Super Furry Festive Pet Market - December 9

DOG EVENTS RESCUE UPCOMING EVENTS

Super Furry Festive Pet Market - December 9

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The first Super Furry Festive Pet Market is raising awareness and funds for Sydney rescue shelters and will be held on Saturday 9th December 2017 in Surry Hills.

Super Furry creators Jess Zeltner and Courtney Meyer are excited to bring Sydney animal lovers the furriest Christmas celebration. “With demand for more we decided to organise a fun pet focused Super Furry Festive Market including our usual mix of quirky activities to raise funds for rescue shelters” explains Jess Zeltner.

You can enter your four-legged friend into the Fashion Show, get your fur family portrait taken with Santa Paws, spoil your pooch with baked gingerbread dog treats by Woof Gateaux or pupsicles by Furfresh, get some pooch styling tips at Pepper & Murphy’s or pick up exclusive and limited edition totes or Christmas cards from the Super Furry stall.

If shopping is not on your mind then you may enjoy a few puppy Dingo pats or relaxing in the Kitty Cuddle Tent, hopping into the Bunny Snuggle Tent, stealing a smooch at the Kissing Booth or posing with a turtle: the choice is yours!

In the festive spirit of giving, a small donation upon entry is requested with 100% of the funds raised donated to the following rescue organisations: Maggie’s Rescue, Turtle Town Sydney, Sydney Dogs & Cats Home, Sydney Fox and Dingo Rescue and Porche’s Rescue.

Some of the stalls you can shop at on the day include: Billabong Cottage (pet-friendly accommodation), Haus of Harley, Quirky Things, Nigella the Pug, Paddo Pets, Missy & Me, Grooming Glove, Underwater Dogs, Puppy Playground, The Carrington, SavourLife, Pepper & Murphy, Pods 4 Pets, Sonia Henna and Talara Blackwood Art.

Come and celebrate Christmas early with your furbaby, bring your friends and fill up their furry stockings!

When: Saturday 9th December 2017, from 9:00am to 3:00pm

Please note: if you would like to enter your furry friend in the show, please come and see the Super Furry stall one hour prior to each Fashion Show (at 11am and 1pm).

Where: Shannon Reserve, Surry Hills, NSW

For the latest details, please visit this Event's Facebook page

RSPCA and The Sims™ Partner for Adoption Campaign

RESCUE WHAT'S NEW

RSPCA and The Sims™ Partner for Adoption Campaign

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To celebrate the release of The Sims™ 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack, EA Games have teamed up with the RSPCA to raise awareness of the RSPCA’s Adopt A Pet program and the many benefits of animal adoption.

RSPCA and The Sims™ Partner for a Digital Adoption drive campaign

To do this, RSPCA shelters opened their doors to Australia’s top Sims YouTubers and invited them to meet real cats and dogs looking for their forever homes. Content creators The Sim Supply, Deligracy, and Kaleidow have now set to work recreating these beautiful animals using The Sims new Create-A-Pet tool and will soon move them into their new (virtual) furever homes, where they can get all the (virtual) love and affection they deserve.

Their work will be shared in a series of videos across their channels to their combined audience of more than 1.8 million fans, and will include links for each animal’s Adopt A Pet profile to help them find their purrfect family!



The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Create-A-Pet tool allows players to customise their own pets in incredible detail, including a huge array of breeds, body shapes, coat types, markings and personality traits.

The Sims players around the country are now being challenged to help create a digital adoption drive by visiting the RSPCA Adopt A Pet website, choosing a furry friend in need of a home, and recreating them in The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs. 

By sharing these creations using #Sims4RSPCA, players can help raise awareness and hopefully help these animals find their new home!

Follow The Sims #Sims4RSPCA story at x.ea.com/sims4/Sims4RSPCA

The Sims™ 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack* is available worldwide on PC and Mac. 
For more information, please visit www.TheSims.com

*REQUIRES THE SIMS 4 GAME (SOLD SEPARATELY) AND ALL GAME UPDATES TO PLAY. SEE https://www.thesims.com/cats-and-dogs-faq FOR MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS EXPANSION.

About RSPCA Australia

The RSPCA is Australia’s leading animal welfare organisation and one of Australia’s most trusted charities. The RSPCA works to prevent cruelty to animals by actively promoting their care and protection.

For the latest news, visit www.rspca.org.au or follow RSPCA Australia on Facebook and Twitter

MEDIA RELEASE 22/11/2017

Dogs and Kids: How to Manage it Right!

