Under the first version of the new rules, which came into effect on March 1, owners were forced to initially approach Tasracing's Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) before they approached any other organisation with a dog in need of rehoming.

Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania

Brightside Farm Sanctuary founder Emma Haswell feared that rule would have permanently reduced the number of greyhounds surrendered to her. Ms Haswell also suggested Tasracing had not undertaken adequate consultation outside the industry before the rules were changed.

"I'm very disappointed that Tasracing didn't value my input more, or at all, after 15 years of rehoming well over 1000 greyhounds," Ms Haswell said.

"I just would have thought they would have been interested in what we had to say, as to why we're so successful with rehoming greyhounds."

Ms Haswell believes another new rule, which requires owners to pay to desex greyhounds before surrendering them to organisations other than GAP, will also reduce the number of dogs surrendered to Brightside.

She said the rule made it cheaper for owners to give dogs to the GAP because Tasracing would pay for dogs to be desexed once they entered the GAP- unlike if the dogs were given to Brightside and had to desexed prior at the owner's expense.

After Ms Haswell raised her concerns with Tasmania's racing regulator, the Office of Racing Integrity, another change to the rules was made.

In April - about month after the new rules were introduced - Tasracing agreed to make a minor change which would allow owners to give their greyhound in need of rehoming to Brightside or other appropriate third parties, without approaching the GAP first.

Acting Office of Racing Integrity general manager Tony Latham said he did not know when the rules would be formally changed again, but he confirmed another the change would be made.

"In consultation with Brightside and feedback from the industry, Tasracing will be [changing the rules]... so participants can have the option of where and who they can rehome their greyhound to," Mr Latham said.

"Very relieved" and "pretty thrilled" were the terms Ms Haswell used to describe how she felt after Tasracing agreed to change the rule again.

"We're still going to get a vastly reduced number of dogs [because of the desexing rule change]," Ms Haswell said.

"I just used to get them done, we were $700 out of pocket per greyhound before they changed the rules, which wasn't sustainable. So the idea was that the Office of Racing Integrity were going to put it to Tasracing that the greyhounds were desexed before they came here and that Tasracing would subsidise the trainers.

"The bit Tasracing left off was the subsidy."

When asked why there had been a shake-up of the rules, Mr Latham said animal welfare was a priority for Tasracing, the regulator and the state government.

"To keep in line with other jurisdictions, animal welfare, public expectations and the sustainability of the greyhound racing industry, recommendations were provided to Tasracing relating to rehoming, euthanasia and retirement local rules," Mr Latham said.

Tasracing's animal welfare manager Belinda Lewis said the new rules ensured the industry took responsibility for health and wellbeing of greyhounds.

"The new rules ensuring desexing is undertaken by the industry, either through GAP which is industry funded or by the owner prior to being rehomed through an alternative animal adoption agency or third party," Ms Lewis said.

"The rule change will actually benefit organisations such as the Brightside and the Illoura Animal Refuge by eliminating the cost of desexing for any greyhounds that come into their care."

When it came to rule changes, Ms Lewis said stakeholders outside the industry did not need to be consulted with.

"There is no need to consult outside the industry when we are making changes to the rules of racing...industry includes owners, trainers and the Office of Racing Integrity as well as Tasracing," she said.

Among the other rule changes was the introduction of a 28-day wind down period which forces owners to record daily attempts at socialising greyhounds in non-training and non-racing settings before they can be rehomed.

The rules require owners to notify the regulator when a wind-down period commences and during the 28 days greyhounds must not engage in any racing related activities.

After the wind down period rule and other changes came into effect on March 1 the number of greyhounds entering the GAP and Brightside dropped significantly, but Tasracing suggested the drop was only temporary.

Ms Lewis said people who wanted to adopt greyhounds in April would have found it more difficult because of the wind down period change and an increase in adoption when the coronavirus pandemic was declared.

"For a period of time in March and April, GAP was unable to accept any new dogs into the program as its respective 28 day wind down period had not been completed," she said.

"New dogs entering the program undergo a period of assessment and retraining for pet life. Any required veterinary work is also completed during this period and it can be several weeks before a greyhound is ready for adoption."

Under the new rules owners must make reasonable efforts to avoid euthanasia by finding greyhounds a suitable long-term home.The rules also ban owners from euthanasing greyhounds unless they have the regulator's approval in writing.

According to the rules, Tasracing's GAP or another person approved by the regulator can arrange for a vet to euthanise a greyhound if "the greyhound is displaying significant behavioural characteristics that negative impact on its suitability as a pet including aggression towards humans or other animals".

Ms Lewis said no dog was ever deemed unsuitable for entry into the GAP.

"Dogs are not euthanised at the discretion of GAP staff," she said. "GAP has never euthanised a dog on the basis that it was ineligible to enter the program. GAP accepts all dogs into the program".

Oliver Knight-Leighton's family is one of a growing number who have welcomed ex-racing greyhounds into their lives.

Amber joined the family about six months ago.

"She does like run around the back garden... she pants for a while and then she sleeps," Mr Knight-Leighton, 12, said.

"The main reason racing has been criticised is because of the way the greyhounds get treated by the owners sometimes, that's why we want to show people that racing isn't the way to go."

Oliver's mother Alison Knight-Leighton suspected Amber's body was badly damaged during her time in the greyhound racing industry

"Amber's only got half a tail and she's got quite a big scar on her arm as well so we don't know what exactly happened but we think she may have been kept in a cage," Ms Knight-Leighton said.

"They're great companions and you think of them as outside dogs but they really just love being inside with you."

Maxine Butwell is another Tasmanian who recently adopted. Houdini has lived with Ms Butwell, her cat Oliver and cattle dog Kayla for the past three months.

"GAP offered me a dog last year but I was unable to do it because I had a broken leg so that didn't work out," Ms Butwell said.

Houdini came from Brightside and Ms Butwell describes him as "a delight" and great companion during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Houdini's giving me lots of amusement, he finds it very social so he finds it a bit difficult when we go for our walks because he wants to talk to everybody and isn't really able to at the moment."