It was Heike & Richard’s son Bodhi who wanted another greyhound, and therefore the reason Ny was adopted. Bodhi had a degenerative neurological condition and entered palliative care around the time the family picked up Ny. They sadly lost Bodhi in 2024. Bodhi absolutely loved greyhounds and could not imagine a home without a greyhound.
Here is Ny’s adoption story, written in loving memory of Bodhi.
“In his previous life, Ny was called Gregory and made to run, whether he liked it or not,” says Heike.
“Now, Ny spends most of his days on his soft bed by the fire or on his sofa, asking for pats.”
Ny fitted in straight away with his new family.
“We live at the beach on the South Coast, and Ny was very taken with the beach,” says Heike.
“He walked excitedly up to the water and stood in it. Then he took a big sip and jumped back in surprise – unlike the water in the paddling pools, the water on the beach is salty! He’s not so keen on the beach anymore, although walking along the water is ok, he won’t step into the water.”
“We regularly go to Sydney for work and have a small apartment there. Ny travels really well (in fact, he loves being in the car) and handles apartment life really well. The size of the place doesn’t really concern him beyond his bed and water bowl.”
“But the big city does have lots of other dogs, so the sniffaries are very engaging. He does best when he is being ignored – this gives him plenty of opportunity to suss you out. Once he knows you, he will come to you asking for cuddles.”
Years of running did leave Ny with some serious injuries.
“He has some old fractures and had one weight-bearing toe amputated. This amputation was done halfway down the digit rather than at the base, and thus a piece of the bone was left which pushed into his skin.”
“This distorted his gait, which resulted in Ny limping. It probably was also the root cause of Ny’s endless corns and the fact that the vet knew Ny as “the greyhound with the worst feet I have ever seen”. Now there is a claim to fame if you ever need one!”
Ny has now had the bone properly removed, and had a tendon release to help reduce the pressure on his pads. With his booties, Heike and Richard hope that this surgery will allow him to go for longer and more frequent walks.
Heike says that with his feet and his heart condition, “Ny wasn’t a dog for everyone, but it totally made him our dog”.
“Our youngest son, born with a disability, instantly fell in love with Ny, and there was no doubt we were taking Ny home. He fitted right in, and the fact that Ny would probably never manage stairs with his sore feet was not an issue since our house has a lift for our son.”
“We have had a greyhound before, and I am fairly certain our next dog will equally be a greyhound. Once you have one of these quirky fellows in your house, you can’t really go back.”
“They really are the easiest dogs in the world. Like our previous greyhound, Ny is really low maintenance. Food, a short walk, and the rest of the day is sleep and sleep and sleep, with the odd cuddle in between.”