The great greyhound problem 2
April 16th 2011 01:32
Well, alright, there are a few extra rules about living in a house, but I'll explain them as we go along and I promise you'll soon get the hang of it.
The Greyhound Adoption Program, or GAP, is an Australia-wide, non-profit organisation supported by Greyhound Racing Australia. It is dedicated to finding homes for greyhounds whose racing careers have ended. But it has a problem.
In this second of a three-part series written for Zoomies, JENNIE ALCORN continues her look at the biggest obstacle GAP faces in placing more dogs - the bottleneck caused by a shortage of foster carers.
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The work of helping greyhounds adjust to being pets is rewarded by the pleasure they give as you learn about their different personalities and enjoy their company. There is also great satisfaction in watching them begin to blossom as they start to relax.
People often say to me, “Oh, I couldn’t give them up,” but giving them up is the best part of all! Watching the excitement of people meeting their new dog for the first time and listening to or seeing their joy when I talk to or meet them after they’ve adopted the dog is truly heart-warming. I carry the knowledge that I have brought that joy into people’s lives and I’ve done it doing something I love!
Another of the great advantages of fostering is that you can become a foster carer and therefore a dog “owner” on a limited income. GAP, through the sponsorship of Advance pet foods, provides a high-quality dry food for the foster hounds and covers any vet bills your foster hounds may incur. You also get a collar and lead and a warm jacket for the hounds, and they are not registered whilst they are foster dogs. You will have some costs you need to provide bones and other supplements to their diet, you will have to find bedding and mats for indoor and outdoor use and provide some toys, but the ongoing costs are far less than those of owning a dog.
In addition, very few foster carers commit to fostering throughout the year. If you travel a lot but would like to have a dog whilst you are at home this is the way to do it. If your work is somewhat seasonal, here’s the dog for you in your less busy times. If you like the idea of having a dog but don’t want a full-time commitment, fostering is a way to do it.
Be prepared to be fully committed to the hounds whilst they are with you, but once you have passed them on you can relax for a while until you feel ready to take on another one.
As part of my commitment to fostering greyhounds, I am a member of a rewards-based dog club, K-9 Connections, at Clare, South Australia, which teaches leadership rather than strict obedience. All the foster hounds go along to gain the experience of working alongside other dogs, both large and small, and to try to progress to the Dog and Cat Management Board obedient dog certificate. The club is enthusiastic in its support of GAP and two of the instructors and I give lessons in basic leadership for dogs to new GAP foster carers at Greyhound Racing SA’s headquarters once or twice a year.
I have now fostered more than 40 hounds and I cannot think of one that I didn’t like.
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Read Part 1 of this series here.
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