Greyhound welfare advocates are calling for more transparency after figures emerged that at least 500 dogs have been sent to the US for rehoming as the racing industry continues to breed far more dogs than are needed.
Australia is one of seven countries where commercial greyhound racing is legal – New Zealand, Mexico, Ireland, the UK, US and Vietnam (where no races occur) also allow the sport.
Australia’s greyhounds are increasingly being sent to the US to be adopted as pets not just because of demand but due to a shortage of homes down under and overbreeding, according to animal welfare advocates.
“These programs come about because the industry is massively overbreeding greyhounds,” Andrea Pollard, president of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), said.
Greyhounds are a rare breed in the US due to the racing industry slowly dwindling. Only two greyhound racetracks remain in use, both in West Virginia.
In January, Ginger, a retired greyhound, became the 500th from New South Wales to be adopted to the US. The five-year-old dog made the journey as part of Greyhound Racing NSW’s (GRNSW) rehoming program – Greyhounds As Pets (GAP).
The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds said it was concerned about the lack of transparency around GAP’s operation in the US. Greyhounds need a passport issued by Greyhounds Australasia to travel overseas but according to the CPG, its not properly legally enforced.
“In the past we’ve seen greyhounds being sent without those passports and ending up in countries like China or Macau,” Pollard said. Pollard’s own greyhound, Hope, was exported without a passport to Macau 10 years ago before being rescued and returned to NSW.
“There’s a lot of spin and good news stories [about this] but there’s not always detail and transparency behind it,” she said. “While 500 sounds like a good number, there’s still thousands of greyhounds looking for homes in very dire situations in Australia.”
Natalie Panzarino, president of Greyhound Rescue in Sydney, said the length of the flight and the safety of the dogs during and after their journey to the US, is worrying.
A greyhound died last year en route to the US under the program, but GRNSW said the cause of the death was not travel related.
“What we would really like to see is more homes here looking for these beautiful animals,” Panzarino said.
In 2024, there have already been seven greyhound track deaths and 1,149 track injuries, with the most – 444 injuries – occurring in NSW. The state was responsible for the most deaths in 2023, with 42 dogs dying, and for the most injuries at 4,212.
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Industry body Greyhound Racing NSW’s Rob Macaulay has defended the rehoming program, which works with overseas partners.
“I challenge them to find an organisation that does rehoming better than we do.”
To want GRNSW’s US rehoming program “to fail because it furthers an anti-racing goal is perverse”, Macaulay said.
“I would like [people] to support us … because greyhounds are wonderful animals and they love people and people love them. And when they end up on somebody’s sofa post-retirement then everything is good.”
Susan Lemon is the president of Greyhounds Unlimited in Texas, the not-for-profit rehoming organisation through which Ginger was adopted.
“We assess the greyhounds based on information supplied … our own observations, and the specific requirements of potential foster homes to ensure suitable matches.”
After adoption, we “maintain regular communication with the family, conducting periodic follow-ups to ensure the placement is successful”, Lemon said.
“Absolutely, we have a policy in place that allows for the return of any greyhound that isn’t compatible with the family we placed them with. As per our adoption contract terms, adopters are required to return the greyhound to us immediately if they are unable to keep it for any reason.”
