It has taken a decade and a few obstacles, but Mat Stolwyk finally managed to get the greyhound he had been after. The Stolwyks - Mat, his wife Amanda, and their children Sara and Lucas - were one of the 47 families, couples, and singles who took home a greyhound from the April 19 National Adoption Day (NAD) event at Sydney's Moore Park.
Record-Breaking Adoption Event
The annual Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) event saw 41 greyhounds adopted and another six join foster homes, the best result in the history of the event. Another 45 greyhounds went to new homes from events around the state at Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth, bringing the total to 92 for the NAD weekend. This number will increase when all the figures are in for adoptions that were made before and after the events as a result of the NAD campaign.
A Long-Awaited Dream
"I've always wanted a greyhound, probably for the last 10 years," Mat said. "I know they are great in nature and really good family pets. We've got a cat, and we heard this greyhound in particular can look after our cat as well. We've actually held off until the kids have grown up a little bit to get a dog and have that responsibility to walk them, feed them and look after them, and it's the right time for our family to adopt a pet."
Overcoming Fear
You wouldn't have known it by the way young Lucas was hugging Beauty on Sunday, but his fear and apprehension around dogs had been one of the reasons why the Stolwyks had not pursued dog ownership earlier. "Our son used to be quite nervous around dogs, until apparently... today, where he's now taken Beauty under his wing and he's connecting beautifully already," Amanda said. "My husband has always wanted a greyhound, knowing their calm nature, so we knew that if there was going to be any kind of dog, if there was any chance, that this is probably actually the type of dog that would work for Lucas. And I think it has."
Welcoming Beauty Home
While they debated about whether to change Beauty's name now that she has joined their family, it was unanimous with both Lucas and Sara how wonderful Beauty was. "She already licked me," Lucas said. "Honestly I have never met a dog like her. She's so friendly and welcoming, and just seems really adaptable as well," Sara said.
Overwhelming Turnout
GAP's chief welfare officer Mark Slater was overwhelmed by the turnout at the Entertainment Quarter in Moore Park for the organisation's major event. "I've attended a lot of adoption events in my time and I have never seen anything like this," he said. "I can't think of another rehoming day I've been a part of that sees 400 people come down to meet dogs. Some of these people are here just for the love of the dogs, which is absolutely fantastic, especially because they're bringing family here to see us. People are in love with the breed. It's synonymous with being a good family animal, and we're seeing that here today because of the amount of families we have got here."
"You see a lot of little hands on a lot of dogs' heads and dogs are soliciting pats from the family units. What these events are all about is exposing as many people as possible to greyhounds and what wonderful natures they have and what truly great pets they make. That has been accomplished today."
This article was produced as part of an ACM partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW.
