Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) ambassadors Tim Cahill and Harry Garside were among the special guests and dignitaries in Western Sydney today for the official opening of the new Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) facility at Richmond.
This 6.5-hectare facility, which can house 100 dogs, is the result of the latest multi-million dollar investment by GRNSW in its animal welfare and rehoming programs.
The property, which backs on to the Richmond greyhound track, is the new home for GAP in Western Sydney. GAP also has another facility at Wyee on the Central Coast along with a number of highly successful regional programs across the State.
The property became available last year and GRNSW moved swiftly to secure the site which is significantly larger than the rented Londonderry property that had been GAP Western Sydney’s headquarters for the past five years.
“The location is ideal in Western Sydney where we do a high number of adoptions, but it’s also a good location with the racetrack and participants being close as well and able to reach out with any questions or needs they may have too,” General Manager of GAP NSW, Dr Alicia Fuller said.
“We also have a hydrotherapy pool, which will also be able to be used by industry participants as well as our greyhounds, large runs for each adoption kennel, a space for walking dogs and Pet Prep parks which we will be developing.
“These Pet Prep parks provide an exercise and training area for GAP greyhounds, and for industry greyhounds being prepared by participants for pet life and to be adopted greyhounds.
“We also have a boarding kennel on site and the GAP team’s central office and the GRNSW Tracks and Infrastructure team are also operating from this location so it is a whole of industry facility.”
Outgoing GRNSW Chief Executive Officer Tony Mestrov said that while the purchase of the Richmond site and the build of the GAP facility was a big investment, all investment in welfare is significant.
“Any investment we have made or make in relation to the welfare of our animals is worthwhile and significant,” he said. “In my tenure at GRNSW I have made it clear from day one that welfare is at the forefront of all we do here, and I have never waivered from that.
“I hope that with each investment, each rehoming program, each property we build or upgrade, each dog we rehome, the public sees how serious we are about this side of the industry.
“Without GAP and the associated rehoming programs we run there is no greyhound industry. These wonderful animals may be born to run, but when their athletic careers come to an end, as we all know they can be magnificent, adorable pets. GAP is another significant step in the pathway of the full life cycle of a greyhound, and the work the GAP team do with the rehoming of our animals can never be underestimated.”
Another significant benefit is the new facility now has the ability to easily welcome visitors by appointment who are able to meet our greyhounds and even finalise an adoption application on the spot. If GAP's qualified expert team members approve an adoption match, new adopters can potentially take their new family member home right then.
"I’d been speaking with the team from GAP about the new Richmond GAP Facility for a while now and can’t wait to take a look around,” said Cahill, who has been an ambassador with GAP since 2019.
“Being able to take walk-in visitors for the first time means that adopting a greyhound is going to be a smoother process than ever before which is really exciting to me.”
