Industry updates / 2 July 2019: Change to NSW muzzle requirements for companion animals

The changes to the Companion Animals Regulation introduced on 1 July do not affect greyhound racing industry participants directly. This is because any greyhound kept by a participant must be registered under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017 (GRA); this includes retired greyhounds and greyhounds kept by participants as pets.

Greyhounds registered under the GRA are exempt from the registration requirements of the Companion Animals Act 1998; a greyhound cannot be registered under both Acts.

The Rules of Racing require participants to ensure that their greyhounds are muzzled in public places. R109 provides that a participant must not permit a greyhound to be in a public place unless the greyhound has (a) a securely fixed muzzle and (b) is under control by means of a leash.

If you are not a participant and your greyhound is registered on the Companion Animals register, you can view the changes to muzzling requirements here.