Pinky’s adoption story

“Prior to getting a dog, I did many of those online questionnaires that help you decide what dog to get. And every questionnaire returned the same response: Greyhound – a breed we had no familiarity with and had not considered.

When I looked into it, it did seem that a greyhound would be a great dog for our family. I also learned what an awful life many greyhounds have and of the great work Friends of the Hound do to save these dogs. Our preference was always to ‘adopt, not shop’ so the pieces of the dog ownership puzzle were starting to fall into place.

Late last year we were at the markets in town and I saw a man walking a Greyhound. The dog was Pinky, a new rescue dog that Phillip from Friends of the Hound had just taken on. Phillip answered all my questions and my daughter and I fell in love with Pinky. Every time we saw Pinky and Phillip out walking my daughter would say “Please, please ring Phillip and ask if we can have Pinky”.

When the country went into lockdown, we (along with many others!) decided it was a good time to get a dog. I checked Friends of the Hound and sadly Pinky was not listed but we made an enquiry about another dog. The day after we made the enquiry I bumped into Phillip and Pinky out walking. I couldn’t believe it! I told Phillip that we’d made an enquiry about another dog and he said Pinky is the dog you want, she’s just perfect. We couldn’t believe Pinky was still available. I rang FOTH and within 24 hours Pinky was living with us.

Phillip helped us so much, getting Pinky settled and helping us learn how to best care for her. I love that we bump into Phillip around town so that Pinky can see her foster brother Apollo and the person who first showed her love and kindness.

Owning Pinky has changed us as a family. I love how thoughtful the kids are to her. And I also love how they’re now aware of the trauma dog (and horse) racing inflicts on the animals involved. Thank you, Friends of the Hound. “

And Thank you Emma for sharing your story 🙂