Kobi bought more than just happiness to the Stolarski family at Cranbourne’s Adoption Day on April 29 – he added a friendship, between his former owner, trainer and breeder Ashlee Terry and his new family.

It was only a matter of minutes before Ashlee saw her former chaser Kobi wagging his tail at the adoption processing area with his new family.

“I couldn’t have timed it any better,” Ashlee Terry said.

Ashlee and Kobi, who raced under the name He’s An Omen, at a photo shoot during his race career.

“Kobi was happy to see me at first but he was more interested in his new owners little girl which was great. I could see how much he liked her and I knew then he was going to be okay.”

Terry admitted that she was stressing during the day whether Kobi would find a good home or not and if she would be able to meet his new owners.

“We spoke a lot about Kobi as a puppy but I also gave them some advice about vets and tips how I fed him previously,” Terry said.

“They are a lovely family and I could see how happy they were to have a new family member.”

“I’ve had Kobi since he was a pup and he will always be a part of my life and it’s never easy to say goodbye.”

Kobi with his new owner Melanie and her daughter Isabella at the Crabourne Adoption Day.

The Cranbourne Adoption Day wasn’t just a first for the Club, but a first for Melanie Stolarski, her husband Lukas and their daughter Isabella.

“We had been waiting for a while for the Adoption Days to come to this side of town because it was difficult for us to make it to previous Adoption Days,” Melanie Stolarski said.

Although their experience with greyhounds was minimal, Melanie was introduced to the breed through the facebook page Life Of Pikelet which follows the life of a English Staffordshire Bull Terrier and his foster siblings, from dogs to cats and everything in between which happened to included two greyhound puppies.

“I did a bit of research and found out they are really good family dogs because they are so friendly.”

Kobi was the third greyhound the Stolarski family met at the Adoption Day.

“Kobi is a beautiful looking dog but he is also very friendly. He was so good with Isabella from the start which made the decision to adopt him so easy.”

As much as it was a relief for Ashlee to see Kobi and meet his new owners, it wasn’t too much of a surprise for Melanie.

“I could tell straight away just how much Ashlee loved Kobi, she shared photos and stories with us about Kobi which was pretty special,” Melanie said.

Meeting Kobi’s new owners is something that Ashlee holds very close to her heart, usually rehoming her greyhounds privately because it is easier for Ashlee to keep in touch.

The first meeting between Ashlee and Kobi’s new family.

“Putting Kobi through the Greyhound Adoption Program was a big decision for me. It is so important for me to be able to keep in touch with my old dogs because they are such a big part of my life and I just love seeing them happy,” Ashlee said.

“Seeing my past dogs in their new homes or on holiday’s with families makes me feel like I have done the best job for them.”

Kobi has now settled in with his new brother – a staffy cross, and even enjoys the odd game of fetch.