In November, 2012 I was at work at AWLQ when I had the occasion to walk a beautiful, purebred black greyhound across the shelter.
My first impression was how incredibly easy on the lead she was, with absolutely no pulling, even though she was a very muscular 30 kg dog.
Intrigued by this and her sweet and affectionate nature, I decided to find out more.
I learned she was an ex-professional racer named “Miss Mysterious”; she was just four years old and had raced a dozen times, all in Victoria.
I was able to access this information and more, as all racing greyhounds have registration numbers tattooed inside each of their ears, a reminder of their histories as a racing dog.
She was so sweet that I spoke to my wife about a possible adoption and we decided to have a go.
From the day we brought her home to live with us, she was a delight!
She adjusted very quickly to the new stuff in her world (the garage door opening and closing, the Television going, tile floors, etc), including our two cats.
By simply using common sense about how we introduced her to the cats ( on a lead) and by keeping them separate but able to see each other until she had settled in, we soon learned that she was not aggressive towards them.
18 months later, the three are fast friends and often sleep on the same bed.
We renamed this wonderful girl “Cookie”, in honour of her love of dog biscuits, and she is now a much loved member of our family, who loves being with us on walks, car rides, and sometimes just watching TV.
We have since become huge advocates for adopting greyhounds as we want to help spread the word about how they make great family pets.
They are gentle, affectionate, hilarious, and endearing!
Whether simply curled up with her doona and toys on one of her several raised beds or doing a few high speed 360’s /Zoomies in the yard to stretch her legs, she has brought our family so much joy.
There are never enough homes for the many thousands of ex-racing greyhounds who need them, so if you are looking for a smart, loyal and fabulous companion, look into adopting a greyhound.
You’ll save a precious life and enjoy many fabulous years together!
David
