While Premier Mike Baird’s decision to ban the sport has left local breeders, owners and trainers reeling, our attention must now turn to re-homing the animals. 

It comes as a Manilla woman, who dedicates her time to rescuing greyhounds, has come out swinging at plans to shut the industry down so quickly, in the wake of last week’s shock announcement it would end by July 2017. 

She fears re-homing organisations like Greyhound Rescue NSW will struggle to find homes and carers for the staggering number of dogs that would be coming through as the ban draws closer.

Others also fear owners could take the fate of the dogs into their own hands. 

The decision – though yet to be finalised – was devastating enough for the industry, but now we must focus on how to re-home the affected animals.

We must consider how to cope with what is likely to be an unprecedented influx of dogs into animal rescue shelters, and we must listen to those at the coalface. 

These rescuers know better than anyone. 

They are often volunteers or devout dog lovers who go above and beyond to care for animals that wind up in their care. 

Racing proponents claim they were not consulted prior to the decision being made. 

Let us not make the same mistake again, by thumbing our nose at those directly involved. 

To make the transition as painless as possible, we must develop a systematic approach to how best deal with the dogs before the ban comes into effect and before it is too late.

For the thousands of people whose livelihoods centre around greyhound racing, the fight against the ban continues. 

While some MPs and councils have refused to weigh in on the debate that will unquestionably affect the livelihoods of hundreds of locals, Barnaby Joyce has likened the decision to the 2011 live cattle export ban, warning it would impact only the “bottom end of town”.

No doubt about it, animal cruelty is a dog act, but when those in the sport have their fate sealed in a single blow, you can’t help but question it.

The real damage is yet to be seen.

We can only hope attention now turns to how we can help re-home these animals that have known only the sport of greyhound racing.