The Bonner dental hygienist is a volunteer with Greyhound Rescue, a not-for-profit charity that re-homes greyhounds that have finished a career in racing or have failed to start one.

“Greyhounds tend to have a bad image, some people see them as aggressive but they are extremely friendly,” she says.

“They’re easy to look after, don’t take up much space and love snuggling up on the sofa.

“The charity picks up the dogs from the pound and looks after them until they’re fostered and then re-homed” she says.

Established in 2009 by a Sydney couple who had worked in dog rescue for many years, Greyhound Rescue looks out for the misunderstood dogs across NSW and the ACT.

According to Jane Duckworth’s book “Not Every Dog Has His Day”, 24,000 greyhounds are born annually in Australia, less than 13,000 are actually registered, meaning that almost 12,000 “go missing”.

There is a suspicion that thousands of pups are being killed because they might fail to come up to racing standard.

Through its website, Greyhound Rescue says it has rehomed 200 greyhounds in the past five years, 70 of which were in Canberra.

Natalie, who has been a volunteer for two years and was inspired by seeing a disturbing documentary showing the abuse of racing greyhounds, says: “Greyhound Rescue is an anti-racing charity, greyhounds shouldn’t be something to bet on. We are always looking for temporary fosterers, this is important because most racing greyhounds have lived their lives in small kennels.

“Before they can move to a new home, they need to get used to everyday home life. We have volunteers across Canberra who fundraise and foster greyhounds. If someone wants to adopt one, they fill in a form which gets sent to Sydney. A local volunteer will then perform a house check to see if they are suitable”.

Natalie helps to organise fundraising events such as market stalls, sausage sizzles and cake sales, and all proceeds go towards the charity for vet bills, food and anything else the greyhounds need before they are re-homed.

“I enjoy volunteer work and helping to raise money for the charity,” says Natalie.

“The market stalls have been the most successful because people get to meet the dogs, they are terribly affectionate and really love a human companion.

“That’s the main aim, promoting the greyhounds so they can find a new home.”

greyhoundrescue.com.au