Greyhound Racing Victoria strongly encourages anyone considering buying into a greyhound pup or race dog to first consider the dog’s future beyond the racetrack.

Epping’s Bryan Carman is one person that is leading by example, not just booking his recently retired race dog Hugo in for a Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) assessment, but also bringing him home in the meantime to give him the best chance of being accepted into the program.

The Carmans already have a small pet domestic dog living at home – an Australian Terrier named Gizmo – so given Hugo’s lack of socialisation with other breeds, they sensibly eliminated the risk of the dogs quarrelling. This has led to Gizmo living with another family member for a short period.

“We’ve got a small pet dog called Gizmo, who is at my mum’s house for a couple of weeks, and the plan is to eventually have them both here living happily together,” Carman said.

“There’s more to greyhounds than just racing
and making money.”

“It’s very important to me that he (Hugo) gets into the Greyhound Adoption Program, because I want him to have a good life after racing. There’s more to greyhounds than just racing and making money.”

Spending time in a household and away from a racing kennel environment is fundamentally important in increasing a greyhound’s chances of passing their GAP assessment.

Hugo’s stay at the Carmans has involved carefully socialising him with other breeds at a local park while muzzled and on lead, starting with larger dogs and working his way down to smaller dogs.

This strategy is aimed at preparing Hugo to pass his assessment, where he must show little more than a passing interest in the GAP’s small ‘test’ dogs, thus ensuring he’ll be accepted into the program, receive a green GAP collar and no longer be required to wear a muzzle.
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WATCH: Having a practical involvement in your greyhound’s future beyond the racetrack is of paramount importance.
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