About us

Greyhounds As Pets, also known as GAP or the Greyhound Adoptions Programme Trust, is a registered charity (Registration number CC22080) initially established by Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ). You can learn more about the GAP Trust or what we do here.

At GAP, we have a small but mighty team across New Zealand who work tirelessly to achieve our vision. Why don’t you come meet them?

Our core team is supported by our dedicated volunteers around the country, foster carers or people who take their dogs to events to tell the public what awesome pets they make. If you want to join this awesome team, we are always looking for keen volunteers.

OUR PURPOSE

“To find caring homes for greyhounds leaving the racing industry.”

OUR VISION

We strive for a time where every greyhound leaving the racing industry has a caring home and a greyhound is the top choice for adoption. We work to build a thriving community of GAP owners and hounds. For us, best practice is at the centre of everything we do.

OUR VALUES

We have three key values supporting us on our quest – Greyt Team Spirit, Action and Passion – and these sit at the heart of everything we do.

GREYT TEAM SPIRIT

We work professionally together with trust, kindness, respect and loyalty, recognising that we do our best and if we get it wrong, we’ll fix it. 

Like our hounds, we lean on each other, and we have fun!

ACTION

We work hard to find greyt homes for greyhounds leaving the racing industry. We aim to be the best, through building our knowledge, acting on evidence and opportunity, and providing a whole of life approach.

Like our hounds, we are adaptable, agile, and embrace change.

PASSION

We are passionate about greyhounds – those we are responsible for, those we meet and those we care for and rehome. We are passionate about advocating for greyhounds as pets and building a caring community of greyhound adopters and volunteers.

Like our hounds, we make a positive difference for the hounds and humans whose lives we touch.

FINDING YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) established the Great Mates rehoming programme in 2019 and is taking dogs straight from the trainer when they leave the racing industry. They are thoroughly vet checked and temperament-assessed before they enter our GAP programme.

At GAP we either rehome hounds straight from the three GRNZ kennels (located in Cambridge, Levin, and Rangiora) or we rehome from our nationwide network of volunteer foster homes. Our foster carers gradually introduce the hounds to the big wide world one paw at a time and give them a head start learning what pet life is all about.

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Our Rehoming Team Leads personally know the greyhounds available for adoption and will have a conversation with you about your individual expectations of owning a pet greyhound so we can make the best possible match.

Other information that helps us to make a match includes:

  • What prior dog experience you have
  • The personalities of any other pets living at home
  • Whether young children live at the home
  • If the greyhound is better with company rather than being left alone
  • How easily engaged and responsive to training the greyhound is
  • The individual greyhounds’ personality e.g. whether they are more outgoing or reserved, whether they are more active or laid back.

MADE TO LAST

We provide new adopters with a comprehensive adoption pack including training and behaviour information on settling your greyhound into the home, their vet information, instructions on how to register your hound with your local council and register their microchip, as well as contact details for local businesses that we recommend. We have a GAP store where you can purchase all manner of paraphernalia for your new family member either before or at the time of adoption.

It is important for us to ensure that you continue to feel supported after adoption and that is why we have an Adoption Aftercare Behaviour and Training Consultant. With phone and email follow up, as well as ongoing availability for the lifetime of your greyhound, we are here to help. We encourage new adopters to become involved with their local community of passionate GAP owners and get to know other hounds and their families.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

If you agree with us that greyhounds make fantastic pets, why not have a look at our dogs for adoption and fill in an application form. We will be with you every step of the adoption process and we are here with support and advice long after you adopted your new best friend.

If you are not convinced yet, make sure you come meet us and the hounds at one of our events. We are sure they will cast a spell on you.

The GAP programme was established as an independent trust by Greyhound Racing New Zealand to find homes for greyhounds when they had finished racing. The Trust is governed by an independent Board of Trustees and in 2008 became a registered charity. The Trustees meet every two months to discuss operations and plan future strategy.

You can find out more about our Trustees below.

Jo McCauley

Jo is an experienced leader in the financial services industry and is currently CEO of a NZ based travel insurance business. Jo’s background is originally in Marketing and Customer Experience and she has held several roles in banking and insurance in both NZ and the UK. Originally from Scotland, Jo now lives in Auckland with her husband and four boys and is also mum to several cats and a career changed guide dog.

Michelle Palmer

Michelle is an experienced executive leader with a career spanning across public and private sectors. She is a Member of the Institute of Directors and a Salzburg Global Fellow. After having worked in Australia and the USA, and in Auckland, Marlborough and Christchurch, Michelle and her husband settled in Lower Hutt in 2015 where they live with their 2 greyhounds, 2 cats, and 8 chickens. The greyhounds and cats have luxury living while the chickens live outdoors.

Jean Fahey

Jean has been training greyhounds, very successfully, with her husband for 25 years.  They both enjoy seeing their retired and slow greyhounds find forever homes.  Jean worked as a qualified accountant for 30 years until stepping back 3 years ago to work full time in the greyhound industry. She has a variety of experience on committees and boards of incorporated societies, sporting groups and a school.

Fred Guillemont

Roger Matthews

Roger lives on an orchard near Morrinsville with his wife Nikki, a retired doctor, and Raymond the greyhound.  Roger and Nikki have two sons, Benjamin who is a physiotherapist and Toby who is at university in Auckland.

Roger comes from an earth science and environmental management background, and he has worked for local and regional government from Dunedin to Auckland and at Unitec in Auckland as well as being a public policy and strategy consultant.  He now owns and manages a feijoa, fig and nut orchard, which gives Raymond lots of scope for exploring and looking for rabbits and rats to sniff out.

