Doglovers@DAS
Special edition: greyhound rescue August 2016
Welcome
Dear readers,
With the recent welcome announcement of a ban on greyhound racing in NSW and the ACT, strongly supported by animal welfare groups, rescue groups are keen to find new owners for greyhounds now needing homes.
This special edition provides information about the benefits of rescue greyhounds, rescue groups and requirements when owning a greyhound.
When you rescue a greyhound you don’t just save a life and provide a well-deserved, loving home to a dog after its previous grim life as a racer or used for breeding. You will also gain a wonderful companion. If you live in an apartment or are less mobile, a greyhound can be the perfect pet.
If rehoming is not an option, please consider fostering or donating. Please, too, distribute information about greyhound rehoming to your networks.
As a community, we can help to make a difference, to give these dogs a better life.
Thank you in anticipation!
Di Johnstone AM
DAS Volunteer and Editor
Rescue greyhounds shine as family pets
Bring a rescue greyhound into your home and you will have a great family pet. That is the enthusiastic message from Canberra rescue greyhound owners.
On a sparkling winter day at Fadden Pines, Canberra owners with their rescue greyhounds and other dog buddies met to do what dogs love, go for a brisk walk in the outdoors. These popular walks are organised every month by the ACT Greyhound Support Network. The thirty minute Fadden Pines walk, organised by Emily Smith, was the first on the southside and with a turnout of so many keen owners and family members it looks like they may become more frequent!
The greyhounds were a lovely sight, with their sleek, polished coats and others in jackets with stunning patterns. They were also friendly and calm, and polite when introduced to each other.
As a breed, owners say they have so much to offer. The are affectionate and have a gentle nature and good doggie manners! “Seeing greyhounds playing or carefree snoozing on the couch is very rewarding. As family pets, greyhounds are also great with children and the majority work well with other dogs and even cats”, says Cindy Daley from the ACT Greyhound Support Network. Rue. Photo: Courtesy of Melissa Veal
With a reputation, too, as ‘couch potatoes’, greyhounds are ideal pets for those living in apartments. They are happy to simply curl up all day and enjoy the comfort of home, only needing a short daily walk.
“With wastage, track injury and few retirement options, every greyhound that makes it onto a couch is a miracle. It is hard knowing that for every greyhound going to his/her home today, there are many more that won’t be so lucky. We always need more foster carers”, says Cindy Daley.
For more information about rehoming or fostering a greyhound see following pages. For more information about the walks, find ACT Greyhound Support Network on Facebook.
Why a greyhound?
Most people have a preconceived idea about greyhounds. Many people associate greyhounds with racing, needing lots of exercise and not being good with small dogs and animals.
We say to people take everything you think you know about greyhounds, and they are the exact opposite! They were originally bred as family companions to British nobility; as such, their true nature is gentle, calm and loving.
Bred for their athleticism, greyhounds tend not to suffer from the hereditary defects found in other purebred dogs. The strict regimented life in racing
ACT greyhound support network
kennels means that most retired racers have already been taught to walk well on the lead, rarely bark, and are extremely clean.
With their very short hair and lack of fat greyhounds don’t have that doggy smell that is associated with so many other breeds of dogs. They are also low shedders which keeps maintenance to a minimum. Due to their life in kennels, greyhounds, especially older ex-racers, are accustomed to living in small spaces, so apartments and townhouses are fine! The strict routine many ex-racers experienced makes them very easy to toilet train. Despite the stereotypes, many greyhounds
live in perfect harmony with cats, livestock, other dogs and even chickens! Greyhounds love children. They thrive on human contact and kids bring out the cheekiness in even the quietest of dogs. Most retired greyhounds are happy with a twenty-minute walk, once or twice day.
Greyhounds have such cheeky entertaining personalities; they love to sleep most of the day. They are masters of sleeping in weird and wonderful positions including roaching where they sleep on their backs with their legs in the air. A seriously funny condition called ‘escape tongue syndrome’ highlights the depth of relaxation these dogs feel when asleep.
They love to let us know when they are happy. They chatter their teeth together akin to cats purring and are smiling and waggly tails machines!
Greyhounds are silly, cuddly, quiet, shy and loving. If you open your heart to a greyhound they will return it threefold.
Greyhound rescueDid you know there is an ACT Greyhound Support Network? It is the primary support base for ex-racing greyhounds in the Canberra region. It is a social Facebook community of greyhound enthusiasts who promote the breed as great pets, fundraise and provide support to rescue organisations, owners, foster carers and those interested in greyhounds as companions.
Members can ask one another questions, organise everything companion-greyhound-related in Canberra, and of course share photos and updates.
We are not a rehoming charity. We are a network of volunteers that provide fundraising and practical support, including house checks, foster care and transport; to a number of registered charities based interstate, including Greyhound Rescue, Gumtree Greys and Friends of the Hound. Only dogs that have been ‘saved’ by a rescue group and have their vet care covered may be promoted on the page.
People wanting to help greyhounds can do a number of things.
Foster: If fostering is an option, you help two dogs at once! The greyhound you foster and the greyhound that can be taken in because of the space you created.
Donate: Rescue organisations bear the full costs of veterinary care, food, equipment (muzzle, martingale collar and coat). Despite sometimes negotiating special rates with generous
clinics, the set-up cost for a greyhound is substantial. This cost increases if the hound has any medical injury or poor dental health, which is not uncommon with hounds coming from racing.
Talk: to your friends! Share with them all you have learnt about greyhounds. The more the greyhound is seen as a treasured family pet and not a racing machine, the more society will consider offering a greyhound a home for its beautiful temperament and fit with their lifestyle.