DOG HERO STORIES RESCUE

Dogs and Kids: How to Manage it Right!

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If you’re thinking of adopting a Greyhound, have adopted or are thinking of adopting any new dog, you may benefit from reading Sue Tofful's experience. 

Sue Tofful is the adoptive mum of two Greyhounds, Marcus (9) and Lucy (8), mum of daughter Lauren (8), as well as step-mum to Alex (almost 17) and Nic (21). She emphasises that she’s not a dog behaviourist or trainer, but a mum who’s used some common sense. 
She says that integrating a dog into your family amounts to three things: vigilance, consistency and commitment.

"It makes all at Greyhound Rescue very sad to see another poor hound, straight from a racing kennel, who has probably had very little - if no exposure to home life - returned to us from a trial home within three days, because he growled at the child or would not get off the couch without a fight. It is sad because of the missed opportunity for both the dog and the family to become lifelong friends.

But these issues are the number one reason hounds (in fact all dogs) are returned. So how do we prevent this? If your child (whatever age) does something wrong, do you send him or her ‘back’? Of course not, you teach them the acceptable behaviour. So, why don’t we apply this to the hound as well?

Greyhound Rescue is constantly asked “is that hound kid friendly?” Instead, ask yourself “are my children dog friendly?” More often than not, dogs are blamed for incidents with children that have been caused by the child - inadvertently or otherwise. Where this is not the case, problems usually occur because the dog has not been correctly handled and managed for behaviours such as resource guarding (protecting a special thing such as her bed, toy or food).

When I got Greyhound Marcus from Greyhound Rescue, I was advised he’d been sent back from a trial home because he “barked at their child”. My first question then was “what was the child doing?” The volunteer was unsure, but it wasn’t enough to put me off and she also felt it was totally out of character. And that’s true! Marcus has barked ONCE in the years we’ve had him. That bark was an understandable protest when Lucy our second hound came along and took his toy!

Marcus was immediately wonderful around my daughter, Lauren. She was two and a half years, when he came to live with us. Marcus stepped over or around her so elegantly and gently and never jumped at her noise. Family and friends were amazed. He was a natural. In fact, he ignored her completely, which I think in most cases is the best way for a dog to be around young children. Having been around my elderly Retriever since birth, Lauren wasn’t in awe of large dogs and this does help. The less fascination the better! Marcus really has become the bomb-proof dog. We trust him implicitly in any situation with children of any age, even if the child is doing the wrong thing.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing. A few months after we adopted Marcus, he was happy and had settled in. I started letting him on the couch at night when we watched TV. One night, Alex went to sit down next to him and he growled. Then one night, when he still slept in our room, he wandered downstairs and jumped on Alex’s bed in the middle of the night and refused to get off. The last straw was when he growled at Lauren, when she came to sit next to myself and Marcus on the couch. That day, we banned him from the couch and he hasn’t been back, unless we invite him. 

After that, we began a gentle process of retraining him to ask to be allowed on a couch or bed and not think of it as his bed. Both hounds have their own beds (in fact they now have three each!); neither the couch nor the bed is one of these! I started getting Lauren to carry his food bowl to him and to ensure we walked through doors first and so on. We have had no problems since. Lesson: kids and dogs sharing couches and beds is not advised unless it's on your terms. 

Because one is never enough, we also adopted Greyhound Lucy. She too had been sent back from a home due to an issue with a child. I thought we’d be fine, given our success with Marcus. Also, Lauren had developed dog savvy, so no problem. 

Sue Tofful with her Greyhounds, Lucy (left) and Marcus (right)

However, Lucy’s issues were a little different to Marcus’ issues. She was and is a stronger character (female you see). It soon became obvious she suffered from sleep startle and also tended to resource guard, so that a couple of times when Lauren went to pat Lucy (when she was asleep on her bed), she snapped at my daughter. This only happened if I was not close by.

Once she drew blood on her face. This was not good. At this point, most dogs would be sent back, but having seen so many returned for this, I committed to work through it. My husband was overseas, so it was only me at home with Lauren. Immediately following the last incident, I very sternly reprimanded Lucy verbally, really growled at her. I then ignored her completely, gave her no attention, and instructed Lauren to do the same. 

Lucy wanted pats, but we did not give them. She was not to be rewarded for unacceptable behaviour. Lesson: do not reward unwanted behaviours in your dog by giving them attention, always correct it and praise the right behaviour with treats. Always supervise your child around dogs.

