Victoria, Ryan & Dollar

Not long ago, my husband Ryan and I said goodbye to our beautiful girl, Zelda. Her loss left a huge hole in our hearts and an unbearable silence in our home. We knew we needed time, but we also knew the love of a greyhound was something we couldn’t live without for long. We found ourselves at the GAP adoption day at Sandown - still grieving, unsure if we were ready, and honestly, about to turn around and leave. It was all a bit overwhelming… until we saw him.

There he was - standing quietly on his own, tall and handsome with his long snoot and calm energy. A volunteer told us his name was Dollar, and mentioned how hard it can be to adopt out the big black boys. But there was something about him. He leaned gently into the volunteer’s side, soaking up every pat. Calm, steady, and quietly affectionate - even in the chaos of the day with dogs everywhere. In that moment, we knew. We had to take him home. We began as foster carers, but our minds were made up before he even set paw inside the car.

Dollar has been nothing short of incredible. He fit into our lives like he was always meant to be here. From park strolls to long 8 km trail walks, meeting other dogs, learning the rhythm of our home — he's done it all with grace, curiosity, and that wonderful greyhound goofiness. He’s a food lover (surprise!) and is slowly gaining that little extra post-racing padding. We’re even starting to go on some short runs together - whether or not he becomes my jogging buddy remains to be seen, but we’ll let him decide.

Dollar has healed our hearts in ways we didn’t think possible. He has brought joy, laughter, and that deep sense of calm only a greyhound can offer. We are completely in love with him, and he is absolutely home. Thank you, GAP, for the incredible work you do - for caring for these gentle souls and for bringing them together with the people who need them most. Dollar didn’t just fill a space in our house - he brought it back to life.

With love and endless gratitude, Victoria, Ryan & Dollar