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IVY
My beautiful greyhound Ivy
has been one of the
greatest gifts
I've ever received.
My love of greyhounds is linked with my passion for the Art Deco period (basically, the time between the First and Second World Wars).  

Greyhounds were prevalent in Art Deco paintings and sculptures because of Deco dog.

Although I have loved greyhounds from afar for some time, I really didn't know anything about them. I live in an apartment with a small courtyard (Art Deco of course!), and thought that I wouldn't be able to have a greyhound because of the small space.

Fortunately, I discovered the GAP website and my hopes soared. When I saw the Adoptees Photo Gallery, their photos almost broke my heart and I wanted to take them all home. I decided then and there that I would go for it and at least foster a greyhound if I couldn't have one permanently.

I had previously fostered puppies and kittens through the RSPCA and thought that I might be able to help improve the lives of some of these beautiful animals on a short term basis.

In a moment of wishful thinking, I completed the online adoption application and was surprised when Mat phoned me the same night to talk with me about it. I was certain that I would be blackbanned from ever being given a dog after some of my comments to him - I think I'd like a girl dog so that I can call her "Coco" after Coco Chanel and dress her up in a camellia collar, and paint her toenails pink and, I'd like her to be black because she will suit my Art Deco apartment really nicely".

Yep, I actually said that. I dragged one of my poor friends along to the Brisbane Ekka on the Sunday morning and made her watch the greyhound showings for four hours. And I got to see some of the dogs in action. I think my comments about my dream greyhound made much more sense to Gap after meeting me!

Well, in the words of Mick Jagger, "you can't always get what you want….but you get what you need." After many hours of phone calls and almost driving him spare with my questions, Mat finally called me to say that he had a dog, and that he thought she would be perfect for me. Introductions were made and I fell in love with her at first sight (despite the fact that she wasn't black and wasn't called Coco).

Upon meeting me, Ivy obviously figured out that I was exactly the right kind of gullible sap she wanted to control for the rest of her life, and so the deal was done. I had a great aunty named Ivy and I truly believed that it was fate that this dog was sent to me, couldn't possibly turn my back on her.

I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could take Ivy so that I could make the appropriate adjustments at home. On the day she was due to arrive, I was so excited I couldn't sleep the night before. I had carefully arranged all of her bedding, food and water bowls and found a couple of old stuffed toys for her to play with. I'd even been sleeping in an old T-shirt so that she could cuddle it during the day when I wasn't there.

When Ivy arrived she walked straight into my apartment as though she had lived there all her life. Within the first two minutes, she had wandered into my bedroom and 'retrieved' my stuffed Big Bird (bought at the Ekka the day I'd seen the greyhounds, but not for a dog toy!) and was walking around with him in her mouth. He's been her favourite toy ever since, and woe betide anyone who tries to take him away from her!

I have to warn all my friends when we come to visit them that they should put any toys away, as Ivy will take them when nobody is looking and hide them somewhere.

When I knew that Ivy was coming, I took a week's 'dog-bonding' leave from work - for the first three days I could barely stop looking at her. When I came home from work on the Monday, I new I loved her more than my next breath. I simply cannot imagine my life without her now. Shares in photo companies must have surged since September 2003, as I insist on taking photos of Ivy at every available opportunity.

Ivy has no hesitation in telling me what she wants to do. She rouses on me when she is unhappy with me, and cuddles me endlessly when she is happy (fortunately I get more cuddles than rousing). She is spoiled beyond redemption and I wouldn't have it any other way.

She has more toys than your average toddler, and gets new ones every week. I even bought a new car for Ivy, because I felt that she was too cramped in the back seat of my old one. She's a demon for sweets, Iced Vovo biscuits, Cornflakes, and ice cream (if she can convince somebody to give it to her). Even when it's 35 degrees outside, Ivy can demolish an icecream cone in about 40 seconds without spilling a single drop on the floor.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being a greyhound owner is that I have the opportunity to promote greyhounds to other people. All of my friends have been completely won over by Ivy and have now gained a better understanding of and appreciation of the greyhound's many qualities. I have a friend who, when I told her I was getting a greyhound, swore to me that she would hate it on sight because they were so ugly and stupid.

Famous last words - within an hour of meeting Ivy, she fell absolutely in love with her and has admitted publicly that she was totally wrong about greyhounds. I take Ivy with me almost everywhere - I believe that the greater number of people who can be exposed to greyhounds, the better the understanding and acceptance of these beautiful animals in the community will be in the long run.

I always get a great buzz when people come and chat to me about Ivy and remark on how gentle and beautiful she is. Ivy is very popular with our wonderful vet Meredith and her staff at Wilston Vet, and she has made lots of friends amongst both dogs and people.

An extra bonus in having Ivy in my life is the support I've received from the GAP. They have helped me through some tricky situations and I have always received great advice when I have needed it. I cannot thank enough, nor praise the Gap highly enough, they have helped me and the wonderful work they do for the greyhounds.

I just hope that many more people will accept a greyhound into their family and experience the same joy as I have been given over the past 5 months.