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During National Foster a Pet Month in June, it’s timely to pay tribute to the unsung heroes of Greyhound rescue, the people who pick up the thousands of dogs surrendered for adoption by their trainers or owners every year.
The number of Greyhounds in Australia needing a new home is huge due to overbreeding in the racing industry. The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds 2025 report on overbreeding reveals the dog racing industry to be the largest puppy farming enterprise in Australia – it now breeds more than 10,000 pups annually, and many don’t make it to the track.
These dogs are never named, are called ‘wastage’ by the racing industry and are discarded.
Maxine Cooper volunteers as a driver at community service Greyhound Rescue, based at Bargo, south of Sydney.
Her furthest hound rescue mission was to Bulahdelah, north of Newcastle, an eight-hour return trip. Without the tireless work of volunteers like Maxine, the fate of the countless Greyhounds discarded by the industry would be uncertain.
Volunteer-run rescue services all over Australia, reliant on community donation and sponsorship, pick up the slack left by the industry.
Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) is the dog racing industry’s official rehoming body in each state except Queensland. The racing industry uses GAPs to give the public the impression it cares about Greyhounds, but never reveals that it rejects the majority of dogs offered by trainers and owners.
Many Greyhounds fail the GAP entry test because they have not been properly socialised by racing industry owners. The truth is that the GAPs only take the Greyhounds that are easy to rehome because they don’t have racing injuries, aren’t timid, are younger and/or don’t have behaviour problems due to lack of socialisation.
Many of the rejected Greyhounds end up at community-run rescues like Greyhound Rescue, where they are introduced to living as a pet, retrained if necessary and/or nursed back to health.
Greyhound Rescue is actually the only service with its own kennels. In the rest of Australia, Greyhounds rely on volunteers to take ex-racers into their own homes to be fostered.
Without the hundreds of wonderful foster carers around this country, thousands more discarded ex-racers would be dead.
When Maxine picks up a dog from a trainer, she has a routine to allow the dog a chance to get to know her before they start their journey.
“I’ll chat to the trainer while the dog is outside the vehicle, so if it wants to wee or whatever, it can. If it wants to get to know me, that’s great. It’s a sort of light introduction.
“If the dog is happy to be with me, they’ll jump into the van. Some hounds don’t like to jump so I’ll pick them up, or if they are not comfortable with me, the trainer will put them in the van.
“Greyhounds are wonderful dogs to transport. It’s their life. They are transported from their home to the racetrack frequently and they usually travel very well. If there are Greyhounds that are not getting on, I’ve got curtains I can put up between them during the trip. I might have the odd dog that’s a bit stressed or upset, but most of my journeys are quite calm.”
Kirstie Bear, the rehoming specialist at Greyhound Rescue, posted on Facebook to celebrate Maxine’s 150th pick-up, saying she “goes above and beyond to ensure each hound’s journey is as smooth, gentle and comfortable as possible”.
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| Kevin was the 150th lucky hound to be picked up by Maxine |
Maxine has clocked up more than 60,000 kilometres behind the wheel, collecting dogs being surrendered by their owner or trainer to take them to the kennels, transporting them to the vet, or delivering them to their forever home.
“I volunteered for the RSPCA when I lived in Brisbane, so when I moved to Sydney I looked into the RSPCA, but their centres were too far away,” Maxine said. Greyhound Rescue is just around the corner from Maxine, so she started volunteering in the kennels. Maxine grew up around Greyhounds, so she had an immediate affinity for them.
“I volunteered for the RSPCA when I lived in Brisbane, so when I moved to Sydney I looked into the RSPCA, but their centres were too far away,” Maxine said. Greyhound Rescue is just around the corner from Maxine, so she started volunteering in the kennels. Maxine grew up around Greyhounds, so she had an immediate affinity for them.
She soon discovered she was able to combine her other passion, motor vehicles, with her Greyhound work. “Driving and Greyhounds, my happy place,” she said.
“I don’t know where my love of cars came from. Perhaps I should have been born a boy. All my life I’ve been comfortable with my head under a bonnet,” Maxine said.
She manages to divide her time between Greyhound transport and motor sport. Maxine has been involved in endurance kart racing for 10 years, is club secretary and spends several weekends a month at meets.
Maxine picks up dogs being surrendered for adoption during the week. “It gives them a chance to settle in before the weekend when there’s a bigger staff of volunteers.”
The Greyhound Rescue van can carry three dogs. Maxine usually has another volunteer with her when she is transporting more than one hound. She’s picked up 150 hounds being surrendered, but the number of hounds she’s transported to the vets or to their new homes would be more than 200.
“I don’t know where my love of cars came from. Perhaps I should have been born a boy. All my life I’ve been comfortable with my head under a bonnet,” Maxine said.
She manages to divide her time between Greyhound transport and motor sport. Maxine has been involved in endurance kart racing for 10 years, is club secretary and spends several weekends a month at meets.
Maxine picks up dogs being surrendered for adoption during the week. “It gives them a chance to settle in before the weekend when there’s a bigger staff of volunteers.”
The Greyhound Rescue van can carry three dogs. Maxine usually has another volunteer with her when she is transporting more than one hound. She’s picked up 150 hounds being surrendered, but the number of hounds she’s transported to the vets or to their new homes would be more than 200.
