As the ACT government moves to ban greyhound racing in the territory community groups are preparing to welcome new additions to their foster and rescue families.
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ACT Greyhound Support Network members met with the minister for regulatory services Gordon Ramsay on Saturday to discuss the way forward.
Group co-ordinator Cindy Daley said the rescue and foster carers were keen to engage with the taskforce to determine their role in the process.
"We're wondering how we're going to manage the drawdown," she said.
"We're not at all worried, it's just a question of how, not if or why or when."
Ms Daley said if the numbers of dogs in the Durkin report were correct, they wouldn't be expecting an influx of animals needing rehoming.
"The report made it very clear the number of dogs we'd expect to have from the ACT industry, and I'm not scared by those numbers. Most of our dogs come from NSW and those numbers are scary.
"We can't possibly rehome all of the dogs that are bred for racing in NSW, and those are the ones that we worry about."
In support of the ban, greyhound owner Emily Smith said the community couldn't overlook the animal welfare issues raised in NSW.
Ms Smith's dog Avery is an assistance dog who helps her manage severe anxiety.
"I'm concerned about the way the dogs are treated, and I value my dog so much, he's very important to me, so it's distressing to see them as commodities that are discarded of," she said.
Mr Ramsay said he still held hope that NSW would ban greyhound racing. He said the ACT was a jurisdiction that had in the past swayed others to follow suit on other issues.
"We know the industry in NSW is deeply flawed," he said.
"There are a number of times when other parts of Australia follow what goes on in the ACT. We're happy to be a lead jurisdiction here."
He said the government was committed to ending the greyhound racing industry in Canberra with a transition package for both people and animals.
"We don't think there will be enormous numbers of greyhounds, the industry in the ACT is a small part of a much larger industry in NSW. We think the important thing is to care for these greyhounds, so we can ensure animal welfare is always paramount for us," he said.
Canberra Greyhound Racing Club spokesman Kel Watt has previously said trainers and breeders would not engage with animal welfare groups contracted to rehome greyhounds after campaigning to ban racing in Canberra.
