Update on Mach (formerly Yapper)

Mach, previously known as Yapper, was entered into GAP by Ray Adcock in June 2009 after a very respectable racing career. Originally from Australia, Mach won 20 and was placed in 49 of his 123 starts. Mach's owners Serena and Nigel Levy sent in their story.

In November 2009 my husband and I saw the GAP gazebo at the Canterbury A&P Show where we discovered that we didn't know a thing about greyhounds!

We went home much more informed and decided that we wanted to give a greyhound a life as a pet once it had retired from racing. I was quick to arrange a visit to our local GAP kennel the next day.

When we arrived we met a variety of greyhounds of different shapes and sizes who had all finished racing. After Julie, the kennel manager, and I had spoken, she decided that a white and black male called Yapper would best suit us. It was love at first sight and when he leaned on me and looked up at me with his beautiful soulful eyes we knew there was no going back.

When we got Yapper home we decided that he needed a new name and as my husband and I are both lovers of Mustangs it didn't take us long to come up with Mach.

Mach settled into life as a retired greyhound very well. He loved going for walks and meeting people that might give him pats - and give me time to tell people about the wonders of greyhounds and how everyone needed one!

Unfortunately our settled life wasn't to be, in the early hours of 4th September 2010 we were woken by the first of thousands of earthquakes; we were one of the unlucky ones - our house was badly damaged and uninhabitable. Mach took this earthquake and the rest that followed in his stride and was happy to move to my husband's parent's house.

After the February 2011 earthquakes and dramas with our insurance company were cleared up, we decided to make the heartbreaking decision to leave Christchurch for New Plymouth.

However, before we left Christchurch, we attended one last GAP event. A special evening had been put on for GAP owners by GAP and the Christchurch club at Addington Raceway to allow us to see behind the scenes and watch a Greyhound race from the commentator's box. It was a wonderful evening and the highlight for us was meeting Ray Adcock who was Mach's trainer; I can't tell you how delighted we were when Ray said that he remembered Mach and thought he was a special dog, not that we needed telling!

When we arrived in New Plymouth it didn't take us long to find the local GAP group, and what a group they are - they are always looking for ways to promote GAP and get more people aware of greyhounds and what wonderful pets they make; if there is an event that is being held in Taranaki that is dog friendly, you can almost guarantee that you will find the GAP gazebo with several hounds hanging out for pats while the people do the talking. We also meet for regular walks around the park or along the beach, and these usually end with an ice cream for the hounds.

I can't imagine our lives without Mach and I am so glad that there is an organisation like GAP that gives these wonderful dogs a second chance once they have finished their time racing. Thank you GAP for giving us our fur-baby.