Remembering Warren

I WANT to tell you about the Domestic Animal Management Plan, and I promise I’ll get to that. But before we get to that “council stuff”, I want to tell you about a very good boy – the best boy in fact – a beautiful, blue greyhound named Warren.

To say Warren was magnificent is an understatement. He was a gentle giant – strong, muscular and undeniably regal. He loved sardines, doing zoomies and playing with his squeaky pink flamingo. Once, at Christmas, he ate an entire brisket I’d spent 24 hours preparing – for which I forgave him in five minutes. But, like most greyhounds, his absolute favourite thing to do was find the softest bed in the house and lay claim to it.

Like many handsome boys I have known, Warren started out somewhat aloof. When I met him at the Greyhound Adoption Program’s adoption day, he was the first dog I saw as I entered the building. With a family of young children fawning over him, he could not have been less interested in the people around him. He ignored me also but as he was deemed too boisterous for the young family and, as I am a sucker for an aloof handsome boy, a match was made, and he came home with me.

Slowly but surely his disinterest turned to trust, and his trust bloomed into love. I’ll never forget the first time he placed his paw in my lap to demand more pats, or during the COVID lockdown when he stayed on my bed for the whole night instead of jumping off the first time I wriggled. Once, I picked him up from doggy daycare and in his excitement to see me he almost cleared a metre high gate – he failed but wasn’t hurt. No matter how busy my days became, Warren and I would always find five minutes to lie down with each other, my face smooshed into the thick hair of his neck, his calmness radiating through me, washing away the anxiety that had built up over the day. This kept happening for five years.

Sadly, I had to say goodbye to Warren a few weeks ago. His death has left a greyhound-sized hole in my life that isn’t easy to fill. But his love lives on inside of me and the companionship we shared I will cherish for the rest of my days.

I am far from the only member of the Geelong Community to lose their heart to one of these marvellous creatures. The City of Greater Geelong is home to about 38,000 registered dogs and cats, along with birds, pocket pets and more. Pets play an incredibly important role in our mental health. They teach us to become carers and show us how to be responsible for another life. They are much loved members of the family and often the only

ones you can rely on to always have your back.

As pets play such an important role in our lives, the City has put out a draft Domestic Animal Management Plan for consultation on the ‘Have Your Say’ page of the City’s website. It gives pet owners and non-pet owners alike an outlet to tell us how we can live in harmony with our furry, feathered and scaly companions.

If it were up to me, I would call it the “Warren Consultation”. But each of us has our own Warren, so we’ll leave it generic.

So, get zooming to the page and have your say at yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/DAMP2026

Cr Emma Sinclair

Charlemont Ward,

City of Greater Geelong