Greyhound Rescue appeals on behalf of the Boys!

Written by Australian Dog Lover 12:00:00 - 0 Comments

Greyhound Rescue is appealing to all dog lovers to open their hearts and homes to the male half of this lovely breed, which are in desperate need of homes.

Greyhound Rescue (GR) founder, Janet Flann, said the charity now has over 17 male Greyhounds needing adoption or foster care - due to its kennels near Camden being full.

Adoption costs $350 which helps cover the costs of desexing, vaccination and a full health check. People keen to adopt should complete an application form on the GR website.

“When our kennels are full, we can’t help as many dogs. The boys can be overlooked because they are bigger, but often they are soppier,” she said.

Photo Credit: Jo Lyons Photography

She said two male Greyhounds, Marlo (featured above) and Timmy (left) - both aged five years - have been waiting for a new home since mid-2017. Marlo is in foster care at North Parramatta (and is not small dog friendly), while Timmy is at GR’s kennels near Camden.

“Marlo and Timmy need homes. They’re both lovely. Timmy is a bit timid, so will need a home with people who’ll take the time to bring him out of his shell, plus he must go to a home without children.

Marlo can be a little bit excited around other dogs, so he’d be best as an only dog. He’d be fine with children eight years and over,” said Janet. Most people don’t know they can foster a Greyhound to help prepare these dogs for loving homes, or simply to ‘try before you buy’ and make a permanent pet decision.

Florian with foster Greyhound Ned

Balmain locals, Yosra and Florian, moved to Australia from France, heard about the dog racing industry and started researching the best places to foster a male Greyhound.

"After deciding on Greyhound Rescue, we went through our foster process which was straightforward. It involves an online application, a house visit, and a visit to the kennels to meet your greyhound," said Yosra."The volunteers were happy to answer any questions we had. One of the volunteers, Ella, conducted our house visit. She explained everything clearly."

While Yosra had wanted a Greyhound since childhood, her husband Florian (nicknamed Flo) never had a dog. They decided that fostering would be a good idea.

"Our first foster was Ned. Flo and he got attached very quickly! After Ned was adopted, we decided to foster another dog named Jitsu, who's three years old," she said.

Jitsu’s first days at home were very cute according to Yosra. 
"He didn’t really know how to act, but always wanted to do the right thing! Little by little he began to settle and understand the rules of the house. Seeing him really come out of his shell was the most rewarding thing," she said.

Every dog is different however Yosra and Flo believe previous experience with dogs really helps. "We already knew that Greyhounds were pretty lazy and not good at balancing their body temperature, so we were prepared with coats to keep Ned and Jitsu warm. 
We also knew that they wouldn’t need a lot of exercise," said Flo.

"The only problem we had with Jitsu was that he loves to chew! This issue was overcome quickly. We bought him a few toys and taught him that these were okay to chew on."

Jitsu is now completely chilled at home!

Flo’s advice for fostering a Greyhound is to remember it is a responsibility and a very rewarding experience!"

Consider that the dog will probably need a bit of training because it has never lived in a house before," he said.

Flo says fostering is great if you are not sure that you want a dog, because you get to ‘try before you buy’. And on this basis, they fostered and then adopted Jitsu!


Janet Flann, Greyhound Rescue (GR) founder, said GR pays the full cost of necessary vet bills incurred while a dog is in foster, while carers cover food, shelter and flea treatments.

“We’ll supply muzzle, coat, collar and lead. Foster carers pay for food. We can help with costs if necessary. How long a hound stays depends on how many adoption applications we get, but carers should be prepared to keep a dog for at least six months,” she said.

Janet said as well as food, shelter and love, foster Greyhounds also need basic training: “For many of our dogs, this is the first time they'll live as a pet and it can be overwhelming.”She said carers are required to meet and greet potential adopters when the time comes.

“They can always adopt, but carers tell us it’s great to see their foster dog go to its forever home. If they decide to adopt, our greyhounds are de-sexed, vaccinated and heartworm tested, all for only $350 each.”

Janet said carers don’t need to worry about the type of dog they’ll get to foster. “We like to match foster carers with dogs, so we ensure compatibility with your household and other pets. People who are interested in adopting or fostering should complete an application form available on our website,” she said.

Find out more about male dogs available for fostering and adoption 

Foster FAQs - greyhoundrescue.com.au/foster/foster-faq
About Greyhound Rescue - greyhoundrescue.com.au/about 

MEDIA RELEASE, 4th July 2018

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