RETIRED greyhounds will be retrained as PTSD companion animals for the Australian Federal Police in a world-first initiative.
The program is a collaboration between the Australian Federal Police Association, Greyhound Racing NSW, and Greyhounds Australasia.
The benefits of pet ownership and support animals for people with PTSD are significant. Police officers are at a higher risk of acquiring mental health injuries and PTSD due to their busy work life, isolation, and on-call rosters.
Bonding with a support animal can provide independence, routines, exercise, and social independence. The announcement of this partnership is less than three months after GRNSW and GA's announcement to supply greyhounds as pets to the Police Association of NSW, which has already shown successful adoptions and a demand for PTSD dogs.
The retraining of greyhounds opens a new career for non-racing greyhounds and highlights the therapeutic benefit they can bring to those suffering from anxiety disorders.