Greyhound: means a greyhound over the age of 16 weeks that is kept by a participant.

Artificial insemination: means insemination of a dam by any means other than natural mating.

Artificial insemination technician: means a person registered as an artificial insemination technician under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017.

Aversive substances or devices: means a substance or device used to deliver an unpleasant stimulus intended to suppress or diminish an unwanted behaviour, such as an electric shock, or an unpleasant noise or smell.

Barking muzzle: is a muzzle designed to restrict a greyhound’s ability to bark. Bed: means an impervious structure used by a greyhound to rest or sleep in.

Bedding: means the material used to line a bed to provide comfort and warmth to a greyhound.

Biosecurity procedures: means practices adopted to minimise the risk or spread of disease. These can include effective disinfection or containment of people, animals, equipment, materials or other contaminants within the isolation area.

Bullring: means a circular area used for educating and training greyhounds.

Cage: means a structure designed to temporarily contain greyhounds. Code: means this Greyhound Welfare Code of Practice.

Commission: means the Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission (GWIC).

Companion animal: means a pet kept for a person’s company. Companion animals must be registered under the Companion Animals Act 1998.

Compartment: means an enclosure within a vehicle or trailer designed for transporting greyhounds. Dam: means the mother of a litter of puppies.

Dog breeding stand: means a mechanical device or apparatus used to restrain a female greyhound during the act of mating.

Disinfectant: means a chemical used on an inanimate object or surface to destroy micro-organisms that may cause harm to greyhounds.

Euthanasia: means the humane destruction of a greyhound by a veterinarian using a rapid intravenous injection of concentrated barbiturate solution. Euthanasia may only be performed by a person who is not a veterinarian in exceptional, emergency circumstances and in such circumstances, must be performed using humane methods.

Enclosure: means an area fully secured by fences or barriers designed to prevent the escape of greyhounds.

Enrichment: means practices that expose greyhounds to situations or activities that help meet their physical and psychological needs, including any enrichment requirements outlined in this Code.

Exercise: means any physical activity of greyhounds that is designed to meet their physical and behavioural needs.

Exercise, Socialisation and Enrichment Plan: means a documented plan prepared by a participant detailing how the exercise, socialisation and enrichment needs of the greyhound/s in their care will be met.

Exercise yard: means an enclosure in which one or more greyhounds may be kept for several hours at a time for the purpose of exercising.

Galloping run: means an enclosure along which greyhounds can run.

Greyhound housing area: means all pens, kennels, cages and enclosures used to house greyhounds, being areas where the greyhounds sleep, eat or exercise.

Greyhound racing industry participant: means any of the following persons, whether or not the person is employed or engaged on a full-time basis and whether or not the person receives payment or other consideration for the activity concerned:

• a person who owns, breeds or keeps greyhounds,
• a person who trains greyhounds,
• a person who handles greyhounds at a greyhound race or trial,
• a person who acts as a bookmaker or bookmaker’s clerk in connection with greyhound racing,
• a person who provides such health services to greyhounds as a prescribed by the regulations,
• any other person who is of a class of persons associated with greyhound racing that is prescribed by the regulations for the purposes of this definition.

Handling: means any physical human contact with a greyhound, including grooming, patting/ stroking, providing exercise, socialisation and enrichment, and carrying out of a physical health examination.

Heritable disease or defect: means a genetic trait that causes or has potential to cause significant adverse health or welfare issues in affected greyhounds or their progeny.

Humane euthanasia: means euthanasia where the greyhound is rendered immediately unconscious and does not regain consciousness before death.

Kennel: means a pen designed to house a greyhound, often in a series of adjacent pens designed to house multiple greyhounds or puppies.

Litter: means all offspring born dead or alive from a single whelping.

Mating: means the physical act of copulation between a male and a female greyhound.

Mating greyhounds pen: means an enclosure in which greyhounds are kept while mating.

Monitoring or Monitored: means observation and assessment of greyhounds on a regular basis, including but not limited to, during routine management activities.

Muzzle: means a wire, plastic or mesh piece of equipment that is designed specifically to cover the nose and jaw area of a greyhound and does not restrict normal and necessary behaviour such as panting and drinking.

Noxious: means harmful or injurious to the health or well-being of greyhounds or humans.

On-Track Veterinarian: means a veterinarian employed by the Commission in attendance at a greyhound race meeting.

Owner: means the person registered with the Commission as the owner of a greyhound.

Participant: See Greyhound racing industry participant.

Pen: means a structure designed to house greyhounds or puppies.

Puppy: means a greyhound aged under 16 weeks.

Racing: means to run swiftly or to compete in a greyhound race event. Registered: means registered under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017.

Regulation: means the Greyhound Racing Regulation 2019, and any other Regulation made under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017.

Rehoming: means transfer of a greyhound to a person who is not a greyhound racing industry participant.

Retired greyhound: means a greyhound which is registered with the Commission as retired from racing and/or breeding.

Sclerosing agent: means a chemical irritant which is injected into an injured ligament, tendon or bone injury to harden tissue to create scar tissue.

Slipping track: means a straight enclosure along which greyhounds can run.

Socialisation: means interaction between a greyhound and other animals (including other greyhounds) and humans to make the greyhound suitable for life as a companion animal. Spelling/spelled: means a period of rest.

Steward: means a person employed by the Commission as a Steward.

Surface: includes any texture within a housing pen or crate for the purpose of enrichment. For example hard floors, soft bedding, newspaper, artificial grass or turf.

Tethered or tethering: means securing a greyhound to an anchor point for the purpose of confining it to a desired area.

Training: means to teach, educate and/or instruct a greyhound in preparation for racing.

Training facilities: means a bullring, galloping run, slipping track, trial track and any other facility used for the purpose of training greyhounds.

Transfer or Transferred: means to change the ownership of a greyhound.

Trial or Trialling: means to cause a greyhound to run in race-like conditions, whether alone or with other greyhounds, at a licensed race or trial track, in pursuit of a mechanised lure.

Trial track: means any premises (other than a licensed racecourse) held out by the proprietor as being available for the purpose of enabling greyhounds (other than those owned by or leased to the proprietor) to compete in trials or be trained in racing, and includes such other premises as are prescribed by the Greyhound Racing Regulation 2019.

Veterinarian: means a veterinary practitioner registered under the Veterinary Practice Act 2003 (NSW).

Veterinary treatment: means

1. medical treatment of a prophylactic or therapeutic nature carried out upon the animal by, or in accordance with directions given in respect of the animal by, a veterinary practitioner, or
2. surgical treatment of a prophylactic or therapeutic nature, or sterilisation, carried out upon the animal by a veterinary practitioner, or
3. a veterinary diagnostic procedure carried out on the animal by a veterinary practitioner, or
4. a veterinary consultation undertaken in respect of the animal by a veterinary practitioner, or
5. medical care given by a veterinary practitioner to an animal for an illness or injury.

Veterinarian advice: means advice provided to a participant by a veterinarian. Weaned: means a greyhound puppy that no longer receives a milk diet provided by its mother or from an artificial source.

Weatherproof: means protection from the wind, rain and extreme temperatures, to safeguard the welfare of greyhounds in a greyhound housing area.

Whelping: means the process of giving birth to greyhound puppies or “whelps”. The term “whelp” refers to a newborn greyhound puppy that lacks the ability to see, hear, or regulate its body temperature. Whelps need to be nursed by their mother until weaning.

Whelping box or whelping area: means housing for a greyhound going through whelping and her puppies up to 16 weeks of age.

Whelping greyhound pen: means an enclosure designed to house a dam and her litter of puppies over the age of four weeks.