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GAP on the airwaves

By Phil Weir

It’s not often a birthday party makes the news, but when it’s the Greyhound Adoption Program’s 25th, even Melbourne’s number one radio station wants to join the commemoration.

The milestone will be reached on Wednesday 17 March, and 3AW’s afternoon host Dee Dee Dunleavy last week spoke with GAP’s Larissa Hubbard about the 25 years of adoption history and the process of ‘acclimatising’ a greyhound to a new life once they arrive at GAP’s Seymour headquarters.

“We assess them first, to see what they’re like with other dogs. Some take more time than others to be comfortable with other animals, and their reaction plays a big part in how we ready them for the next stage,” Larissa said.

Fostering the dogs for three or four weeks is sometimes required to get them used to a domestic life.

“We have a wonderful team of foster carers who take the dogs in the home and get them used to things they may never have seen or heard before, like polished floorboards, glass doors, vacuum cleaners, even the sound of television or a phone,” Larissa explained.

Callers to the program reiterated Larissa’s explanation for the popularity of the greyhound.

“They are just so relaxed and easy to look after,” said one caller. “I’m on my second greyhound and I wouldn’t have any other breed.”

Victoria’s Greyhound Adoption Program is the largest greyhound adoption agency in Australia.