The charming Mina may look familiar, if a little taller! Amanda and family adopted Mina from Greyhound Rescue as a puppy, then known as Benjamina. And while the first year with Mina may have been a little chaotic at times, they love having her as part of their crew.
“Mina makes us laugh (and sometimes cry) every day,” says Amanda.
“Given that Mina was a puppy when she joined our family, that was pretty special. It was definitely a different experience to getting an adult greyhound or any other puppy breed. There was a lot of extra work that needed to be done, but it has paid off.”
“Mina adores everyone, especially children. She is a very talkative and expressive young lady, who often tells us when we’re not doing what she wants by barking at us and taking our hands in her mouth to lead us to what she wants.”
“Mina also likes to fall asleep with something between her teeth – she often uses the coffee table, a toy or the edge of the lounge as her ‘dummy’.”
Amanda says some of Mina’s favourite things include a frolick in water, running through their paddock with her big sister Daphne, and playing with one of her many toys.
“She also really enjoys cuddling up on the bed or lounge with mummy and her human sister Josie,” Amanda says.
Fun fact about Mina, she has recently started learning to use talking buttons to let her family know what she wants, which has helped her in learning to communicate without barking.
“Her favourite game now is to either grab the play button and run off with it, or play the ‘treat game’ where she will hit the treat button and get a treat, then do this on repeat until I tell her she has had enough,” Amanda explains.
“Mina has livened our family up a lot! She has fit in pretty well with the other animals, especially Daphne.” Amanda says they did have their teething issues early on, with Mina chasing cats and chickens, and barking at their smaller pooches, but with time and training she has grown out of these.
“I was given advice about ‘rewarding the calm’ with the greyhound puppies. This has stuck in my mind and has definitely been helpful in teaching Mina to settle down when she is over-excited or overstimulated.”
Amanda says that greyhounds are the best breed. “They are not dogs, they are a species unto their own with amazing personalities and enormous amounts of love to give.”
“Greyhound Rescue do an amazing job of trying to find the right dog for the right person or family. They were extremely helpful in providing support and information during the adoption process and keeping us connected with Mina’s foster mum and other adopters so that we could troubleshoot any problems that may have come up.”
If there is a hound-shaped hole in your life, head over to our adoption page to submit your application and be matched with one of our beautiful Kennel Kids. Not sure if adoption is right for you? Why not foster. Head over to our foster page to learn more.