I have read that in a pack, the alpha dog is usually female and I agree with this theory. Female dogs are more likely to be bossy and motherly, and to “tell the child off” so to speak. Lucy loves a cuddle and a pat more than anything, and often approaches Lauren for these (whereas Marcus almost never does this). However, as Lucy is more interactive with Lauren, I’ve found this can lead to more excitement from Lauren. This in turn can create behaviours that may cause issues. 

Consequently, I have instilled in Lauren that she must never approach Lucy if she is asleep on her bed or anywhere else. And Lauren knows that is not negotiable. She asked me sometimes if she wasn’t sure. Much time has passed with no further problems and Lucy has become a wonderful addition to our family. When other children visit, we ensure they know the right behaviours.

In no particular order, here are some pointers and rules I’ve followed to ensure a harmonious household with “dog-friendly” kids and “kid-friendly” dogs!

THINGS YOU SHOULD DO

1. Play tug/toy games with caution and under supervision
2. Teach your children to only pat a dog that is awake and only if the owner says you can. The best place to stroke any dog is around the ears, not on top of the head.
3. Allow your children (over 3 years old) to feed the dog - carry their bowl, make them wait and/or sit before putting the bowl down.
4. Always supervise children when they are around the dog.
5. Reward good behaviour from your child around the dog.
6. Reward all your hound's good behaviour with treats, time and again.
7. When walking the dog on lead, keep him/her at your side, correct pulling and reward good walking. Encourage your children to walk the dog the same way, supervised of course.
8. Ensure your dog waits before they are allowed to eat their food.

   

   Lauren walking Marcus (left) and Lucy

9. Teach them stay, come and sit (if you can!). Attending formal training sessions can be great fun and very rewarding.
10. Feed dogs after kids (where practical).
11. Be consistent- don’t accept the wrong behaviour in dog or child and if you do, don’t then be annoyed when it is repeated! 
12. Use verbal tone (your growl) to reprimand the dog, NEVER hit or kick your dog.

THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO

1. Don’t allow kids to lie on the floor at the dog’s level.
2. Don’t allow kids to lie on the dog’s bed or on top of the dog.
3. Don’t allow the hound to push ahead of you or kids through doors.
4. Don’t allow kids to walk around the house holding food.
5. Don’t allow kids to scream and/or run away from a dog or encourage the dog to chase them.
6. Don't allow your kids to poke or pull a hound’s eyes, ears, tail, mouth or private parts.
7. Don't allow your child to tease a hound in any way.

THINGS TO AVOID

1. Avoid if possible playing rough and/or loud games in proximity to the hound.
2. Avoid allowing the dog on beds and couches that your children use. While people will have different views on this, I would stick by this rule. If you do decide dogs on beds/couches, wait at least six months and only allow it if the child is on the couch first and invites the dog up. But I don’t recommend it!
3. Never take food a dog is eating away from him/her.

When considering a child/hound match, the best choice is a dog that doesn’t find noise and constant activity near him/her upsetting. 

Having had two male and two female dogs now, I believe male dogs are more tolerant and laid-back in general with children, but this is not always the case. 

Ensure you trial a hound that has been in a foster home rather than straight from kennels as he/she will have more experience with household noise and have some basic training. 

Do not expect the dog to be perfect straight away; they need a period of adjustment. The dog will need guidance from you as to what is expected of him/her, as does your child. 

You should be consistent with rules from day one. It really is your responsibility to ensure they get it right: yours, not the dog’s and not the child’s.

The rewards from a happy pairing of child and dog are endless. It is well known that owning a pet teaches children responsibility and compassion. It also gets them outside and keeps them fit! Alex always walks both the dogs on a splitter after school, and very proudly takes a friend if he has one over. Marcus almost falls over himself with excitement as Alex gets his shoes on! 

Lauren is having a tea party with Marcus the Greyhound

The dogs both come into Lauren’s cubby and she makes them tea (Lucy actually drinks hers!). 

Marcus always comes into Lauren’s room and lies on the floor for story time. They both poke their heads into the bathroom at bath time. Lucy gives Lauren her “bum hugs” as we call them. If Lauren is crying, both dogs unconsciously come over to her and stand near, as if to say “can we help?”. At school pick-up times, the dogs are regularly the quietest, gentlest, most popular and most patted dogs at the gate.

