Roley found his forever home with Catherine and David after a few false starts in his journey to pet life. The most important thing Catherine and David learnt, was to give Roley time. Time they gave him, and they now find it impossible to imagine life without him.
“Due to a combination of circumstances, we were Roley’s fourth family in a year,” Catherine says. “We loved him from the start and he settled in quickly, but he was prone to freezing and refused to leave the property for the first four months.”
In fact, Catherine says it took them four months to get to where they thought they would be after two weeks. But they realised how important it was to let Roley take things at his own pace.
“The greatest thing that we have been able to give Roley is time. Time for him to get used to us and time for his body to relax.”
“Then all of a sudden it was as if we had a new hound – his ears became much more expressive, he started to have daily zoomies with his toys, and he began to insist on 30-minute walks. In return we have received so much joy.”
With velvety ears and a curious nature, Roley is also a great communicator. He learnt quickly through his training that early morning barking sessions weren’t the most suitable wake up call.
“Our clever hound quickly learned to use his inside voice instead – a tiny single bark!” says Catherine. “Now that we have established our routine he just waits quietly – and then joins us on our bed once we are awake.”
A bit of a fanatic for keeping his home neat and tidy, Roley regularly checks the kitchen benches in case something has been left there for him to take care of. “Preferably fresh bread”, Catherine and David say.
“He is quite good at letting us know what he wants and we try to accommodate his requests wherever possible – as long as they don’t include scoffing a fresh white cob from the bakery…”
“Roley’s favourite time of day is when we all settle together in the lounge room for the evening. He loves a nice long massage, and will keep requesting more pats until he’s had enough – 20 minutes is our record.”
Catherine and David are so thankful to have Roley in their lives.
“Greyhound Rescue cares about each hound and sticks by them until they find their forever home. We’re so glad that they remained committed to Roley until he found us.”
Check out our adoption process here. If it’s not the right time, you can still help us find loving homes for hounds by becoming a ‘Help a Hound’ supporter. Find out more here