‘THEY COULDN’T CARE LESS’: FEARS FOR DOGS’ WELFARE AS GREYHOUND RACING NSW AXES ONE OF TWO ADOPTION CENTRES

Present and past employees have voiced significant apprehensions regarding animal welfare and the organizational culture at the governing body of greyhound racing in New South Wales. This follows the sudden closure of one of only two adoption centers for retired racing dogs earlier this week.

Staff members at the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) in Wyee were terminated on Monday, coinciding with the announcement by Rob Macaulay, Chief Executive of Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW), that the agency would implement a 30% budget reduction in the upcoming fiscal year due to a 22.5% decline in gambling revenue.

In a press statement, Macaulay outlined GRNSW’s cost-saving measures, which entail staff layoffs and the transformation of the Wyee GAP kennels into a facility for rehoming retired greyhounds in the US through the GRNSW program.

Macaulay assured that the budget cuts would not adversely affect animal welfare. However, individuals who have communicated with Guardian Australia, both publicly and anonymously, vehemently disagree with this assertion.

Sarah Stratford worked part-time at the Wyee GAP until she was sacked this week. She said many of the greyhounds would “not cope” with the flight.

According to a GRNSW representative, none of the greyhounds housed at Wyee on Monday were part of the US program. However, Guardian Australia has obtained a list of 13 dogs designated for export to the US. When questioned further, GRNSW stated that it is yet to determine which dogs will be sent to the US.

Stratford expressed concern over the language used by Macaulay and two other executives when referring to the dogs. “We would have mandatory meetings where they would [call] them commodities,” alleged Stratford. Another former employee stated, “It was honestly like they couldn’t care less about the dogs.”

A GRNSW spokesperson refuted these claims, stating that such allegations are unfounded and contrary to their primary focus on animal care and greyhound welfare.

GAP undertakes the rehabilitation of racing greyhounds for adoption, facilitating their transition to new homes. While the program is registered as a charity, its personnel are employed by GRNSW. GRNSW aims to rehome 3,500 dogs during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The second GAP adoption center in western Sydney will remain operational.

Hanrob, the contractor slated to assume management of the Wyee facility, did not provide a response to a request for comment.

‘Sales targets’ for greyhound rehoming in US

A current employee of GAP, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that executives insisted on sending dogs to the US, even those deemed unsuitable due to factors such as higher grade heart murmurs or pannus, a type of eye disease. Despite their conditions, these dogs would be counted as “rehomed,” even if they were destined to merely sit in a kennel or be transferred to another adoption center in the US.

A spokesperson for GRNSW countered these claims, asserting that all dogs sent to the US undergo thorough vet checks and are deemed fit for adoption.

An email from Macaulay to staff in August last year, viewed by Guardian Australia, referred to dogs sent to the US as “sales targets.”

According to emails seen by the Guardian, a staff member involved in the “Aussie Mates in the States” program, which commenced in January 2023, informed Macaulay that 208 retired racing greyhounds had been sent to the US by the end of July, at an average cost of $4,400 per dog. This staff member believed that 600 greyhounds could be rehomed in the US per year, but Macaulay expressed a desire for even higher numbers.

Emails reviewed by the Guardian reveal that Macaulay instructed the staff member to devise a strategy to meet a new Key Performance Indicator (KPI): “1009 for the balance of the year = 92 per month = 21 per week.”

“We need to adjust our monthly sales target up for the balance of the year to achieve our annual sales goal,” Macaulay stated. “Obviously, it is important to maintain this delivery level consistently month-in-month out, or the ‘cliff’ becomes too steep to overcome.”

A former employee of GAP commented, “We’d follow up with the rescues in America … and many of them would still be awaiting adoption and in kennels. And that would take months.”

Initially, GRNSW denied that Macaulay had set a target of 1,000 dogs for the past financial year. However, when questioned about the emails, a spokesperson clarified, “He didn’t refer to the greyhounds as sales targets; he referred to sales targets for greyhound rehoming.”

The spokesperson confirmed that dogs sent to the US were counted as having been “rehomed”.

‘Bonuses based on how many dogs they’re getting rid of’

Stratford said GRNSW executives’ bonuses depended on meeting their KPIs, including how many dogs were rehomed. A spokesperson for the agency said rehoming was one of the “common organisational KPIs” across all leaders in the business.

One of Stratford’s former colleagues alleged: “They’re getting their bonuses based on how many dogs they’re getting rid of. And the more dogs they get rid of, they can keep breeding more. And so they’re shipping them to the US.”

Stratford stated that she and her colleagues had informed Macaulay and two other executives about the unsafe conditions at the facility, stressing the urgent need for repairs. They claimed that greyhounds had suffered injuries, including one dog that had “completely opened her foot.”

“They all mentioned that renovations for our site were postponed because it would require an additional, I believe, $4 million, which they couldn’t afford,” Stratford explained.

A former employee alleged that the “site was deteriorating,” and they had raised similar concerns with the executives. The Guardian has obtained photos depicting injuries that workers claim the dogs sustained on the premises.

A spokesperson for GRNSW asserted that the facility had never been deemed unsafe and highlighted the presence of an “experienced site manager” who had ample funds allocated for repairs and maintenance.

Following the announcement of the Wyee GAP closure, Macaulay informed the Newcastle Herald that only one dog had died “in transit” to the US.

Stratford contested this claim, alleging that three dogs had died. “I want it to be clear that it was not just one dog,” she emphasized.

When questioned about the inconsistency, Macaulay acknowledged that two other dogs enrolled in the US program had passed away in New South Wales.

The Guardian reached out to racing minister David Harris for comment. A government spokesperson asserted that both the government and the broader community expected the industry to operate with the utmost standards of integrity and animal welfare.