Greyhounds As Pets rehome 61 greyhounds at hugely successful Winter Adoption Day

Sunday’s Greyhounds As Pets Winter Adoption Day, headlined by the appearance of Socceroos legend Tim Cahill, proved a resounding success with 61 greyhounds rehomed during the afternoon.

Tim Cahill at Sunday's hugely successful Winter Adoption Day

NO less than 61 greyhounds have found new homes following a hugely successful Greyhounds As Pets Winter Adoption Day on Sunday.

While the weather may not have been perfect, it didn’t dampen the spirits of the big crowd that packed in Gough Whitlam Park at Earlwood to take part in the bumper day.

Headlining the day was Socceroos legend and passionate Greyhounds As Pets ambassador Tim Cahill.

Cahill spent the day mingling with the crowd and talking all things Matildas following their gripping penalty shoot out victory over France the night before.

“These events are special because people are showing up here from six months ago when they adopted a greyhound,” Cahill said.

“It‘s not about just adopting a greyhound, it’s about coming down and seeing the animals and touching them and joining the community here.

“I don‘t come home to Australia often and it’s great to be home and go and visit my greyhound on my parents’ farm, to see the Matildas and what they are doing, and also for causes like this that are close to my heart.

“To see how far Greyhounds As Pets has come since I started with the organisation four years ago is just amazing.”

In scenes resembling the Boxing Day sales, prospective adopters lined up at the entry eagerly awaiting for the ‘doors to open’ and once they did, many didn’t waste any time.

Included among the array of families to adopt a greyhound on the day were first time adopters Carol and Jude Smith from Wollongong who set a new adoption day record when they adopted Dallas in just under six minutes.

“We wanted to adopt a greyhound and this came up on my Facebook saying this day was on,” said Carol.

“I thought that was a sign to get a greyhound because if I missed this day I might have had to wait another year.

“Because I knew we were coming to this day we looked at all the dogs online and he seemed the most suitable for us, so we put in the application two days ago, and got here early and we have managed to get Dallas.”

GRNSW CEO Rob Macaulay described the day as one the best events he had ever attended.

“It was so great to see so many people come out to the day, not only to adopt a dog, but to pat a dog and find out more about the breed,” he said.

Tim Cahill at Sunday’s Greyhound Adoption Day

“To be able to unite so many people with a new pet for their home is so fulfilling for all of our staff who know what wonderful pets greyhounds make. I’m so glad we were able to make so many people happy by doing that on Sunday.

“The joy of people adopting, it‘s infectious, and of course everyone had a smile on their faces not just because they were surrounded by these beautiful greyhounds, but the Matildas winning the night before certainly put everyone in great mood.

“Tim was magnificent on the day, taking photos, signing autographs, giving of his time, and doing pretty much everything that anyone asked for him.

“But what is best about Tim is that he genuinely loves greyhounds. He has his own greyhound and he‘s not just an ambassador, he’s totally invested in our programs, which is brilliant. He’s a fantastic guy.”