For more information:
www.gumtreegreys.com.au www.greyhoundrescue.com.au www.friendsofthehound.org.au
www.rspca-act.org.au
Rehomed greyhounds: Heartwarming Canberra stories Ellie
Ellie’s Story
FROM ROB CUTTELL
We had never considered adopting a greyhound—not in our wildest dreams. We have a small house, a small car and frankly we are not getting any younger.
We wanted a small, calm dog... eventually. However, a friend suggested we go on an ACT Greyhound Support Network monthly pack walk, so we went to have a look.
Not only were the 30 – 40 greyhounds, friendly and lovable, but their owners were so welcoming. We had coffee with some owners afterwards and talked ‘greyhound’ while the dogs snoozed relaxedly. We were hooked. We put in an application to ‘Greyhound Rescue’ in Sydney, asking for a ‘small girl’. They suggested we trial ‘Ellie’, a 25kg black greyhound rescued from a pound. She was about 6 years old. At first she was very reserved, staying in her basket, only coming out for meals and short walks. However, we fed her and loved her and made her safe. We worked with her and, slowly at first, she became more confident. We had other dogs come to stay, we went on walks with other greyhounds and took her to the ‘muzzle-off’ course at Domestic Animal Services, which she loved.
Ellie loves to go walking with us, just around the suburbs, meeting doggy mates, or on long walks up hills and along bush tracks. (We have seen more of Canberra in the last 18 months than we had in the previous 35 years.) After each long walk, we always go to a dog-friendly cafe where Ellie stretches out on her mat and relaxes while we have coffee.
Ellie has become the perfect pet and much loved member of our little family. She has found her forever home.
Sugar, Tiffany, and the cat make three
FROM ALANA WADE
Our story started when we saw the infamous Four Corners report last year. We were living in an apartment then so knew we couldn’t get a greyhound ourselves. We decided to show our support by attending the ‘Shut It Down’ rally in February this year.
We met the volunteers that make up the ACT Greyhound Support Network (AGSN) and were blown away by all they had achieved. We spoke to an AGSN coordinator as we wanted to express interest in a greyhound for when we moved into a house.
Our biggest reservation about a greyhound was the fact we had a cat. We knew there were cat tolerant greyhounds but thought they were few and far between. Turns out they are more common than you might think. After chatting to the coordinator we realised that greyhounds were highly suited to apartment living, we decided to have a think about next steps. Twenty four hours later we were having a house check and filling out the paperwork! A beautiful but very timid girl named Sugar came into our lives first. Initially we were cautious of her around the cat but soon realised that she had absolutely no interest in him and was very comfortable for him to be near her.
They happily lived together in the apartment and both would greet us at the door when we would get home each day. During this time, we had many visitors. This dog is amazing with children of all ages, from tiny babies to teenagers. Sugar would happily accept pats from when she was sleeping to when she was eating. I am still amazed at the beautiful, gentle nature of this dog. I thought we had really lucked out. We have since moved house and decided Sugar might like a new friend. This is where Tiffany joined our family.
The girls bonded so quickly. We soon came to realise the beautiful personality traits in Sugar were actually common in the breed. Our girls know the cat is the boss in our house and have always been very accommodating of him. At different times both dogs have hurt themselves playing and each time when they were resting in bed the cat has gone up and kissed their owies better. I think so many of these dogs have been through so much they know when other animals and people love them. We love watching our dogs play with the cat. We also love that little kids will come up to ask if they can hug them when we go for walks. These two dogs can’t stop smiling in their new lives and that is something truly special. We have loved that we got to be part of their journey.
DAS News
Domestic Animal Services —Keeping Canberra
Safe Walking your greyhound
Did you know greyhounds must be muzzled in public places? This rule applies unless the greyhound and its keeper have completed a course in behaviour or socialisation training approved by the Registrar of Domestic Animal Services (DAS). Details on the course are below or available by contacting DAS on 13 22 81. When walking greyhounds in a public place they must be on leash and the walker must not be in control of four or more greyhounds.
Approved training
Mr David Bullivant is currently the only trainer in the ACT accredited by DAS to deliver off-muzzle training for greyhounds. David runs classes for rescue greyhounds and other dogs at the DAS facility located in Symonston on a Saturday morning. It’s an ideal place for owners and dogs to learn and to enjoy the fun of an off-lead run afterwards. David, who has been conducting training for some 16 years, is a leadership trainer. His focus is encouraging the owner to be the pack leader. As for greyhounds, David suggests those dogs that are trained to chase need some re-training, but if greyhounds are not former racing dogs they will act like any other dog. David’s classes run over a 5 week period and cost $145. At the end of the course, David provides each greyhound participant with an assessment and notifies DAS of successful dogs. DAS notes each dog’s successful completion of the course on its database entitling the dog to be in a public place muzzle-free. If a greyhound fails to pass the assessment on its first attempt, it can attend and do the course again. DAS is currently looking at the possibility of a green collar for dogs assessed as muzzle-free. The green collar is used in NSW to identify these dogs. The course is popular and has a current waiting list. For more information on this course or other training options available (including in-home-training), please contact David on 0411 599 949.
Other requirements
As with all dogs, greyhounds must be registered if they are over eight weeks old, have been kept in the ACT for 28 days or more and the dog’s keeper has been a resident of the ACT for 28 days or more. A registration form is available online at www.tccs.act.gov.au or at the DAS facility.
Microchipping of dogs is also compulsory. Dogs can be microchipped by DAS, the RSPCA or at any vet. Under the Domestic Animals Act 2000, it is a strict liability offence to own an un-desexed dog unless the dog is less than six months old, born before 21 June 2001 or the dog’s keeper holds a sexually entire permit issued by DAS. Application forms to keep a dog which has not been desexed are available from DAS. Fees and conditions apply prior to the granting of a licence.