ONE of Tasmania’s most talented greyhound trainers Susan Gittus has taken on an additional role that she hopes will extend the lives of greyhounds beyond their racing careers.
Gittus has recently been appointed as Tasmania’s Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) coordinator, a position she is already relishing.
“The job is primarily to organise the re-homing of former racing greyhounds and some dogs that never got to the track,” Gittus said.
“GAP is designed to give after life to the racing dogs and it is something that I care deeply about and want to ensure we get as many greyhounds as possible into the program and subsequently placed in good homes,” she said.
Gittus, 35, has been involved in greyhound racing all her life. Her father John Cameron has been training greyhounds for over 40 years.
“I can’t remember any time of my life that didn’t have involvement with greyhounds.”
“I’ve always been around greyhounds. I’ve raced them, shown them and I still have many of them as pets,” she said.
Gittus’ role is to manage the administration of GAP Tasmania that is funded by Tasracing.
She spends a few hours at Tasracing’s headquarters at Tattersall’s Park on Mondays but the bulk of her duties are tended to from home.
“The job takes up at least 20 hours a week and I expect some weeks will be more strenuous than others but it is something I believe in and want to make work,” she said.
In the past GAP has been troubled by a shortage of dogs to be placed but that is not the case today.
“I’ve been on a campaign to try and get trainers and owners to put dogs back through the program, but surprisingly there is a real shortage of potential owners.”
“We’ve got 14 dogs to place and only two likely owners so I’m focusing on securing as many potential owners as I can,” she said.
GAP has become an integral part of the greyhound industry with most states’ controlling bodies providing assistance and funding for the development of their respective programs.