As I wrote this, Lauren was tidying up the dogs’ outside beds. She chatted away to them as she does this and they are both spellbound, standing quietly next to her. Gold."

Written by Sue Tofful, November 2017

While Greyhound Rescue covers Sydney, Canberra and the Illawarra, there are similar grassroots charities with available hounds in each state. 

For more information, visit www.adoptagreyhound.com.au/wheretoadopt/

Give a Dog a Bone Christmas Appeal (Nov 25 - Dec 15)

DOG EVENTS RESCUE UPCOMING EVENTS

Give a Dog a Bone Christmas Appeal (Nov 25 - Dec 15)

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Help pets in need this Christmas by donating to the Give a Dog a Bone, Keep Kitty Happy Christmas Appeal which runs from November 25 until December 15, 2017.

Every year, hundreds of Sydneysiders give generously to ensure homeless dogs and cats don’t miss out on the joys of Christmas through the annual Give a Dog a Bone, Keep Kitty Happy Christmas Appeal. Now in its eleventh year, the appeal distributes donations for dogs and cats to animal shelters across Sydney.

The appeal was founded in 2006 by animal lover Nicola Addison from a simple idea: get friends and colleagues to add to their shopping baskets a single item for a dog or cat (food, treats or a toy) and drop it off at one of many drop-off points throughout Sydney.

Greyhound Rescue volunteer at one of the drop-off points

Since then, Give a Dog a Bone, Keep Kitty Happy Christmas Appeal (GADAB) has grown into an annual movement, receiving a huge collection of goodies, donated by hundreds of people, dropped off at over 20 collection points in Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury. 

With the support of the RSPCA, Way2Home and the City of Sydney’s Companion Animals Liaison Office, dozens of volunteers assist with the distribution of thousands of items to over 20 rescue services. Among them are Friendly K9 Rescue Service, Greyhound Rescue and Golden Retriever Rescue, to name just a few.

In addition to animal rescue services, GADAB also supports other community organisations that work with people on low incomes, homeless people with pets and other groups and services that help people who may not have extra cash to spend on their beloved pets at Christmas.

Nicola says the appeal is an easy but effective way to give dogs and cats at rescue shelters some much-needed love during Christmas. “This appeal is so simple” Nicola says. “It offers people the opportunity to feel good by doing something that’s easily done, to be part of the solution and know that all their donations go straight to where they are most needed.

“We’re grateful for the support we have received so far and thank the many people who continue to donate to the appeal each year.

“While the festive season is a time for celebration, for many animal shelters and rescue services, it’s also a time of challenges and strain. The appeal aims to help these organisations continue their support and ensure dogs and cats get the treats they deserve during Christmas. Thank you for supporting the GADAB Christmas Appeal.” 

For more information, please visit the GADAB website at www.giveadogabone.info

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Buy one item (or more) for a dog or cat and take it to one of the GADAB drop-off points locations  

Dog Lovers Book Club - October 2017

BOOK CLUB RESCUE

Dog Lovers Book Club - October 2017

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The October 2017 Book Club is out with another great selection of the latest releases for dog lovers big and small!

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A DOG
And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience
by Gregory Berns

A pathbreaking neuroscientist discovers the link between human and animal minds...What is it like to be a dog? A bat? Or a dolphin? 

To find out, neuroscientist Gregory Berns and his team began with a radical step: they taught dogs to go into an MRI scanner - completely awake. They discovered what makes dogs individuals with varying capacities for self-control, different value systems, and a complex understanding of human speech. And dogs were just the beginning. Berns also explores the fascinating inner lives of wild animals from dolphins and sea lions to the extinct Tasmanian tiger. 
This book will fundamentally reshape how we think about -and treat-animals. Ground-breaking and deeply humane, it is essential reading for all animal lovers.



Hardcover, 320 pages
Publisher: Ingram Publisher Services US, 5th September 2017

RRP: $56.00 from www.booktopia.com.au

DAISY'S GIFT
The remarkable cancer-detecting dog who saved my life
by Claire Guest

Claire Guest was walking her dogs when Daisy, a fox red Labrador, nudged her breast insistently and stared up into her face with her big brown eyes. Sensing something was wrong, Claire visited her GP and soon found out she had a very deep – and difficult to diagnose – form of breast cancer. Daisy had saved her life, simply by smelling her cancer.

