A racing greyhound from Sunderland who was retired after choosing the sofa over the thrill of the chase is thriving in life with her new family, 1,000 miles away in Germany!
Kiki – aka Finders Keepers - never lined up in a race after showing no enthusiasm to chase during her pre-race trials.
She was retired by Spennymoor trainer Yvonne Bell, with Arena Racing Company – who operate Sunderland Stadium – funding Kiki’s kennel space while she awaited her forever home at Home Run Hounds’ homing centre in Wickford, Essex.
It was through an online listing where Kiki caught the attention of Natalie Angst and Tom Antonic, two professional musicians who live in Germany after growing up in California.
And it was a case of love at first sight for Natalie and Tom after the couple travelled to the UK to meet Kiki for the first time.
A month later, she was crossing the channel en route to her new life and has settled happily almost 1,000 miles from where she was raised.
“She’s our perfect angel,” said Natalie.
“We wanted a dog which would fit around our lifestyle and knew from friends that greyhounds are incredibly relaxed and love to sleep on the sofa.
“Initially we looked locally. But we both fell in love with Kiki and quickly arranged for her new life in Germany.
“She’s been with us for a month now and it’s completely changed our lives. Everything we do is for Kiki, and we’ll be taking her home to California when we move back to the States in the next couple of years.
“We adore taking her on her walks, having a cuddle on the sofa and adapting to life in our home has been no issue at all – although she will hang around the kitchen if food is about!”
Founded in 2022, Home Run Hounds operates six homing centres across the UK and finds the forever homes for up to 300 retired racing greyhounds each year.
The charity is increasingly homing greyhounds internationally once their racing days conclude, with dogs happily settled in Canada, USA, Morocco and wider Europe already this year.
Natalie added: “Kiki’s retirement papers said she wanted to be a pet, which was clear from the moment we met her.
“Home Run Hounds helped us to find a greyhound which is suited perfectly to our lifestyle.
“The charity’s volunteers were so helpful from start to finish.
“They recommended hotels for our trip to the UK to meet Kiki, and helped with transport when we arrived before bringing her across the channel and meeting us in Belgium so we could take her home.
“We knew the timing was right for us to get our first dog, and Home Run Hounds understood that. We truly believe there is a greyhound out there for everyone and she’s already a favourite in our community.”
Joanne Wilson, General Manager at Sunderland Stadium, added: “Everyone at Sunderland Stadium is thrilled to see Kiki thriving in retirement.
“The time and care that goes into ensuring a retired greyhound finds the right home is not only important to the dog, but also our trainers and kennel hands too.
“They develop such a strong bond with them, that stories like Kiki’s bring a tear to the eyes of those who work with them. Enjoy your retirement, Kiki!”
Further information about Home Run Hounds and a list of retired greyhounds available for adoption or foster is available online via www.homerunhounds.co.uk.
