Carolyn and Jude Smith fell in love with Prince (AKA Dallas) at the adoption day. Photo: GAPNSW.
He’s a gentle soul and likes to sleep a lot, making ‘Prince’ the perfect fur-baby for Corrimal residents Carolyn and Jude Smith.
It took just six minutes for the couple to adopt Prince – formerly known as ‘Dallas’ – at the Greyhounds As Pets (GAPNSW) Winter Adoption Day in Sydney, and Carolyn says he has settled right in to his new home.
“He has his own room with a single bed and toys. I just hope he loves his new life with us,” she said.
“I feel sorry for Prince as he’s had such a terrible life – he doesn’t even know what a ball is. But with all the love we have to give, I’m sure he will be living his best life in no time.”
Prince was one of 61 greyhounds to find a new home at the Winter Adoption Day on Sunday 13 August, making it the most successful event in GAPNSW history.
“We wanted to adopt a greyhound and it came up on my Facebook saying this day was on,” Carolyn said.
“I thought that was a sign to get a greyhound because, if I missed this day, I might have had to wait another year.
“We looked at all the dogs online and he (Dallas/Prince) seemed the most suitable for us.”
Carolyn and Prince. Photo: Carolyn Smith.
Carolyn said they changed the three-year-old former racing greyhound’s name from Dallas to Prince because he was “getting treated like royalty now, which is what he deserves after the terrible life he would have had previously”.
“We lost our dog a month ago which we had for a long time and we needed something to fill the huge hole we have,” she said.
“We were looking to get another dog and I thought why not a greyhound if they are suitable. I have educated myself on what their life is like as a racer and thought I want to help those dogs.”
The couple lives in a unit and, despite being a large breed, Carolyn says greyhounds are “very suitable to apartment living”.
“They only need one or two walks a day and they sleep a lot so I thought, we can do this,” she said.
“I work part-time so my husband and I have lots of time. There are quite a few off-leash dog beaches around here so he will be living his best life.”
Rob Macaulay, CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW – which funds and runs the not-for-profit charity GAPNSW, described the adoption day as one of 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.
“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.”
Carolyn and Jude were standing in line at the adoption day when a volunteer came up and asked if they had any idea about which dog they might like to adopt.
“I said Dallas – and we looked down and he had Dallas on the end of his lead,” she said.
“He really could have had any number of dogs as there were so many there, but he had Dallas, so I thought it was meant to be, as Dallas was number one on my list of dogs that were suitable for my situation.”
Prince chilling out on his new bed. Photo: Carolyn Smith.
Football legend Tim Cahill became the inaugural ambassador for GAPNSW four years ago and attended the event extoling the virtues of greyhound ownership.
“These events are special because people are showing up here from six months ago when they adopted a greyhound,” he 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.
“To see how far Greyhounds As Pets has come since I started with the organisation four years ago is just amazing.”
Cahill spoke to many adopters throughout the day – both about their decision to adopt and the Matildas – including Carolyn and Jude who were the first adopters of the day.
Because she hasn’t owned a greyhound previously, Carolyn has joined some greyhound Facebook groups and says she will seek assistance from GAPNSW.
She is encouraging others to consider giving a home to a racing greyhound so they can enjoy their retirement with a family.
“For anyone wanting to help a greyhound but think they can’t as they live in a unit, you can as some are suited to apartment living,” she added.
Greyhounds are gentle and highly affectionate. They are low-maintenance dogs that will become your new best friend from day one.
To find out more about how to adopt a greyhound visit the Greyhounds As Pets NSW website.
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