Upon the tabling of GRV’s 2010/2011 Annual Report in State Parliament today, Dr Napthine said the Victorian Coalition Government was a staunch supporter of Greyhound Racing and it was great to see the sport thriving.

“Over the 2010-2011 financial year, Greyhound Racing Victoria had a very strong wagering turnover resulting in a market share of nearly 20 per cent, which is up from 9 per cent in 1994,” Dr Napthine said.

“Strong and consistent wagering returns have also enabled a series of prize money increases over the past year.”

In 2010-11 Greyhound Racing Victoria reported:

1. a 5.7 per cent increase in stake money to a total of $26.0 million;
2. an increase in off course turnover by 11.2 per cent to $692 million;
3. the opening of refurbished tracks and facilities at Sandown and Beckley Park; and
4. the announcement of the extension of the vision broadcasting rights with Sky Channel until 2015.

“Greyhound Racing Victoria and the Victorian Coalition Government share a strong vision for the future of the sport in this state and I look forward to working together in coming years and this momentum continuing,” Dr Napthine said.

“Already the industry generates an economic return of more than $195 million annually to the state and employs close to 2,000 Victorians
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“The Victorian Government has provided funding for the $4 million redevelopment of the Bendigo racetrack and supported upgrades at other facilities to help continue growing the greyhound industry.

“It is pleasing to note that GRV has also given back to the Community through initiatives such as the ‘Go The Pink’ campaign which raised more than $120,000 for the McGrath Foundation, the Great Chase racing series which raises money for local Community groups, and the Prison Pet Partnership which operates at the Dhurringile and Tarrangower minimum security prisons,” Dr Napthine said.

GRV Chairman Peter Caillard, who in July replaced former Chair Nick Caley, said the 2010/2011 year was a great success for the organisation.

“Thanks to the hard work of the team at GRV, Greyhound Racing is enjoying a tremendous resurgence with more people than ever discovering its appeal,” Mr Caillard said.

“Key achievements include the introduction of new racing distances, particularly dual sprints at most provincial tracks, and the introduction of Tier Three Racing for out-of-form greyhounds.

“With improved facilities and the launch of new marketing campaigns, I am confident that Greyhound Racing is well positioned to achieve further growth,” Mr Caillard said.

The program is a joint venture with Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) that will provide a new program opportunity for female inmates and improve animal welfare in the greyhound industry.

Up to six dogs at any one time will be cared for at kennels within the women’s Dillwynia Correctional Centre at Windsor.

“This is a great opportunity to give families a new loving pet and at the same time help to rehabilitate female inmates through learning new skills,” Mr Costa said.

“The program is based on the principles of discipline and responsibility, which are areas many inmates need to focus on to modify behavior that has led to imprisonment.

“There are currently four inmate handlers attending TAFE to study subjects including Animal Welfare and Enrichment for Animals.

“The inmates are learning skills and obtaining qualifications that will improve their employment prospects upon release from prison.

“The dogs have arrived at their new temporary home and are settling in well with their handlers.

Each dog will remain at Dillwynia for eight weeks before being release to their new families,” he said.

Mr Costa said the majority of construction to facilitate the new program had been completed by Corrective Service Industries Overseers and Correctional Officers with skills such as concreting, roofing and plumbing.

“The result is a fantastic complex made up of six insulated kennels and runs, an electronic spray misting system and complete shade coverage.

Chief Executive of Greyhound Racing NSW Brent Hogan has welcomed the addition of Corrective Services NSW to the Greyhounds as Pets program.

“Greyhounds as Pets program has already been successful in rehoming 70 former racing greyhounds into family homes in its first 18 months, and we expect this number to grow significantly with the introduction of this partnership,” Mr Hogan said.

“The Greyhounds as Pets program is seen as a significant part of the sport’s response to greyhound welfare issues and these new kennels will assist us to expand the program in the future.

“The dogs are ideal for families because they are very affectionate, do not shed much fur, are very clean, require little exercise and have little or no bark.

“It’s a great collaboration between the NSW Department of Corrections Services and Greyhound Racing NSW to find homes for retired or unsuccessful greyhounds and help inmates develop new skills,” Mr Hogan said.

Mr Hulls said the award-winning program, already in place at Dhurringile Prison in Murchison, had been highly successful in rehabilitating dogs and providing prisoners with an opportunity to get involved in a positive activity.

