Coursing trainer, Sean Lithgow, often re-homes his greyhounds through GAP. A few years ago, a couple who had adopted one of his greyhounds messaged him online. Their greyhound wasn’t responding to his name – Jon Snow – so they wanted to learn more about him.

Tara Geraghty and Mitch Waters went to a GAP Adoption Day in 2015 and found their greyhound as they were on their way out. He was playing with toys and no one was paying any attention to him. So, they stopped to play and ended up taking him home.

After messaging Sean online, they went to his kennels in Devon Meadows with the greyhound formerly known as Spick. They became quick friends with the trainer and his wife, Mel, who told them all about their dog. Spick had raced under the name ‘McAvaney’ and was very talented, but he lost interest in racing pretty quick. They tried giving him a kennel change, but he still wasn’t keen, so he retired and went to GAP.

The greyhound immediately responded to his old name, so the couple changed it back and they have stayed in touch with Sean and Mel ever since. Sean truly believes Spick fell on his feet when he was adopted by Tara and Mitch, so he told GAP their story.

“They spoil him rotten and we’re so happy to hear this,” Sean said. “Spick was a beautiful, gentle giant who just loved his toys and always had a ball in his mouth.”

Last year, Tara and Mitch decided they wanted a slower paced life and moved to Canada. Tara had lived in New Brunswick on a hockey scholarship and fell in love with the country, so they found a small farm town outside Calgary to call home.

They couldn’t bear to leave Spick behind, so he made the big move as soon as they settled. The couple said it was stressful putting him on a plane all by himself, but he made it across safely. He is now happily living in Alberta, despite the cold winters.

“He likes the snow,” Tara and Mitch said. “Not so much the booties and the attire. We have to put two coats on him and boots. He kind of hates us for that, but he loves going to the 11-acre dog park nearby. There’s another greyhound named Marcus that he’s friends with and they go for walks together.”

It’s amazing to think that there is a GAP greyhound bundled up in a small town in rural Canada, but there is. Spick’s owners say he is a chill dog and he’s loving exploring Canada. He even went on a camping trip with Tara stopping in Edmonton, Jasper and Banff (pictured above).