With her scientific background and deep love of dogs, Claire intuited that Daisy and her canine pals could save many more lives, and set up the charity Medical Detection Dogs. Though faced with many challenges, Claire and her dogs have proven to be a remarkable asset to cancer detection, and have changed the lives of many seriously ill people and their families.

This is the story of how our relationship with dogs can unleash life-saving talents, changing not only the medical world, but our own lives too.

Paperback, 320 pages
Publisher: Ebury Publishing, 27th July 2017

RRP: $19.99 from www.booktopia.com.au


THE DOGS OF AVALON

The Race to Save Animals in Peril
by Laura Schenone

Greyhounds, bred to be the fastest racing dogs on earth, are streaks of lightning. Beautiful, astonishing creatures, countless numbers of them disappear each year once they can no longer compete and win.

The Dogs of Avalon introduces us to the strong-willed Marion Fitzgibbon, born in rural Ireland, where animals are valued only for their utility. But Fitzgibbon believes that suffering is felt by all creatures, and she champions the cause of strays, baffling those around her-including her family-as she and a group of local women rescue any animal in need and taking on increasingly risky missions.When Fitzgibbon becomes head of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and focuses on the cause of the greyhound, she faces an entrenched racing industry protected by money and power. She joins forces with an American greyhound activist, a foxhunter's wife, a British lady, and an influential German animal rescuer to create an international network to find these animals homes, confront the racing industry, and provide safe havens where animals can live in peace.

In this powerful story, Schenone's journey helps us understand our deep connection to animals and gives us inspiration in the form of the unforgettable Fitzgibbon, who grapples with compassion and activism and shows the difference we are all capable of making in the world.

Hardcover, 336 pages
Publisher: WW Norton & Co, 22nd August 2017

RRP: $38.95 from www.booktopia.com.au

THE (SUPPOSEDLY) ENLIGHTENED PERSON'S GUIDE TO RAISING A DOG 
by Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, Kac Young

Kac Young never imagined that after a lifetime as a 'cat person' she would fall in love with, and adopt, a tiny rescue dog called Talulah. 

She loved other people's dogs, but never had time... All that changed when she met Talulah during a trip out with friends and just had to take her home to a house in the forest in California, shared with her partner and six cats and visited by deer, squirrels and skunks. The stories of life as a first-time adopter describe Kac's progression from slightly shell-shocked beginner to savvy, adoring dog guardian.

Right from the start, Kac consulted behaviourist Lisa Tenzin-Dolma on all things dog-related, and Lisa's observations and guidance on a wide range of subjects follow Kac's stories, so that those with little experience of living with a dog can get started on the right foot and paw and build a loving, trusting relationship.

Entertaining and informative, this book will appeal to both new and seasoned dog guardians.

Paperback, 80 pages
Publisher: Veloce Publishing Ltd, 12th September 2017

RRP: $29.99 at www.booktopia.com.au

Book Club - Teenagers & Kids Corner

FETCH 
How a Bad Dog Brought Me Home
by Nicole J. Georges

From an award-winning artist, a memoir of life with a difficult, beloved dog that will resonate with anybody who has ever had a less than perfectly behaved pet 

When Nicole Georges was sixteen she adopted Beija, a dysfunctional Shar-pei/Corgi mix—a troublesome combination of tiny and attack, just like teenaged Nicole herself. For the next fifteen years, Beija would be the one constant in her life. Through depression, relationships gone awry, and an unmoored young adulthood played out against the backdrop of the Portland punk scene, Beija was there, wearing her ''Don’t Pet Me'' bandana.

Georges's gorgeous graphic novel Fetch chronicles their symbiotic, co-dependent relationship and probes what it means to care for and be responsible to another living thing—a living thing that occasionally lunges at toddlers. Nicole turns to vets, dog whisperers, and even a pet psychic for help, but it is the moments of accommodation, adaption, and compassion that sustain them. Nicole never successfully taught Beija ''sit'', but in the end, Beija taught Nicole how to stay. 

Paperback, 288 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 1st September 2017

For: Teenagers/ Young Adults

RRP: $35.95 at www.booktopia.com.au

POINTY PEMBLETON VISITS THE DOG PARK
by Nat Panzarino, illustrated by Fen Wicker

This gorgeous picture book features our gregarious Greyhound hero Pointy Pembleton on his first visit to the dog park. The story explores themes of diversity and inclusion as Pointy navigates his way through the sometimes tricky process of making new friends.