“Greyhounds are strong, energetic and athletic animals as racing dogs, but once their competitive career is over they need to be trained to adjust to their new environment so they can live out the rest of their lives as household pets,” Mr Hulls said.

“This program is not only good for the greyhounds, it also provides prisoners with a legitimate connection to the world outside the prison walls and helps them prepare for their eventual release and integration back into the Community.”

Mr Hulls said Tarrengower prison, a minimum security prison for females, last month finished building four kennels in preparation for the Pet Prison Partnership.

“As part of the Prison Pet Partnership, each greyhound goes through a six-week integration and obedience course under the guidance of Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) and a prisoner specifically chosen to be a caretaker,” Mr Hulls said.

“The program has been so successful it has integrated 68 rehabilitated dogs back into society since the pilot started at Dhurringile on September 18, 2007.

“Two former racing dogs are now in place here at Tarrengower and once they’ve settled in and the carers are comfortable with handling, feeding and training routines, this program will expand to have four dogs rotating through here at a time.”

Mr Hulls said the latest instalment of the Prison Pet Partnership program further proved its worth as an innovative initiative of GRV’s Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP).

“For more than 12 years now the Greyhound Adoption Program has been successfully retraining retired and unsuccessful racing dogs as household pets through GRV’s Seymour adoption facility and foster homes,” Mr Hulls said.

“It’s a great collaboration between Corrections Victoria and GAP to find homes for retired or unsuccessful greyhounds and help prisoners in the process.

“GAP has been able to find homes for more than 3000 greyhounds since the program began in 1996.”

Deputy Premier and Minister for Racing Rob Hulls said Victoria’s Greyhound Racing industry had experienced an exceptional year, continuing to build on solid foundations laid by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) over the past 11 years.

“In the 2007-08 financial year, GRV increased its market share from 16.5 per cent to 18.7 per cent allowing higher financial returns to owners, trainers and breeders,” Mr Hulls said.

“As a result, prize money also increased by $1.2 million and total stake money and bonuses reached $22.9 million.

“These figures certainly give the industry something to celebrate and are a mark of the hard work and dedication it takes to continue this success in today’s challenging market.”

Mr Hulls wished the finalists for the prestigious Greyhound of the Year award good luck in anticipation of the Greyhound Racing industry’s night of nights.

He said the event celebrated the achievements of the Greyhound Racing industry in the past year and provided individual recognition of stand-out greyhounds and trainers.

“Tonight brings the entire industry together, providing the opportunity for Greyhound Racing Victoria, the trainers, owners and breeders, as well as the sponsors and industry partners, to take stock and reflect on the challenges and successes of the previous year,” he said.

Finalists for the 2008 Greyhound of the Year include the Jason Thompson-trained greyhound El Galo, Gunnadoo Magic trained by Lara’s Robert Britton, and Regal Thyme owned and trained by Graham Long.

The winner is chosen by members of the Greyhound of the Year panel who vote based on a dog’s racing performance over the previous 12 months.

Mr Hulls said GRV’s Greyhound Adoption Program was another mark of the industry’s success and included the Prison Pet Partnership, where a strategic partnership with Corrections Victoria led to the adoption of 44 retired greyhounds fostered and trained by prisoners.

“GRV should also be commended on the continued success of the Great Chase series which this year saw the involvement of a record 158 Community groups which care for the physically and intellectually disabled,” he said.

Mr Hulls said the greyhound industry would be given further reason to celebrate when the Greyhound Racing Victoria Hall of Fame was launched later this year, recognising industry pioneers, icons and significant contributors.

The Prison Pet Partnership (PPP), run by the GAP in conjunction with the minimum security Dhurringile Prison in Victoria’s north, beat nine other nominees in the Most Outstanding New Project category.

This was one of nine awards presented in which there were over 40 nominees such as the Graffiti Removal Program and the Bicycle Recycling Program.

Since the PPP was launched as a pilot program in September 2007, some 40 retired greyhounds have been successfully trained and adopted, each being allocated to a prisoner who acts as a foster carer for a period of six weeks at the prison, undergoing an integration and obedience course.

