000 greyhounds in 2016.
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