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Greyhounds as Pets holds open day at new kennel to encourage adoption

Pia van StraalenCanning Gazette

RACING and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) hosted its first open day at its new Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) Kennel Facility in Southern River.

More than 50 guests toured the new facilities to gain further insight into the GAP program and proposed plans and future investment into the program.

Since taking over the administration of GAP from Greyhounds WA in April 2015, RWWA has heavily invested in the GAP program, with funding more than tripling from $150,000 per year to $500,000 per year, which has included the lease of the new Southern River facility.

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In addition , the RWWA board has announced a further $150,000 from feature stakes funding will be reallocated to the GAP program.

The funding will be put towards additional staffing and projects, to meet the demands of greyhound assessments, following new policy requirements that require all greyhounds to be pre-assessed to track their suitability for re-homing upon retirement.

In the last two financial years adoption figures have risen from an average of 9.4 dogs per month in 2014-15 to an average of 10.8 dogs per month in 2015-16, and an average of 17.75 dogs per month in the current financial year.

Adoption figures are set to continue to rise, with November 2016 hitting an all-time record with 30 dogs adopted in 30 days.

Plans for the GAP program include investment in marketing campaigns to position greyhounds as the breed of choice for domestic pets, as well as investigating the use of greyhounds as therapy dogs.