Greyhounds are My Life profiles some of the 17,000 people involved in greyhound racing across Victoria. They come from all walks of life, but are united by their common love of greyhounds and by how they put the welfare of the dogs and the integrity of the sport first and foremost.

Their stories also highlight their connections with their local greyhound racing clubs and how Victoria’s 13 greyhound racing clubs are part of their communities, creating jobs, social and professional networks and supporting local groups and causes.

Profiles are being released before each Club’s annual Cup.

If you like Greyhounds are My Life and you’ve got any comments, suggestions or good stories about your own involvement in the sport, please let us know at ourcommunity@grv.org.au

Barry Toner
What started out as an enjoyable hobby became a way of life for Barry and his wife Doris over the past few decades as they trained and raced greyhounds, winning quite a few good races along the way. Off the track, Barry was a Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board member for six years, served on several club committees and is currently on the Cranbourne club committee. While his sons grew up with greyhounds, it’s his granddaughters, Madison and Paris, who are now really involved with the sport. Madison is also a veterinarian nurse, they both work as catchers at Cranbourne and they both help Barry and Doris in training a new generation of racers.

Dr Barbara Backhoy
By the time the 12 year old Barbara Backhoy was training and winning races with Shining Eagle, she knew greyhounds would be her life. Introduced to the sport by her father, Barbara decided that being a veterinarian was her calling. After studying in Queensland, Barbara worked in Australia and the UK at greyhound racing clubs and vet hospitals before visiting Ireland through GRV’s Young Chasers program. Now Barbara brings 15 years of experience as one of Australia’s leading greyhound vets to race meetings at Cranbourne and Warragul greyhound clubs when she’s not enjoying life with her own retired racing greyhound Fergie.

Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club

Founded in 1974, the Cranbourne Greyhound Racing Club is based at the Cranbourne Racing Centre, the only venue in Victoria that conducts all three codes of racing – thoroughbred, harness and greyhound.

The Club hosts around 60 meetings annually, including the Cranbourne Classic and the Cranbourne Cup – the third leg of the new Gippsland Carnival – following on from the Sale Cup in December and the Warragul Cup in January. The club directly employs 14 permanent and casual staff while greyhound racing also generates many more indirect local jobs and contributes around $40 million to the Gippsland region.

Check out our other Greyhounds are My Life videos at
www.GRV.org.au/GAML