'Couch potato' racing dog finds home in Guernsey

A greyhound that showed little enthusiasm for racing in Sunderland has found a home with a family on an island 450 miles (725km) away.

Buster - racing name Safe Cash - has settled into an early retirement in Guernsey since being brought over in February.

Cody Martin, Buster's new owner, believes "fate" brought the ex-racer to her home as the dog had the same name as her childhood pet greyhound and was only made available for adoption a day before the family travelled to the UK to meet dogs they could adopt.

During his short-lived racing days, Buster only ran a handful of times but did win one race.

Cody Martin said: "The stereotype is so wrong, people really think these dogs are really high energy and they can be.

"Typically, I would say 99% of greyhounds are couch potatoes and they are so calm and docile."

As well as settling in with her partner Nick and their two young sons, Buster's docile nature has allowed him to join her at work, where she described him as her "shadow".

Home Run Hounds is a UK-based charity and introduced the family to Buster.

Established in 2022, the organisation has helped rehome more than 600 ex-racing dogs and works closely with the racing industry to provide dogs with suitable homes - some as far away as the United States of America.

Charity chair Tracey Parbery said: "We are just so delighted that Buster has found his home and he is doing so well.

"Homing a greyhound is just an amazing thing to do because they are just such wonderful dogs."

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