It’s not often that you can foster or adopt a pet and they come with an instruction manual!

Annie from Hobart adopted Dolly in May of 2022, entering back into dog ownership for the first time in a long time.

“When I first got her (Dolly) home I had no clue, I hadn’t had a dog in 100 years,” laughed Annie.

“She was tearing around the house and bouncing off the walls, just because she’s never been inside a home,” Annie added.

To assist in the transition from the GAP facility at Mangalore for both greyhound and owner, a guide is provided on expected greyhound behaviour.

“Three days, three weeks, three months is the guide for each timeframe on what to expect for your greyhound and it’s pretty much spot on,” said Annie reflecting on her own transition with Dolly.

In addition to the guide, the Greyhound Adoption Program team make themselves readily available to answer questions about their dogs long after the greyhounds have left the facility.

“They (GAP) are always there, they were really good. Tanya was brilliant making herself available on the phone. They’re a great resource to help you out.”

Dolly came with a readymade name for Annie following a 41-start race career as Gee Whiz Dolly for prominent trainer Gary Johnson.

It was a reasonably quick transition into her new post-racing life for Dolly, but Annie points out that not all post-racers are the same.

“She’s quite active for a greyhound, we thought they were all couch potatoes, but we walk Dolly a couple of times a day which is partly because we haven’t got much of a backyard.”

Acknowledging that not all greyhounds are the same, Annie says that it’s important to try and find the right one for their new environment.

“It’s really important to check out the needs for what you want.

“We chose Dolly because she had a lot of spunk and personality, which we love, but initially that meant a lot of work!”