Adopt a greyhound — you won’t regret it

When people think of greyhounds, they think of huge, aggressive dogs who eat their weight a day and need hours of exercise. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The companionship of these gentle giants is like no other. (Pic: Supplied)

When you walk into our small home, the first thing you’ll most likely see is a black giraffe-like giant snoring on our couch. Her name is Tilly. She is the latest addition to our family and has quickly become the resident couch potato.

With the NSW government set to ban greyhound racing, I want to share our experience in greyhound adoption and encourage others to do the same. There will be thousands of dogs homeless over the next 12 months, which will only add to the strain on already brimming shelters and pounds. If you have ever considered a dog, here is why you should look at a greyhound.

When we seriously started to look at what kind of dog would be most suited to our family, we had a long list of ideals which seemed impossible to fulfil. Firstly, we rent, so we had to take into consideration what damage could likely occur and consider our neighbours. It was important for me to have a low maintenance dog, as being pregnant and running after a toddler is enough of a chore. Next was appetite — my husband eats like a horse so I didn’t need another one to add to our shopping bill. I also didn’t want a puppy due to the time needed to toilet train, lead train, the list goes on.

We simply wanted a dog who was affectionate, quiet, pre-trained to some extent, with no separation anxiety, little exercise required and basically easy. You think I’m pushing my luck? Well, we found one.

The idea of a greyhound was suggested to me by a family friend. Their rescue dog had given our boxer a run for her money around the paddock, then passed out for the next two hours in our lounge. Seemed like a good life.

When people think of greyhounds, they think of huge dogs who eat their weight a day and need hours of exercise. They’re assumed to be an “aggressive” dog, who only wants to chase other animals. It simply couldn’t be further from the truth.

Greyhounds are actually more adapted to apartment living than most small dog breeds. Of course, they’re sight hounds and love a chase. But they are sprinters, not marathon runners. A 20 minute walk a day is all they need to then dream the rest of the day away on a comfy bed (for up to 20 hours a day!).

Pounds are filled with unwanted pets, so the idea to adopt, not shop, was a no brainer. The other things that really appealed to us was the lack of separation anxiety and little, if no barking and digging. Greyhounds have short, fine coats and shed very little hair (no setting off my hayfever). There’s no doggie smell and they don’t leave saliva balls through our house.

They are known to be very adaptable and easily trained; and don’t commonly have any serious health issues or the hind leg problems other big breeds carry. We knew there would be a transition period, especially for ex racers, to get used to domestic life with kids. But the pros seemed to far outweigh the (if any) negatives. The more we read, the more it became clear that a greyhound was the dog for us.

On Gumtree we found an ad for a beautiful young girl named Tilly. She was a clever hound who didn’t turn out to be a good racer, so was being passed on to a new home. Boy, did we hit the jackpot.

Tilly came from a trainer who obviously cared very well for his dogs. She had a lovely, calm nature and was perfect with our bouncy toddler. We asked to trial her overnight and simply didn’t want to give her back the next morning. She was the perfect guest. She kindly did all her business outside, even in the same spot and walked well on a lead. There was no mischief after lights out, and we woke to a happy dog who was already starting to get the hang of her name. We were over the moon. Tilly and our daughter Aria were best friends and we were already being begged to take her to daycare.

Best friends Tilly and Aria. (Pic: Supplied)

Tilly has settled right in to being a domestic pet with ease and we have had no regrets. She is the cleanest eater in the house, the best sleeper by far and welcomes our guests with friendly wags instead of tackles. She also loves the dog park, where she is far more interested in getting pats from other owners than socialising with other dogs.

We are required by law to keep a muzzle on her and keep her on a lead (which is mainly to keep her safely off the road, as she can run faster than the speed limit). But we plan to enrol her in a “green-collar” assessment which you can get through the Greyhound Adoption Program in most states. Once they pass, they can go in public without their muzzle.

We would recommend a greyhound as a pet to anyone. Young, single, retired, family — it doesn’t matter who you are. The companionship of these gentle giants is like no other. It is truly like owning a big cat rather than a dog.

We’ve found we spend more quality time together as a family walking her, and it has been the perfect way to get our toddler used to being calm and quiet in the house before our newborn arrives. We couldn’t have made a better decision for our family and look forward to the next 10 years we will have with her.

I recommend jumping on either gapnsw.com.au or greyhoundrescue.com.au to have a browse through the FAQs and available hounds. Both organisations vet the dogs to make sure they are ready for their forever homes. GAP’s big adoption day is July 16 at Wentworth Park, Sydney.

If you have ever considered a family pet, please consider these truly special dogs.

Hayley Saba is a mother and greyhound owner.