They can no longer race so now have to be pets and for one Dunedin pet owner, a greyhound is just the best dog in the world. Janice Coldicott has a greyhound she calls Allie, which previously raced as Sugar Time, and she could not be happier with her. She said the animals were so calm around people, lovely to walk and had opened up a brand new community for her. Greyhound racing ended in New Zealand last Friday and now it is the job of the Greyhound Transition Agency to re-home up to 1400 greyhounds. Mrs Coldicott received Allie just under two years ago. Allie, trained in North Canterbury by Gary Cleeve, had raced 61 times for 13 wins, 11 times coming second and eight times finishing third. But she picked up an injury and had to be retired. Mrs Coldicott said there was plenty of help from the agency about what to do or not do. Allie was with a foster parent in Christchurch, who had to move to Melbourne for work, and Allie headed south to link up with Mrs Coldicott. It was the start of a rock solid partnership. “She has just been great. They are very regal, very majestic animals. So calm. When someone comes in she comes and says hello but never gets too excited,” she said. “She is really good on a leash and has such tremendous manners. Doesn’t pull at all.” COPYRIGHT - ALLIED MEDIAGreyhound Marshy shows his athleticism. Photo: Gerard O'Brien Allie, 6, has a white coat with a few black patches and weighs about 30kg, which is classed as a medium-sized dog. “She’ll follow me round at the start of the day. Wants to go for a walk and see what is to eat.” The process to take on a dog had been straightforward and all the questions she had were answered by the greyhound industry, and the agency would be the same, she said. There had been surprises with Allie. “They have been in a kennel all their lives so are not used to other dogs and they can get worried. They also have such marvellous eyesight. They can see things from a kilometre away.” Their narrow heads allow a 270 degree field of vision, tracking up to half a mile, and specialised motion detection. She had been lucky enough to meet other greyhound owners and they went out together on monthly walks and coffee. Greyhounds were “such marvellous animals, not like any other dog I have known, but just in a better way”.
