That friendly face that welcomes you home at the end of a long day. 

But often, for many people, finding the right dog can be difficult. 

When East Launceston couple Janny and Eduardo Lezius decided to adopt a dog, they knew they needed a breed that would fit in with their busy schedules.

Working as an occupational therapist at Launceston General Hospital, Janny said when she started researching dog breeds, one word kept coming up – greyhounds.

“I had never thought of adopting a greyhound before,” she said. 

“We wanted to adopt because there are a million dogs out there who are looking for homes. 

“What attracted us to the greyhound specifically was their characteristics. My partner wanted the most un-doggy dog there is.”

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Reaching out to various greyhound adoption groups, Janny and Eduardo would eventually find Moo – a two-year-old greyhound who had been retired from the racetrack. 

Through Brisbane-based organisation Greyhound New Beginnings, the couple were able to adopt Moo, who they brought with them to Launceston when they relocated for work. 

Often described as the cat of the dog world, Janny said Moo was the most gentle, loving dog she had ever come across. 

“We don’t think she ever actually raced because she has a broken tail,” she said. 

“Apparently it is really common in ex-racers, but it means their tracking is a little bit off so they can’t run as straight and more prone to injuries.”

But bred to race, many greyhounds find themselves running for their lives, with euthanasia currently a cheaper option in Tasmania than offering a dog up for re-homing through an industry-run program.

In 2015, an inquiry into live baiting revealed the Australian greyhound industry was responsible for the deaths of up to 17,000 young dogs a year. 

Greyhound re-homing organisations, such as Brightside Farm Sanctuary in the Huon Valley, is one group trying to turn these numbers around. 

Brightside founder and animal rights advocate Emma Haswell said hundreds of greyhounds were unnecessarily euthanized every year. 

“I don’t know how they get away with it because greyhounds are the most beautiful, gentle dogs,” she said. 

“When a trainer is done with a dog, the majority are being euthanized because they don’t want to pay.

“It costs $40 to euthanize, and to put into the GAP program, for instance, it is $110. People often just want a quick fix.”

The Greyhound Adoption Program is a national initiative that re-homes greyhounds who have been retired from racing. 

In Tasmania the program is run by TasRacing, who recently reported a 30.6 per cent increase in greyhound adoptions over the 2016-17 period.

The organisation’s latest annual report revealed 111 adoptions during the past 12 months, compared to 85 the year before, with 600 greyhound pups bred in Tasmania in 2016. 

Tasmania GAP coordinator Susan Gittus said she had definitely seen a change in the mindset of people within the greyhound racing industry.

“I have worked with GAP for seven years and I can say there are volumes of people looking for these options,” Ms Gittus said. 

“There is a definitely a very big change in the mindset of people in the industry. 

“For Tassie, you are looking at an average age of 70 for a trainer.

“It is an old industry, so people will think that way for a while. 

“As the industry grows and younger people come through with that different mindset, I think we will see even more changes.”

Before Moo came to live with Janny and Eduardo, she spent about eight months with a foster carer learning how to “become a dog”.

As Janny explained, for greyhounds coming off the track, adjusting to non-racing life can often prove challenging – even for simple tasks like walking up and down stairs. 

“Greyhounds just do their own thing in a lot of ways,” she said. 

“It is like puppy but in an adult-size dog and there are so many everyday things you wouldn’t think of that they have no idea about. 

“So teaching her to go up stairs for instance.

“With a puppy you would just pick it up and show it. 

“I had to do that with Moo but she weighs like 20 kilograms.”

Currently in Tasmania all greyhounds are legally required to wear a muzzle and lead in public. 

While exceptions have been made in other states, Ms Gittus said it was a very old law that had not done much to change the public perception of the breed. 

“It has never been to do with greyhounds being aggressive towards people,” she said. 

“But if you see a dog wearing a muzzle, you don’t know that.”

Janny said, while she has overwhelmingly positive responses, people were definitely more weary when Moo was wearing her muzzle. 

“Some people when they see the muzzle will just go away from us and take their dogs away,” she said.

“Which is a little bit sad because they can’t do anything when the muzzle is on.

“That is another reason why a muzzle can be a little bit hard to take as an owner because you are aware that they are defenseless when you are at a park with them.

“I have never had anyone assuming it means she is aggressive towards humans. 

“So I think it is great that most people are aware that it is just towards little fluffy animals.

“I have had other dogs that will chase before, but the difference is you can pick it up when they are puppies and you socialise them properly and you can then train it out of them. 

“But with Moo and other greyhounds it was trained into them, they can’t help it.”

Janny said some of the biggest stigmas associated with greyhounds came from people’s perceptions of them as racers, but as pets they were completely different. 

“I know for me, my first though with a greyhound was that they would have all this energy,” she said. 

“But they are designed for sprinting so really just short burst of energy.  

“Moo gets tired just walking around the block.

“She is the perfect dog for us.”