News

Family thrilled with ‘rescued’ pet dog

SIX months ago the Strachan family from Canterbury adopted seven-year-old ‘Dash’ from Greyhound Rescue (GR).

Appealing to the public to also open their hearts and homes, Heather and Ian Strachan, along with their sons, Euan, 7, Cameron, 5, and Fraser, 3, are happy to recommend adopting a rescue greyhound as a family pet.
“They need a couple of short walks a day and are happy to do more, but spend the rest of the time lying around. They don’t smell, rarely bark and are very affectionate and gentle,” Heather said.
She said they got amazing support from GR’s kennel manager Lauren and volunteers Tracey and Sally, who introduced them to her own greyhound P’Roy to help teach the children how to read a dog’s signals.
GR has re-homed more than 1,000 greyhounds since it began in 2009 and co-founder Peter Flann said they ensure compatibility with each household and other pets.
He said a rescue greyhound costs $385 each, which includes a helpful starter pack, and the dogs usually need only simple training.
“Having not been a pet before, rescue greyhounds don’t know about household routines, stairs or glass doors, but they’re usually fast learners,” he said.
He also urged people to consider fostering a greyhound if they’re not sure about adopting one.
Changes introduced from July 1 by the Office of Local Government have ‘de-muzzled’ pet greyhounds registered on the NSW Pet Registry.
Like other dog breeds, greyhounds still need to be on a leash in public, and those that haven’t undergone an approved retraining program, still require a muzzle in off-leash areas.
For more information, you can visit greyhoundrescue.com.au.