Trim team is hooked on the hounds

By David Nagel
DEVON Meadows husband and wife greyhound training team Peter and Su Trim have been through a lot in recent years but there’s no way they’ll complain, they love what they do.
Peter, 49, has been around greyhounds all his life.
His father trained the canine livewires in Nunawading when Peter was a kid and he has been his own boss, working from his Devon Meadows home base for the past 20 years.
Five years ago things changed dramatically for Peter when he suffered a heart attack which reduced his capacity to perform the physical part of his work.
It threatened his involvement in the sport he loves.
That’s when wife Su felt she had to step in.
“I don’t think Peter would want to do anything else, this is all he knows,” Su said.
“He just loves the dogs.”
Su took on the role of boss and to this day still plays the main role in the partnership. Ongoing health issues as a result of the heart attack still affect her husband.
“Yeah, I just dag around now,” Peter said.
“I’m still buggered and it has taken a while to get used to, I’m the lackey now, not the boss.”
Among other things, the Trim’s property includes 20 kennels and a straight track for the dogs to stretch out on.
They whelp litters, rear pups and pre-train greyhounds, it’s an occupation that is very demanding.
“It’s seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year,” Su said without a hint of regret in her voice.
“I remember Christmas mornings when the kids were younger, I’d be feeding greyhounds while they were unwrapping presents.
“It’s a hard job, there’s a lot of travel involved and unless you’ve got city class dogs, you’ve got to chase your races.”
Su’s best greyhound was a bitch named Turbo Tubbs who’s race wins included one on Cranbourne’s Tri-Codes Day.
Turbo Tubbs was named by an owner in respect of his mother who had just joined an aerobics class.
King Maker, Brewdon Boy and Benzomba, who won two Vic Breeder’s Finals, are the best dogs to pass through the kennels, according to Peter.
The pair’s latest success came at the Cranbourne twilight meeting on Monday when Magical Opening won race nine over the 520m.
The black bitch, which is owned by members of The Basin Football Club, took her career record to 15 wins from 57 starts.
As for Peter and Su Trim, six greyhounds arrived at their kennels on Tuesday for pre-training which means more hard work.
But they won’t complain.