Roman previously Hercules (Lucky Lucky Luck) came into GAP in March this year after winning just one of his 32 starts. Assessed as suitable for a home with cats it didn't take long for him to find a home with Georgie Milne and her family in Pukekohe. Georgie writes in:
I remember my heart beating so fast and I felt sick with nerves. The drive seemed to have taken forever but we finally made it to the Karapiro kennels from our home in Pukekohe. I had my heart set on a greyhound I had seen on the GAP website but I had been told I wasn't going to find out which dog I was getting until I got there.
I'll never forget the moment I found out who it was. The kennel manager walked out of her house with a folder in her hands. As we greeted each other I glanced down at her folder and saw written across the top 'Hercules'. 'Yes! Yes!' I was getting the dog I had wanted so badly. He was big, young, black, gorgeous and a boy!
As we were leaving, Hercules (now Roman) jumped into our car boot without hesitation wagging his tail and gently licking the tops of my children's heads. He seemed pleased with us.
We've now had Roman since early April and in such a short space of time we've achieved and experienced so much!
Roman loves beach treks out at Karioitahi beach. We've hit the 12km milestone. He also joins me on my runs averaging 8-10km at a time. He's made lots of new dog friends, been to a couple of greyhound gatherings, stays in touch with his siblings, had a photo in a local newspaper and a feature role in a Kiwi rock band's music video where he was galloping along a wild west coast beach.
Roman was chosen to be part of the slow motion 'black and white' video clip after I had submitted some photos to GAP who had been approached by a film director. The footage was shot at a 1000 frames per second. And as thrilled as they were with Roman's efforts, I was really excited because I knew this would be something amazing to watch and share; something that I would have forever of my dog and it wasn't something that just anyone could obtain of their pet! It was a real privilege.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgnOoUTSPqI&feature=youtu.be
I've always been in awe of the greyhound and their incredible agility and speed. It's definitely something that attracted me to the breed as well as the very satisfying feeling of adopting a dog in need of a forever home. I get a real kick out sharing Roman's story with friends and also strangers who approach us when we are out and about.
A local greyhound trainer, Ben Craik and his wife and daughters bred and raced Roman as 'Lucky Lucky Luck'. A couple of Roman's brothers are still racing strong, while the others from the litter are now happily settled into adopted homes through the GAP programme.
The Craiks welcomed us with open arms. It was clear from day one that they were genuinely thrilled to be able stay in touch with one of their beloved hounds, and for Roman, the feeling was mutual. We have formed a great friendship and I'm regularly in contact with Tracey Craik sharing updates and photos, and I've reached out to Ben several times for health and dietary advice for my dog. He's always very happy to share his wisdom which has been a true blessing for me!
I've been fortunate to observe (and help with) a morning training session, go to the trials and even 'cheer on' some of the Craik dogs at a Manukau race meeting! It's been a fabulous learning experience and it has definitely allowed me to appreciate my dog, his heritage and greyhounds in general!
Roman has turned out to be the perfect match for me (my first dog) and for my young family. He never leaves my side, he's gentle and patient with the kids and has been seriously pulled into line by our two Burmese cats! He gets more confident and cheeky by the day, and is happily making the transition from race dog to family pet and now 'tv star'!
Who knows what the future holds for our canine celeb!
Roman's video on our Facebook page has now been shared over 1600 times reaching a potential 128,000 people.