A big, blue boy with a slightly crooked nose, it was Hershey’s struggle with reactivity that saw him returned to Greysland following his first home trial. Little did he know this would just be a minor bump in the road to finding his perfect match.
Meanwhile, Mel was feeling burnt out working as an ICU nurse on the frontline of the COVID pandemic.
So when Hershey leapt into Mel’s life she knew it was meant to be.
Mel and her family had always had rescue dogs, but it was the greyhound’s tendency to lounge around that had appealed to her. Hershey turned out to be quite the opposite!
“Hershey loves a long sniffari. He can clock up anywhere between 8-10kms a day over two walks. His favourite place is Centennial Park.”
But his reaction to other dogs was still a challenge early on.
“I adopted Hershey knowing he was reactive” says Mel.
“We spent the first 4 months of our time together walking the streets of our area and staying as far away from all dogs as we possibly could. Through engage/disengage training, and the support provided by Greyhound Rescue, Hershey was able to slowly desensitise to other dogs.”
“Fast forward to today, and after 9 months of consistent training, Hershey is able to walk up to most dogs of all sizes and politely sniff them!”
He’s also a boy that loves his food. While this has been useful when it comes to his training, it also made for a few challenges early on. In particular, his tendency to steal food off the kitchen counter! Mel sought advice from the Greyhound Rescue team.
“Greyhound Rescue supported me through this. Nine months later and I know I can still call on their expert advice” says Mel.
Nowadays, Hershey tends to just impress his friends with his cake-eating abilities.
“We were invited to the birthday of a couple of our hound friends. There was an amazing birthday cake being served to all the hounds, and they all sat on their mats politely eating. Hershey inhaled his cake, and then proceeded to drag me around, stealing any cake or crumbs that had been left behind while I apologised profusely.”
Mel has no regrets about giving Hershey a new start in life.
“They need time and patience” says Mel. “But when you invest that time and patience, you end up with one of the most beautifully natured creatures on this earth.”
“He has fit into our household like a glove and I can’t express how proud I am of how far he has come.”
“Hershey gives me purpose, and a sense of love and joy I haven’t experienced in a long time.”
If you are looking for a brunch buddy, click here to find out more about adoption!