While greyhounds make wonderful pets, the life of a racing greyhound differs greatly to that of a household pet and takes some adjusting. Being in foster care allows the greyhounds to become accustomed to things like socialising with people, household noises such as washing machines and vacuum cleaners, a non-racing diet, slippery floors and climbing steps.

“Dhurringile Prison has become a vital cog in maximising the number of greyhounds that go through the Greyhound Adoption Program. This is because we don’t have a great number of foster carers as many of them fall in love with the dogs they foster and often end up keeping them, leaving them no room to foster any more”, said Larissa Darragh, Manager of Victoria’s Greyhound Adoption Program, which is based in Seymour and run by Greyhound Racing Victoria.

Incidentally, Dhurringile Officer Roger Jorgensen was named runner-up in the Outstanding Field Officer category for his role in the Prison Pet Partnership.

Last week’s awards ceremony demonstrates the high emphasis Corrections Victoria places on integrating prisoners into the Community. The Prison Pet Partnership is set to expand into other minimum security prisons at Beechworth and Tarrangower women’s prison.

Contrary to popular belief, greyhounds are extremely placid, sleep most of the day and require little exercise. The Greyhound Adoption Program has adopted over 1,000 retired greyhounds into Victorian families over the past three years.

While acknowledging that all three codes had originally expressed satisfaction with the Lewis Report, GRV has had to step back from that stand point as the spotlight has been thrown on the GRV Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) and the numbers of greyhounds euthanaised in the state.

Judge Lewis found that Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) was “too limited”, with only 4.2 per cent of retired racers being placed in a domestic environment.

GRV has responded by saying that “Judge Lewis has made comment on several matters which are clearly outside the terms of reference of the report”.

And that “such comment is outside the terms of reference of the report, GRV stands by its record and actions in leading all racing codes and all States of Australia in its attitude to Animal Welfare”.

GRV, through its highly pro-active welfare policies, is constantly striving to address animal welfare issues and has already made significant headway in many areas. Implementation of the Responsible Breeding Task Force Recommendations (RBTF), appointment of a full-time Animal Welfare Officer and ongoing development and expansion of the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) are just some of the initiatives that have seen adoptions increase, and litter numbers decrease from the 2006 figures quoted. Education of industry participants and ongoing development of an industry culture that is mindful of animal welfare issues is another significant ongoing priority.

The recent $1.2 Million redevelopment of the GAP’s Seymour Kennels will ee even more retired racers accepted into the program and adoption igures are projected to rise over the next few years. Although Judge Lewis suggests that there is a high demand for adopted greyhounds, in reality, limiting factors such as the lack of foster carers and a finite demand from the general public to adopt retired greyhounds remain as challenges for GRV.

GRV has been addressing these issues through increased marketing and promotion and the introduction of novel programs such as the Prison Pet Partnership which sees minimum security prisoners act as foster carers for the program as part of their rehabilitation.

The Prison Pet Partnership, an extension of Victoria’s Greyhound Adoption Program, is an Australian first and was officially launched by Deputy Premier and Minister for Racing, Rob Hulls yesterday.

“It’s a great partnership between Corrections Victoria and Greyhound Racing Victoria, and the pilot has been so successful that it will soon be extended to other Victorian minimum security prisons Beechworth, Tarrengower and Langi Kal Kal”, Minister Hulls announced.

Four greyhounds at a time spend six weeks undergoing foster care at Dhurringile Prison, where they become acclimatised to domestic life and learn basic obedience training before being adopted into society.

Melanie Luscombe, the Greyhound Adoption Program’s Foster Coordinator, has been thrilled with the results of the Prison Pet Partnership since it began seven months ago.

“Eighteen greyhounds have received foster care at Dhurringile Prison so far, and the results for all 18 have been overwhelming”.

“We currently have a shortage of foster carers so being able have greyhounds fostered through Dhurringile enables us to put a lot more greyhounds through the Greyhound Adoption Program.”

“The greyhounds that go through the prison are generally moreadvanced than greyhounds that go through normal foster care, partly because they are in foster care for a couple of weeks longer than usual, and also because the inmates are spending additional time training the dogs”, she said.

Minister Hulls also announced the $1.1 Million redevelopment of the Greyhound Adoption Program’s property in Seymour – due for completion in June – of which nearly half has been funded by the Government’s Racing Industry Development Program.