Member for Hawkesbury Robyn Preston MP, and Hawkesbury City Councillor Jill Reardon were special guests at the Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) Valentine's Speed Dating event at Londonderry last Saturday.
The annual Valentine’s Day adoption event at GAP’s Western Sydney facility, was a resounding success with families, singles and couples not only enjoying the day, but learning more about what wonderful pets greyhounds make.
By the end of the day, there had been 13 greyhounds find their Valentine’s Day match and headed home with their new families, with several more adoptions scheduled this week as a result of the day.
“The Hawkesbury has a lot of greyhound owners,” explained local MP Robyn Preston. “It's great to see greyhounds go to that next step for adoptions, as well.
“I think it gives them a new lease of life and to see the number of people here today, I think it's indicative of the interest the locals have … and people coming (from) outside the area for greyhounds, because they've got a beautiful nature and they're great as pets.”
GAP’s Director of Rehoming and Adoption Programs Jamie Palmer was delighted with the day and particularly the way the community embraces these events.
“One of the things about greyhounds is that they're not just a dog breed, they create a community,” she said. “We give greyhounds to families, but we also bring families into our greyhound world.
“It's really great to see people coming as far Dee Why, from the Northern Beaches, as well as locally to experience how wonderful our greyhounds are.
“The impact and mentality of the greyhounds is something the public need to know about because they really bring something into people's lives, and we can also give them something back and give them that purpose of actually being a family member and that's really lovely to see.”
Only last month GAP celebrated their 500th greyhound being rehomed in the United States and they are on target to rehome a record 2,800 greyhound in 2023-24.
“I think they're wonderful therapeutic pets, and it's great to give them a second chance after their racing career,” said Councillor Reardon.
“I think it's wonderful that people have pets, they live longer and it's good for the pet and the person.”
The new event GAP will host is their Central Coast End of Summer Adoption event at their Wyee facility on February 24. Full details can be found on the GAP website: www.gapnsw.com.au.