This full colour, high quality, hardcover picture book is filled with whimsical watercolour illustrations and a charming story written in enchanting rhyme.

$5 from every book sold goes to Greyhound Rescue to help with costs associated with rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of Greyhounds.

For Ages: 3-8 years

RRP: $23.95 exclusively from www.pointypembleton.com

MADELINE FINN AND THE LIBRARY DOG

by Lisa Papp

Madeline Finn does not like to read. Not books. Not magazines. Not even the menu on the ice cream van. Fortunately, Madeline meets Bonnie, a library dog. 

Reading aloud to Bonnie isn't so bad. When Madeline Finn gets stuck, Bonnie doesn't mind. As it turns out, it's fun to read when you're not afraid of making mistakes. Bonnie teaches Madeline Finn that it's Okay to go slow, to keep trying, and to get support from a friend.

A beautiful, reassuring, story for all those struggling to read. Perfect accompaniment for the 'reading dogs' programs used by many schools and libraries. 

Money from the sales of the book will be donated to UK-based Pets As Therapy charity.

Hardcover, 32 pages
Publisher: Walker Books Australia (Australia & NZ only), 1st September 2017
For Ages:  4-8 years

RRP: $24.99 at www.booktopia.com.au

OLLIE & NINA AND… DAFT DOGGIE DOINGS!
by Dr Neil Sullivan

This is a book about two very silly doggies. Ollie and Nina are real dogs and just do what all real dogs do. But in this little book Ollie and Nina's daft Dad has taken the liberty of recording their silly goings-on in an hilarious and insightful cartoon strip. 

Their stories aren't just made up dog jokes - their Dad swears that everything he has written and drawn in these delightful cartoons actually happened. Of course, he admits that he may have used a little artistic license in the telling, you understand. 

Together, Ollie and Nina make a proper comedy duo and anyone who has a dog will be charmed and entertained by the affectionate and gentle humour found here in the daft doggie world of Ollie And Nina And ...

Hardcover, 64 pages
Publisher: Hubble & Hattie, imprint of Veloce Publishing Ltd, 3rd August 2017

RRP: $29.99 from www.booktopia.com.au

Australian Dog Lover is a participant in the Booktopia affiliate advertising program, designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.booktopia.com.au

Pointy Pembleton Book Launch - September 24

BOOK CLUB RESCUE

Pointy Pembleton Book Launch - September 24

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Don't miss the Pointy Pembleton book launch on Sunday 24th September to support rescue Greyhounds. 

Everyone is invited to help celebrate the launch of this new Australian children’s picture book - Pointy Pembleton Visits the Dog Park - at the Burns Bay Bookery.

Pointy Pembleton is about a gregarious greyhound character that shows children how to accept others that may be a little different.

“Come along and have some fun. There will be Greyhounds to pat, 'pupcakes' to eat, colouring-in fun, as well as a reading by the book's author. You can have a copy of our book signed by us! If you can't attend, but still want a copy, just order from our website,” said Nat Panzarino, author.

Nat, an English teacher and mother of two, and Fer Wicker, illustrator, teamed up to bring Pointy Pembleton - picture book hero - to life, with gorgeous watercolour illustrations.

"We are two Greyhound Rescue volunteers who have used our skills to raise funds in an innovative and fun new way. Money from each book sale will go to Greyhound Rescue. 

Pointy Pembleton teaches children friendship can sometimes take you by surprise," she said.

Illustrator Fer said the two wanted to use their skills, not only raise funds for dogs in desperate need, but also to raise awareness about Greyhounds as family pets. "They are gentle dogs and they make amazing family pets. 

There are thousands of Greyhounds who are unloved, without a family of their own. No longer wanted by the racing industry, many Greyhounds are simply killed. This is referred to by the industry as ‘wastage’,” Fer said.

Nat Panzarino and Fer Wicker with some of the Greyhounds available for adoption

“Rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of retired racing greyhounds is an expensive undertaking. Ongoing funds are required for organisations like Greyhound Rescue to continue finding loving homes. These dogs deserve as much love as a Poodle, a Pug or a Chihuahua.

The book's production was funded by a crowd-sourcing campaign which raised $28,871 to print, market and distribute 5000 copies.

When: Sunday 24th September 2017 at 11:00am 

Where: The Burns Bay Bookery,  4/50-54 Burns Bay Road, Lane Cove, NSW.

If you're unable to attend, you can still purchase a copy of the book online by visiting www.pointypembleton.com