A fast man's best friend

Kate Meteyard, Ben Hutchinson and Alec Seymour at the Mudgeeraba Friends of the Hound walk yesterday.

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DO you ever wonder what happens to dishlickers once they've done their last dash?

Gold Coast Friends of the Hound member and foster carer Alexis Mulhearn said quite often the future of a retired greyhound is grim.

“If they're lucky they may be put down by a vet or shot in the head,” Ms Mulhearn said.

“Quite often they're drowned, dumped in bushland and worse because they're no longer racing.”

However Ms Mulhearn and her fellow Friends of the Hound are attempting to change all that. They retrieve and re-home former racinglegends to give them full, happy and healthy lives.

“We estimate there are as many as 20,000 surplus racing dogs each year.”

“At this stage roughly 4% are rehomed,” Ms Mulhearn said.

Greyhounds retire at four years of age however they can live another ten years beyond that.

“They're well socialised, they're easy to live with, they're extremely obedient, they're already toilet trained, they're desexed, microchipped and they're immunised,” Ms Cooper said.

To get in contact with the not-for-profit volunteer group contact Lisa White on 0416 194 864.