The ‘disappeared’

There is a constant oversupply of greyhounds in Australia as the industry breeds far too many dogs in the hope of finding the one that will run fast enough to earn money.

Sadly, there is no official mechanism in any state or territory to match the number of greyhounds bred to those greyhounds who are:

• not raced,
• retired after racing,
• moved interstate,
• exported from Australia.

• An effective national identification and traceability system for all greyhounds must be developed and implemented, to ensure each greyhound born is accounted for throughout their lifetime, including effective oversight.
• Systems must be implemented to ensure the robustness and transparency of the data gathered (e.g., independent auditing and regular inspections rather than a reliance on self-reporting).
• Comprehensive data on lifecycle (birth to death) records and injury statistics must be collected and published (this should be mandatory).
• Independent funding for animal welfare and integrity checks and enforcement must be secured and sustained.
• Any greyhound racing must be overseen and regulated by an independent body, with a formal and complete separation of the integrity and regulatory functions from the commercial functions.

NSW case study

• In NSW in FY19/20 there were 3,569 greyhounds who should have been adopted.
• Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) statistics show that only 1,231 were retained by their owner, rehomed privately or accepted by GAP or an animal rescue or adoption agency.
• This is a discrepancy of 2,338 greyhounds. These greyhounds have disappeared – Case Study: The disappeared greyhounds, FY19/20 Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
• A similar situation would exist in every other state and territory.