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Australian Dog Lover
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Sydney charity Greyhound Rescue is again declaring April to be ‘Adopt-a-Greyhound Month’.
At the moment, they have have 32 hounds in their kennels, 24 in foster care and over 70 dogs on the waiting list, waiting to come in and all are in need of a loving home.
Greyhound Rescue (GR) is offering a discount for April - $250 instead of $350 per dog – which helps pay for these ex-racers to be de-sexed, vaccinated, heartworm tested and have a full health check - greyhoundrescue.com.au/category/dogs-available
GR kennel volunteer Anne [1] has three greyhounds because they're "such sweet, easy-going dogs" and said she’d recommend a rescue hound to anyone.
“Once you have one, it becomes quite addictive. Our three include Zoe who's a beautiful, gentle soul, then Gizmo who's a placid, loving couch potato, and Ruby, who's a joyful, bouncy girl. They don't take up a lot of space. All you need is a spare lounge and time to give them lots of love and cuddles. There are so many out there just discarded by the industry, we need to support the rescue groups to rehome them,” she said.
“We transport our hounds in the back of our SUV, but they’ll happily sit in the back seat of any car. They travel very well and love the occasional car ride.”
She said she's been volunteering at the GR kennels for three years: "I just love seeing all the beautiful hounds and knowing they will now get the best life they deserve."
Anne first met a Greyhound about 30 years ago when she worked as a vet nurse.
“A Greyhound was brought in for treatment and I was amazed how sweet-natured, gentle and tolerant it was. Then about ten years ago, I started to hear about all the abuse and mistreatment they suffer. I had to be involved in rescuing them. To have the opportunity to adopt some hounds has been wonderful,” she said.
“When we’re out with our dogs, people always ask questions about the process to adopt. We haven't had any issues with our dogs, but GR’s always available if people have questions or need any support. Greyhounds are generally beautiful, funny, loving and tolerant dogs which are low maintenance.
In my experience, the only health requirements are usually annual vaccinations.”
Anne said the GR questionnaire used to match people’s lifestyle and other pets with the right Greyhound is a vital part of the adoption process.
“Like people, Greyhounds are all individuals. Some like cats and other dogs and some want to be alone. When you do a ‘meet and greet’ session with a new hound, take your other pets and have a trial period,” she said.
“We would always consider another rescue Greyhound if the situation arose. At the moment we have other rescue animals as well, so our house is a little crowded.”
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| Janet & Peter Flann, GR Founders |
"We can help with costs if necessary. How long a hound stays with foster carers depends on the number of adoption applications we get, but foster carers should be prepared to accommodate a dog for at least six months,” she said.
Janet said foster Greyhounds also need simple training and carers must allow 'meet and greets': “For most of our dogs, this is the first time they will live as a pet and they don't know about household routines, how to get to the garden, what stairs are or what beeping appliances are all about.”
Prospective foster carers don’t need to worry about the type of dog they’ll get to foster: “We match carers with dogs who’ve been waiting the longest, while we also ensure compatibility with your family and other pets.
We’ve re-homed over 1000 Greyhounds since we began in 2009, with very few returnees,” said Janet.
For more information about fostering, visit greyhoundrescue.com.au/foster/foster-process
Those interested in adopting or fostering should complete an application form.
GR’s available Greyhounds are listed here.
“People in NSW should be aware that muzzling your greyhound is not needed if you obtain a Greenhound2 collar. Muzzling pet Greyhounds is not recommended by either the RSPCA or the Australian Veterinary Association. It's a historical hangover and should have been removed ages ago,” she said.
Muzzle rules: greyhoundequality.org/laws vary across Australia and if you're not in Sydney, you can find a rescue greyhound needing a home near you bychecking www.egreyhound.com.au
Follow Greyhound Rescue at www.facebook.com/GreyhoundRescueNSW
[1] Anne has asked that her surname be withheld.
[2] www.greenhounds.com.au/faqs
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