From kennel to cuddle

It was love at first sniff for Snowy and three-year-old Harriet

When Gary and Belinda’s young daughter fell in love with greyhound, Snowy, it was obvious they had to give him a home. And they’ve never looked back. This is the story of how a greyhound completed their family.

”“If we were going to adopt a greyhound, it had to be him. It was like they chose each other.”

“I’ve worked in greyhound racing kennels for years, so Harriet grew up there – even as a baby she was there in her playpen. When she got a bit older, she started opening the doors and letting the dogs out. She wanted to run and play with them all!

Snowy wasn’t that interested in racing. So, when Harriet fell in love with him, we decided to take him home. If we were going to adopt a greyhound, it had to be him. It was like they chose each other. And now they’re best mates. Snowy’s very good with kids and other animals, and he’s the softest dog in the world, especially with our daughter – doesn’t push her or jump up at her. If she goes outside, he’ll follow her. And she lays on him all the time. We have no sofa any more because of the pair of them.

Greyhounds don’t need a lot of walking. Snowy will have a ten-minute walk three times a day and he’s happy with that. Any longer and he’ll turn around and try to take you home! We have a Jack Russell at home too, and he needed around four hours of walks per day when he was younger. Snowy is a very placid dog and sleeps more than anything else.

I think because greyhounds are larger dogs – Snowy is one of the biggest you’ll find, at 41kgs – some people think they might be aggressive. That’s not true. We find it’s usually the smaller breeds that can be snappy. While it’s good to give them a space in your house that feels like their own, greyhounds are gentle giants.

When we first adopted Snowy, he suffered with separation anxiety and would chew things when we left the house. But he soon settled down and got used to our routine. Now I love it when Snowy gets the ‘zoomies’ in the garden and has a mad five minutes for no apparent reason.

Greyhounds are such happy, well-mannered dogs. They’re the perfect pet, especially for first time dog owners. We certainly can’t imagine life without Snowy – he’s part of the family.”

– Belinda & Gary, owners of Snowy

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