17-05-2025
Former racing greyhounds seek loving homes for life, pats and belly rubs required
The kids had been spoiling for a pet to look after, and Dad was having trouble finding new reasons to put off the inevitable.
Darren Whittingham had grown up with dogs. His dad was an English Sheepdog breeder. They were a part of the furniture.
Now, he and his children often dog-sit for their aunt's beloved pet, and when they have to say goodbye at the end of the short stay, there are always tears.
Mr and Mrs Whittingham from Lambton have two kids, Charlie and Parker, and at the weekend there was a new addition to the family, a retired greyhound who stood at about Parker's chest height as he held the lead, doting on it lovingly.
"We have been thinking about it for a while," Mr Whittingham said. "The kids need something like this, and I think it is sort of time that we got one so they can look after it. They have been frothing at the bit to get one."
Theirs was one of a slew of returned racing dogs that were adopted to homes across the city and the region at the Station in Newcastle on Saturday, where re-homing agency Greyhounds As Pets, which has connections to Greyhounds NSW, sought to link families with pets that would otherwise be returned to their trainers.
The breed was hardy, the agency's regional coordinator Sara McFaarlane said, and rarely showed the genetic issues that plague big dogs bred for aesthetics over performance. And contrary to assumption, adults are rarely high-maintenance pets.
"They have a 20 minutes walk., and maybe a zoomies, and then they're on the couch for the rest of the day," Ms McFarlane said.
Kendall Davis, with her partner Brad, was mingling at the edge of the event at the weekend as Roxy, the brindle-coated greyhound, dozed at her feet. The couple were considering adopting, though thought they might put it off for a year, but had come to the meet to better understand what they were in for.
Ms Davis, who has experience with dachshunds, said the tall boys were "the opposite end of the spectrum".
"Longer legs," she said and laughed, "And less barking."
"It has been awesome today. I'm talking to a lot of foster carers as well about how much they adore them and how beautiful the breed is. I didn't really know that much about greyhounds. It has been a really cool experience."
The kids had been spoiling for a pet to look after, and Dad was having trouble finding new reasons to put off the inevitable.
Darren Whittingham had grown up with dogs. His dad was an English Sheepdog breeder. They were a part of the furniture.
Now, he and his children often dog-sit for their aunt's beloved pet, and when they have to say goodbye at the end of the short stay, there are always tears.
Mr and Mrs Whittingham from Lambton have two kids, Charlie and Parker, and at the weekend there was a new addition to the family, a retired greyhound who stood at about Parker's chest height as he held the lead, doting on it lovingly.
"We have been thinking about it for a while," Mr Whittingham said. "The kids need something like this, and I think it is sort of time that we got one so they can look after it. They have been frothing at the bit to get one."
Theirs was one of a slew of returned racing dogs that were adopted to homes across the city and the region at the Station in Newcastle on Saturday, where re-homing agency Greyhounds As Pets, which has connections to Greyhounds NSW, sought to link families with pets that would otherwise be returned to their trainers.
The breed was hardy, the agency's regional coordinator Sara McFaarlane said, and rarely showed the genetic issues that plague big dogs bred for aesthetics over performance. And contrary to assumption, adults are rarely high-maintenance pets.
"They have a 20 minutes walk., and maybe a zoomies, and then they're on the couch for the rest of the day," Ms McFarlane said.
Kendall Davis, with her partner Brad, was mingling at the edge of the event at the weekend as Roxy, the brindle-coated greyhound, dozed at her feet. The couple were considering adopting, though thought they might put it off for a year, but had come to the meet to better understand what they were in for.
Ms Davis, who has experience with dachshunds, said the tall boys were "the opposite end of the spectrum".
"Longer legs," she said and laughed, "And less barking."
"It has been awesome today. I'm talking to a lot of foster carers as well about how much they adore them and how beautiful the breed is. I didn't really know that much about greyhounds. It has been a really cool experience."
The kids had been spoiling for a pet to look after, and Dad was having trouble finding new reasons to put off the inevitable.
Darren Whittingham had grown up with dogs. His dad was an English Sheepdog breeder. They were a part of the furniture.
Now, he and his children often dog-sit for their aunt's beloved pet, and when they have to say goodbye at the end of the short stay, there are always tears.
Mr and Mrs Whittingham from Lambton have two kids, Charlie and Parker, and at the weekend there was a new addition to the family, a retired greyhound who stood at about Parker's chest height as he held the lead, doting on it lovingly.
"We have been thinking about it for a while," Mr Whittingham said. "The kids need something like this, and I think it is sort of time that we got one so they can look after it. They have been frothing at the bit to get one."
Theirs was one of a slew of returned racing dogs that were adopted to homes across the city and the region at the Station in Newcastle on Saturday, where re-homing agency Greyhounds As Pets, which has connections to Greyhounds NSW, sought to link families with pets that would otherwise be returned to their trainers.
The breed was hardy, the agency's regional coordinator Sara McFaarlane said, and rarely showed the genetic issues that plague big dogs bred for aesthetics over performance. And contrary to assumption, adults are rarely high-maintenance pets.
"They have a 20 minutes walk., and maybe a zoomies, and then they're on the couch for the rest of the day," Ms McFarlane said.
Kendall Davis, with her partner Brad, was mingling at the edge of the event at the weekend as Roxy, the brindle-coated greyhound, dozed at her feet. The couple were considering adopting, though thought they might put it off for a year, but had come to the meet to better understand what they were in for.
Ms Davis, who has experience with dachshunds, said the tall boys were "the opposite end of the spectrum".
"Longer legs," she said and laughed, "And less barking."
"It has been awesome today. I'm talking to a lot of foster carers as well about how much they adore them and how beautiful the breed is. I didn't really know that much about greyhounds. It has been a really cool experience."
The kids had been spoiling for a pet to look after, and Dad was having trouble finding new reasons to put off the inevitable.
Darren Whittingham had grown up with dogs. His dad was an English Sheepdog breeder. They were a part of the furniture.
Now, he and his children often dog-sit for their aunt's beloved pet, and when they have to say goodbye at the end of the short stay, there are always tears.
Mr and Mrs Whittingham from Lambton have two kids, Charlie and Parker, and at the weekend there was a new addition to the family, a retired greyhound who stood at about Parker's chest height as he held the lead, doting on it lovingly.
"We have been thinking about it for a while," Mr Whittingham said. "The kids need something like this, and I think it is sort of time that we got one so they can look after it. They have been frothing at the bit to get one."
Theirs was one of a slew of returned racing dogs that were adopted to homes across the city and the region at the Station in Newcastle on Saturday, where re-homing agency Greyhounds As Pets, which has connections to Greyhounds NSW, sought to link families with pets that would otherwise be returned to their trainers.
The breed was hardy, the agency's regional coordinator Sara McFaarlane said, and rarely showed the genetic issues that plague big dogs bred for aesthetics over performance. And contrary to assumption, adults are rarely high-maintenance pets.
"They have a 20 minutes walk., and maybe a zoomies, and then they're on the couch for the rest of the day," Ms McFarlane said.
Kendall Davis, with her partner Brad, was mingling at the edge of the event at the weekend as Roxy, the brindle-coated greyhound, dozed at her feet. The couple were considering adopting, though thought they might put it off for a year, but had come to the meet to better understand what they were in for.
Ms Davis, who has experience with dachshunds, said the tall boys were "the opposite end of the spectrum".
"Longer legs," she said and laughed, "And less barking."
"It has been awesome today. I'm talking to a lot of foster carers as well about how much they adore them and how beautiful the breed is. I didn't really know that much about greyhounds. It has been a really cool experience."
