As greyhound racing crowds slowly return the tracks across Victoria, the same can be said for those taking part in the clubs’ community engagement activities.

With 11 of Greyhound Racing Victoria’s 13 tracks located in regional Victoria, most clubs, as part of their Community Engagement commitment, provide venues for local fund-raising activities and community social activities.

An example of this was the recent Bairnsdale Probus Club’s visit to Sale Greyhound Racing Club for an informative day of greyhound education and a social lunch at Sale’s “Graze” bistro.

Thirty Probus members and partners were welcomed by Sale committee member and local greyhound trainer, Dawn Johnston, and given an insight into the complexities of the industry.

The group was introduced to the industry’s strict safety and welfare policing which includes specific pre-race arrival times, weighing and drug testing prior to racing, on-course veterinary oversight and the requirements of dogs to stay on course for an hour after racing until cleared by stewards.

With a greyhound’s racing life spanning up to five years, Dawn then introduced GRV’s Greyhound Adoption Program which is part of the government’s regulatory requirement to ensure that dogs are cared for after racing.

Mandated rules of greyhound racing require owners to re-home retired greyhounds, mostly achieved through the Greyhound Adoption Program (managed and funded by GRV).

Dogs are often rehomed by friends, family and contacts of owners, trainers, and other participants in the industry. These rules are oversighted and enforced through the Greyhound Racing Integrity Unit. (GRIU)

GRV, as well as GRV-funded rehoming groups and participants across the state have rehomed 13,531 greyhounds over the past five years.

As the first business operation visited by Bairnsdale Probus, the group then toured the racing facilities and will use the visit as a model for future informative business tours in the region.