As the Greyhound Retirement Scheme (GRS) approaches its first anniversary, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain has announced an extension of the dispensation for owners.
Under the scheme, owners are required to pay £200 towards their greyhound’s eventual retirement at the same time as registering their greyhound with GBGB. This is in addition to the GBGB registration fee and a greyhound is not allowed to race or trial until this payment has been made. This contribution is matched by GBGB creating a £400 bond that is released when a greyhound enters an approved rehoming centre.
For the first year of the scheme, owners were only required to pay £100 towards the GRS at the point of registration with the remainder due any time up to or on their greyhound’s retirement. By spreading the cost of the payment, GBGB hoped to make participation in the scheme more manageable for owners thereby securing the future retirement of as many greyhounds as possible.
GBGB has now announced a four-month extension to this dispensation until the end of 2021. Any owners registering their greyhounds from 1 January 2022 will be expected to pay the full £200 upon registration with GBGB.
Announcing the extension, GRS Co-ordinator, Paula Beniston said:
“We have been overwhelmed by the response to the GRS and over the past year have welcomed over 8,000 greyhounds to the scheme. Having spoken to many owners across the sport, it is clear that they value the scheme which gives them peace of mind that their greyhound’s future retirement is safe and secure. However with many people still feeling the financial pinch of Covid, it seems only fair to extend the dispensation for four months allowing owners to spread the cost of registering their greyhound in the scheme.
“As we announced last month, GBGB, through the British Greyhound Racing Fund, has contributed over £1 million to the GRS and it has been fantastic to hear of so many wonderful rehoming stories from across the country. The GRS truly has been a step change for the industry and we look forward to building on its success over the coming years.”
