Cats and dogs can woof down free food

Pets in the region have something to wag their tails about thanks to an initiative launched by Greyhound Racing Victoria and Shepparton Greyhound Racing Club (SGRC).

By banding together, the organisations are offering more than $13,000 in dog and cat food to help owners currently struggling to cover ownership costs during COVID-19’s turbulence.

The scale of the operation has been aided by several community organisations; Greater Shepparton Lighthouse, Shepparton Food Share, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District and Committee for Greater Shepparton.

SGRC club manager Carl McGrath was pleased to announce the act of almsgiving, also lauding the support provided by volunteers.

“The club was really keen on assisting in the relief efforts and by doing this, it helps not only humans, but the pets of the GV too,” McGrath said.

“It’s great to see these people, who are some of the community’s most caring and generous people, come together to support their own in times of need.”

In addition to the donation, SGRC has committed to providing a staff member to assist with the delivery and execution of food and services to the community while the quarantine period lasts.

And that’s not all. Greyhound trainers and participants doing it similarly tough are set to receive bags of dog food (kibble) free of charge to help industry participants cope with the absence of racing at Shepparton’s track.

“Being able to secure a significant quantity of dog food was a great way of assisting not only the dogs, but those industry people in need,” McGrath said.

“The welfare of our dogs is an extremely high priority and it is equally important to look after them, as well as our participants.”

● Registered participants can contact Shepparton Greyhound Racing Club for more information on securing their free bag of dog food.