Photos by Vanessa Carpenter, Chris Proctor, Juliette Griffin, Hannah Webster
What you notice firstly on arriving at Homewood Kennels is that there is no barking. 20 plus Greyhounds and some extras on holiday and not a woof to be heard.
The country life must be working as everyone onsite including the animals are in their happy place and why wouldn't you be in such beautiful surroundings as this.
Situated just out of Waipukurau and run by a dedicated team of animal lovers, overseen by Rachel and Fatima you will find Homewood Kennels.
Set on an amazing park-like property, what drew us to Homewood was their care and love with Greyhounds and their Greyhound re-home service with Nightrave Greyhounds, it was this that took us to their place with our team for a morning.
Greyhounds are awesome pets for many families. Short-haired, low-exercise, usually silent, and happy to sleep for long periods while the family are out - these are just some of the traits that make them popular pets.
Ex-racing greyhounds are not "rescues", most have been lovingly cared for during their racing career. However many need homes when they finish racing and have many years of love to give to their new family.
We could see how much the Homewood team cared for the Greyhounds they had staying with them, and the gentle nature of these amazing dogs was great to be around.
It sure was hard not leaving without a hound packed into the van as we all picked out our favourite ! The question that often gets asked was about cats ! But as Rachel said dogs and cats have always had a love/hate relationship and it’s not any different with a Greyhound, they are just a lot faster if giving chase.( Rest assured each Greyhound goes through an extensive behaviour test)
A Greyhound loves to walk and can also sprint 300 metres, usually needing a good rest after that, Boy is that super fast. The environment as a racing dog is often quite structured and it will take a little time for them to adapt to a different way of life.
They are usually really comfortable being around people as it has been part of their life and equally happy to sleep in the sun during the day, if there is a comfy couch available then no doubt you will find a greyhound relaxing on it !
So, if you are interested in adopting one of these sweet natured, low maintenance hounds why not get in touch with Rachel and Fatima and make a time to visit.
PS they care for cats too !
