Ebony the greyhound has fitted seamlessly into the Threlfall household.
Long gone are Ebony’s days chasing a lure around the track. Now, the three-year-old has settled into a life of loafing.
The former racing dog was adopted by the Keilor family of four to replace the void left when their pet pig, Holly, went to live on a farm.
Jared Threlfall said the miniature pig would tear up their backyard so they were left with little choice but to find her more space.
But Mr Threlfall’s two young children wanted another pet, so on the advice of his mother he looked into adopting a greyhound through the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP).
The Threlfall family wasn’t the only one to turn to the program recently. New figures show that, in Victoria, GAP found homes for 895 greyhounds in the year to June 31.
Greyhound Racing Victoria’s new general manager for animal welfare, Gavin Goble, welcomed the findings, but said GRV needed to do more. He said the racing body worked with racing dog owners to better prepare animals for retirement.
Dr Goble said GAP was expanding and would be opening new kennels in Ballarat next month.
He said few people were aware that greyhounds made great companion animals.
“Contrary to popular belief, greyhounds don’t need much exercise and don’t require much grooming,” he said. “They are quiet, loyal and very relaxed dogs at home in all kinds of domestic environments.”
On Thursday, NSW Premier Mike Baird banned greyhound racing. The Victorian government said it had no plans to follow suit.
