President and long-time volunteer for Sydney pet welfare organisation Greyhound Rescue, Nat Panzarino, laughingly says that you don’t just adopt a greyhound dog, you join a cult of enthusiasts who will sing the praises of the breed’s loving nature and sweet temperament to anyone who’ll stop and listen.
On Greyhound Rescue’s expansive grounds, inhabited by a few dozen dogs at any given time, a small but dedicated army of volunteers manage their daily feeding, training, and bathing, as well as attend to any injuries or post-surgery recovery. Nat says that the “vollies” come from all walks of life.
“It’s very diverse. We have doctors, beekeepers, pilots, and celebrants on our volunteer roster. The common element is that their love of greyhounds.”
The safety and welfare of the dogs is the not-for-profit organisation’s highest priority.
The pooches have access to five different sensory gardens, each one designed to provide adventure and assist in learning new skills, such as climbing stairs, or swimming.
As the number of hounds the organisation deals with each year grows, the need for higher quality, purpose-designed facilities has become urgent.
With designs for a new building (dubbed the Noodle Hub) drawn up, Greyhound Rescue is fundraising a quarter of a million dollars to make it a reality.
“It’ll make an incredible difference,” says Nat. “It will enable us to build a simple but safe place to house Greyhound Rescue’s truly world-class rehabilitation resources and rehoming services .”
Click the link here for more information on Greyhound Rescue, adopting a hound, or contributing to their great cause
Greyhound owner and Group Product Development Manager at D&D, Richard Zitzelsperger, affirms that adopting a hound is one of the most rewarding things you can do.
“We adopted Honey a year ago and we couldn’t imagine life without her now,” says Richard. “They are beautiful, kind, loving dogs with an inquisitive nature. One of the things you learn is that they like routine and because they love to laze around and conserve their energy you don’t need as much space for them as you might think. They’re perfect apartment dogs, actually.”
One thing Richard does say you must be vigilant about is keeping your yard or outdoor space safe, because greyhounds love to chase things and will escape if a gate isn’t properly secured.
“We have a MagnaLatch® on our back gate as well as self-closing TruClose® hinges. It gives us peace of mind to know that the gate will close by itself after being opened and the alarm will sound if it’s been chocked open for any reason. Honey’s a member of our family and we’d do anything to keep her safe and happy.”