Roger is a past member of the Institute of Directors, and he has a Certificate in Company Direction.  He is at present president of the NZ Feijoa Growers Association and the NZ Macadamia Society.  He is also on the board of Waikato Tree Crops Association.  Previously he was on the boards of Parkinson’s New Zealand and Sister Cities NZ.  He is also a member of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ).

Sonya Kahn   

Who we are

OUR PURPOSE

“To find caring homes for greyhounds leaving the racing industry.”

OUR VISION

We strive for a time where every greyhound leaving the racing industry has a caring home and a greyhound is the top choice for adoption. We work to build a thriving community of GAP owners and hounds. For us, best practice is at the centre of everything we do.

OUR VALUES

We have three key values supporting us on our quest – Greyt Team Spirit, Action and Passion – and these sit at the heart of everything we do.

GREYT TEAM SPIRIT

We work professionally together with trust, kindness, respect and loyalty, recognising that we do our best and if we get it wrong, we’ll fix it. 

Like our hounds, we lean on each other, and we have fun!

ACTION

We work hard to find greyt homes for greyhounds leaving the racing industry. We aim to be the best, through building our knowledge, acting on evidence and opportunity, and providing a whole of life approach.

Like our hounds, we are adaptable, agile, and embrace change.

PASSION

We are passionate about greyhounds – those we are responsible for, those we meet and those we care for and rehome. We are passionate about advocating for greyhounds as pets and building a caring community of greyhound adopters and volunteers.

Like our hounds, we make a positive difference for the hounds and humans whose lives we touch.

What we do

FINDING YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND

Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) established the Great Mates rehoming programme in 2019 and is taking dogs straight from the trainer when they leave the racing industry. They are thoroughly vet checked and temperament-assessed before they enter our GAP programme.

At GAP we either rehome hounds straight from the three GRNZ kennels (located in Cambridge, Levin, and Rangiora) or we rehome from our nationwide network of volunteer foster homes. Our foster carers gradually introduce the hounds to the big wide world one paw at a time and give them a head start learning what pet life is all about.

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

Our Rehoming Team Leads personally know the greyhounds available for adoption and will have a conversation with you about your individual expectations of owning a pet greyhound so we can make the best possible match.

Other information that helps us to make a match includes:

  • What prior dog experience you have
  • The personalities of any other pets living at home
  • Whether young children live at the home
  • If the greyhound is better with company rather than being left alone
  • How easily engaged and responsive to training the greyhound is
  • The individual greyhounds’ personality e.g. whether they are more outgoing or reserved, whether they are more active or laid back.

MADE TO LAST

We provide new adopters with a comprehensive adoption pack including training and behaviour information on settling your greyhound into the home, their vet information, instructions on how to register your hound with your local council and register their microchip, as well as contact details for local businesses that we recommend. We have a GAP store where you can purchase all manner of paraphernalia for your new family member either before or at the time of adoption.

It is important for us to ensure that you continue to feel supported after adoption and that is why we have an Adoption Aftercare Behaviour and Training Consultant. With phone and email follow up, as well as ongoing availability for the lifetime of your greyhound, we are here to help. We encourage new adopters to become involved with their local community of passionate GAP owners and get to know other hounds and their families.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

If you agree with us that greyhounds make fantastic pets, why not have a look at our dogs for adoption and fill in an application form. We will be with you every step of the adoption process and we are here with support and advice long after you adopted your new best friend.

If you are not convinced yet, make sure you come meet us and the hounds at one of our events. We are sure they will cast a spell on you.

The Trust

The GAP programme was established as an independent trust by Greyhound Racing New Zealand to find homes for greyhounds when they had finished racing. The Trust is governed by an independent Board of Trustees and in 2008 became a registered charity. The Trustees meet every two months to discuss operations and plan future strategy.

You can find out more about our Trustees below.

Jo McCauley

Jo is an experienced leader in the financial services industry and is currently CEO of a NZ based travel insurance business. Jo’s background is originally in Marketing and Customer Experience and she has held several roles in banking and insurance in both NZ and the UK. Originally from Scotland, Jo now lives in Auckland with her husband and four boys and is also mum to several cats and a career changed guide dog.

Michelle Palmer

Michelle is an experienced executive leader with a career spanning across public and private sectors. She is a Member of the Institute of Directors and a Salzburg Global Fellow. After having worked in Australia and the USA, and in Auckland, Marlborough and Christchurch, Michelle and her husband settled in Lower Hutt in 2015 where they live with their 2 greyhounds, 2 cats, and 8 chickens. The greyhounds and cats have luxury living while the chickens live outdoors.

Jean Fahey

Jean has been training greyhounds, very successfully, with her husband for 25 years.  They both enjoy seeing their retired and slow greyhounds find forever homes.  Jean worked as a qualified accountant for 30 years until stepping back 3 years ago to work full time in the greyhound industry. She has a variety of experience on committees and boards of incorporated societies, sporting groups and a school.

Fred Guillemont

Roger Matthews

Roger lives on an orchard near Morrinsville with his wife Nikki, a retired doctor, and Raymond the greyhound.  Roger and Nikki have two sons, Benjamin who is a physiotherapist and Toby who is at university in Auckland.

Roger comes from an earth science and environmental management background, and he has worked for local and regional government from Dunedin to Auckland and at Unitec in Auckland as well as being a public policy and strategy consultant.  He now owns and manages a feijoa, fig and nut orchard, which gives Raymond lots of scope for exploring and looking for rabbits and rats to sniff out.

Roger is a past member of the Institute of Directors, and he has a Certificate in Company Direction.  He is at present president of the NZ Feijoa Growers Association and the NZ Macadamia Society.  He is also on the board of Waikato Tree Crops Association.  Previously he was on the boards of Parkinson’s New Zealand and Sister Cities NZ.  He is also a member of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ).

Sonya Kahn