Ms O’CONNOR – If you are the manager of the Greyhound Adoption program, do you need to pass a fit and proper person test?
Ms HOWLETT – That question is a Tasracing question. I’m not going to comment on where your question may go to.
Ms O’CONNOR – How do you know where it’s going?
Ms HOWLETT – Because I can predict that it’s going to staffing issues at the GAP facility.
Ms O’CONNOR – Actually it’s more about the metrics that are being used to determine whether or not a dog that’s in GAP should be euthanised. We understand that it’s much easier now for the chief vet to give an approval for a dog to be euthanised at GAP because it is an imperative of the industry. This was the throughput policy that your government is saying wasn’t implemented, but the information we have is that the testing that’s done on greyhounds there to determine whether or not they should be euthanised is pretty loose, and a dog might, for example, be regarded as worthy of euthanasia if they’re trying to protect a ball that they were given and are playing with.
Ms HOWLETT – I totally disagree with your comments. The GAP program is managed under the direction of the Tasracing Chief Veterinary and Animal Welfare Officer, Dr Martin Lenz, with the support of his highly qualified GAP Coordinator, behaviourist and staff. GAP operates based on protocols which have been adopted nationally to protect greyhounds and their owners.
Ms O’CONNOR – Thank you, minister. Can you tell the committee –
Ms HOWLETT – The director has to approve.
Ms O’CONNOR – I understand that. Have the processes and the assessment metric of whether or not a dog in the greyhound adoption program should be euthanised – I use that term lightly because it’s not really a mercy killing, is it? It’s just a killing. Has the metric for determining whether a dog that’s in GAP should be euthanised changed? Is it now easier, as we understand it is, for a recommendation to be made to euthanise a dog?
Ms HOWLETT – I believe it’s far more difficult, Ms O’Connor.
Ms O’CONNOR – Is that a belief or a fact?
Ms HOWLETT – I believe that’s a fact. I’ve had discussions and meetings with the Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Martin Lenz. I believe it’s a lot more difficult to euthanise a greyhound. On a positive note, Ms O’Connor, a DA has been lodged to the Southern Midlands Council to increase the facility at the GAP Adoption Program.
Ms O’CONNOR – Dr Martin Lenz, as we understand it, helped to shape the new throughput policy that makes it easier to clear dogs out of the Greyhound Adoption Program. Dr Martin Lenz designed the throughput policy. You’re telling me you believe it is harder for a greyhound to be euthanised through GAP? Dr Lenz arrived and basically wrote a policy that would make it easier for the dogs to be euthanised. Are you saying it is now harder for you to get approval to euthanise a dog that goes through GAP?
Ms HOWLETT – That policy was never adopted.
Ms O’CONNOR – He wrote it.
Ms HOWLETT – I’ll ask for the director of the Office of Racing Integrity to add some comments.
Ms O’CONNOR – Not officially adopted maybe.
Mr THOMPSON – All dogs in GAP are still registered dogs. For any to be euthanised they require the permission of the director. That decision and permission is not given lightly.
I believe in the last year since I’ve been back in this position, I’ve only provided permission to euthanise two dogs from the GAP program. That decision was based on some very well documented evidence that came to me. It was evidence in the written form, it was evidence in video form. I will give you a flavour of the evidence that does come through the testing criteria. The evidence is provided about how the dog acts in the presence of people, whether it’s relaxed, cautious, whether it’s extremely fearful, or whether it allows a collar and a lead to be removed, how resistant, or is it really passive in allowing that to happen to it, whether it walks on a lead, if it does walk on a lead, does it do it calmly? Does it do it in an aggressive manner? Is there still a prey drive? Is it highly interested in prey or is there no interest? Is the animal social to people and to other smaller dogs?
All that comes to me in the form of written and video evidence. Upon that evidence, I make a decision and by virtue of that, I’ve made a decision on two animals. It’s a very considered process.