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| Some of the lucky rescue hounds newly arrived at the kennels: Baby Tinkerbell and Marsupilami |
Her furthest hound rescue mission was to Bulahdelah, north of Newcastle, an eight-hour return trip. Without the tireless work of volunteers like Maxine, the fate of the countless Greyhounds discarded by the industry would be uncertain.
Volunteer-run rescue services all over Australia, reliant on community donation and sponsorship, pick up the slack left by the industry.
Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) is the dog racing industry’s official rehoming body in each state except Queensland. The racing industry uses GAPs to give the public the impression it cares about Greyhounds, but never reveals that it rejects the majority of dogs offered by trainers and owners.
Many Greyhounds fail the GAP entry test because they have not been properly socialised by racing industry owners. The truth is that the GAPs only take the Greyhounds that are easy to rehome because they don’t have racing injuries, aren’t timid, are younger and/or don’t have behaviour problems due to lack of socialisation.
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| Greyhound Rescue Volunteer Claire Thom hugging a smiling Greyhound |
Greyhound Rescue is actually the only service with its own kennels. In the rest of Australia, Greyhounds rely on volunteers to take ex-racers into their own homes to be fostered.
Without the hundreds of wonderful foster carers around this country, thousands more discarded ex-racers would be dead.
When Maxine picks up a dog from a trainer, she has a routine to allow the dog a chance to get to know her before they start their journey.
“I’ll chat to the trainer while the dog is outside the vehicle, so if it wants to wee or whatever, it can. If it wants to get to know me, that’s great. It’s a sort of light introduction.
“If the dog is happy to be with me, they’ll jump into the van. Some hounds don’t like to jump so I’ll pick them up, or if they are not comfortable with me, the trainer will put them in the van.
“Greyhounds are wonderful dogs to transport. It’s their life. They are transported from their home to the racetrack frequently and they usually travel very well. If there are Greyhounds that are not getting on, I’ve got curtains I can put up between them during the trip. I might have the odd dog that’s a bit stressed or upset, but most of my journeys are quite calm.”
Kirstie Bear, the rehoming specialist at Greyhound Rescue, posted on Facebook to celebrate Maxine’s 150th pick-up, saying she “goes above and beyond to ensure each hound’s journey is as smooth, gentle and comfortable as possible”.
“Her care and dedication make all the difference in starting each hound’s new chapter with us.”Maxine has no pets of her own, due to her busy lifestyle. “If I need a hound fix, I only have to drive seven minutes up the road and I can have 30 giving me love. I'm very privileged to be a part of their lives for a short time.”
Despite there being rules about socialising racing Greyhounds so they are prepared for life as pets when they leave the industry, these rules are often ignored. Community rescue group volunteers must be dedicated and prepared to put in the time and effort to rehabilitate Greyhounds.
Some Greyhounds can’t negotiate steps or walk on anything that is not concrete when they first leave racing. They have not been exposed to other dogs or human contact or seen the sights and sounds outside of the kennels.
Nevertheless, most Greyhounds make wonderful pets, due to their placid and friendly natures. Despite popular belief, they don’t require much exercise, preferring to loll around on a soft bed most of the day.
They don’t bark a lot (your neighbours probably won’t even realise you have a dog in the house) and are undemanding yet loving pets.
Becoming a foster parent to a Greyhound is a great way to give a dog a new start in life, without having to make a permanent commitment to having a dog in the house – great for people who travel a lot.
CPG continues to advocate for an end to Greyhound racing, which causes numerous horrific deaths and injuries, with dogs forced to run on badly designed tracks. Many Greyhounds that suffer fixable injuries like broken legs are euthanised on the trackside or soon after. New Greyhound racing tracks, funded with taxpayer dollars, are still being built in Australia.
Related Stories:
The community spirit behind fostering Greyhounds
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| Greyhound learns how to navigate stone stairs at Greysland, Greyhound Rescue's sensory gardens |
Some Greyhounds can’t negotiate steps or walk on anything that is not concrete when they first leave racing. They have not been exposed to other dogs or human contact or seen the sights and sounds outside of the kennels.
They don’t bark a lot (your neighbours probably won’t even realise you have a dog in the house) and are undemanding yet loving pets.
Becoming a foster parent to a Greyhound is a great way to give a dog a new start in life, without having to make a permanent commitment to having a dog in the house – great for people who travel a lot.
CPG continues to advocate for an end to Greyhound racing, which causes numerous horrific deaths and injuries, with dogs forced to run on badly designed tracks. Many Greyhounds that suffer fixable injuries like broken legs are euthanised on the trackside or soon after. New Greyhound racing tracks, funded with taxpayer dollars, are still being built in Australia.
What you can do to support the cause of Greyhounds
Why not look into becoming a Greyhound foster carer, and help save a life?
Why not look into becoming a Greyhound foster carer, and help save a life?
Or choose a Greyhound as your next forever friend. Donate to a community service and support the volunteers like Maxine that go the extra mile, or help CPG as it tries to make Greyhound racing safer for dogs, and advocates to reduce overbreeding in the industry.
Written by Sue Osborne, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, May 2025 for Australian Dog Lover (all rights reserved).
Written by Sue Osborne, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, May 2025 for Australian Dog Lover (all rights reserved).
For more information on Greyhound Rescue, please visit greyhoundrescue.com.au
About Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
CPG is a dedicated group of people across Australia who work together to inform the public about the cruelties of Greyhound racing.
Learn more by following their channels on: Facebook, Website, Instagram, media coverage.
Related Stories:
The community spirit behind fostering Greyhounds
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