Willow won a respectable eight of her 40 starts before retiring to her new home in Hamilton with Kathy and Kevan Thomasen and Sparky (Another Sparky). Kathy and Kevan sent us the following update:
Almost a year after adopting our first greyhound through GAP, we suffered the loss of one of our furry family members, and felt an emptiness in our home. Now knowing just how incredible, and different, greyhounds are, I phoned the main GAP base and chatted to the folks there about adopting a second dog. We were quickly paired up with Willow. The staff were full of praise for her, and what a delightful little character she was, but as I have learned, greyhounds "blossom€ over six months to a year, and it is a delight getting to know them.
Willow was transported by a very kind GAP volunteer, and it was strange to see such a startlingly beautiful dog who initially seemed a little aloof. This in comparison with our incredibly affectionate grey Sparky, we started wondering if we had done the right thing. I needn't have worried. Willow just wanted to know where the comfy spots were in the house, and she settled in beautifully.
Willow is incredibly gentle with the children, acting as a bumper when they're learning to walk, and watching over the very little ones. She regularly puts her front feet up on the couch so she can give us whiskery smooches and get quality scratches, and loves to let loose with zoomies. She does a "dinner dance€ that frequently turns into fervent zoomies, and roaches like she was meant to be upside down.
Her preferred place is outside, sunning her wee pink belly, or in the car on her way to the park. She has this titchy little tail (hence the name I guess) which goes berserk when she's excited, and she actually struts when on walkies - I end up humming "Staying alive€ every time! Such a joyful wee girl - all that (and more) wrapped into a teeny 23kg. It never fails to amaze me how incredibly loving these hounds are.
Since Willow's arrival she has bonded very strongly with my husband, whereas Sparky has shown his preference to me - so we have his'n'hers dogs! Our hopes for "best buds€ with the dogs hasn't quite come true, but they are great company for each other, and every once in a while we catch them cuddling