An evening "at the dogs"

I like to help out at the kennels. One of the things I do is help out with fundraising and a good place to do this is.....Greyhound Stadiums. Its not my place to go on about the "sport" anyone who has an interest in our wonderful hounds has to make up their own minds so I'm just going to tell you what it was like for me to go.
So I pick up a homeless hound from Hersham, I took Hiho. We don't know each other, I tell him he is strong on the lead and he looks at me as if to say, well at least I've got still got fur on the top of my head- what happened to yours? He is very striking, a big white dog with black speckles and black patches on his head. He jumps in my car just fine and travels well. The stadium is quite busy, its not well lit outside so no one noticed Hiho having a quick wee in the car park. The place looks a little run down in parts, many of the ground staff were foreign but friendly enough. I go through doors to a foyer type area. Straight ahead of me are double doors leading to the terraces and track, to left is a corridor to a bar and betting area, to the right are corridors to the kennels and trainer's area. I am with a group of people, we all have hounds, after I've said hello to everyone and Hiho has sniffed all greyhound bottoms available I team up with Carol from the kennels and we hit the terraces. She has a bucket with Greyhound welfare on it and knows how to use it, she was brilliant and few escaped from having a bucket thrust at them.
There are all kinds of people here, lots of young couples, families- lots of children coming up to Hiho "Mummy look a dalmatian!" Some people had greyhounds at home of their own and made a big fuss of Hiho, others just pushed past us. There were a surprising number of men in suits around, some were very generous- a fiver here or even a ten pound note but one guy put a note in the bucket and whipped it out again going "haha!" Yeah real comic brilliance.
Lots of people were asking us about what happened to the dogs after racing and were shocked about how young they are when they retire, a few seemed shocked to actually meet a greyhound. The terraces were about one third full and the size of the track is surprising large its actually quite impressive. Seeing a race is quite something, the lure shoots past and you can hear the dogs thundering past- so very fast! No matter what you hear the dogs love to race, its been bread in them I suppose. Hiho was sooo excited to see the dogs run, he was straining on the lead, letting out the odd whine bless him. Anyway we had reached the middle of the terraces and the stadium announcer was telling everyone that the welfare was here and what a good cause it was. I felt well chuffed, then I heard this collective "eeeehhhuuukk!!" and "hahaha!" from the crowd in front of me. Hiho had chosen the announcer's blurb as a queue to do the biggest runniest dump ever....I was in the middle of my ..."they make great pets.." speech to someone and had to do the frantic search for poo bags dance. Time to hit the crowds inside the stadium.
The people inside are different to those outside. Inside are some hard betting types, they will watch big screens showing the racing sitting by tables full of lager glasses. More than a few ignored us but most gave Hiho a glance or a stroke and asked questions.
The stadium gave us a homeless hound parade and when Hiho felt the sand under his feet- he just wanted to......run! Glad to say I hung on to him, had visions of the parade being the first ever retired greyhound derby!
This isn't a blatant plug for Hiho, well okay maybe it is but I have to say he was as good as gold. All these strangers touching him, lots of different smells and noises, a longish trip with a stranger and lots of hounds he hasn't met before, what a brilliant sweet boy and all well past his bed time! All the greyhounds from the welfare there were the same, happy to be with people, especially if a fuss or even a treat was in prospect. They ask for so very little, the look on the faces of some of the children there who stroked a hound perhaps for the first time was really something. This was the third time I've been to the stadium. Please remember that they don't have to have us there at all but there we were, it was good for them "Hey we do care about what happens to them after racing" It was good for us- we raised some money but most of all awareness and some people did come to the kennels. And it was good for the people who go there- one lady had a good hard look at Hiho, her partner kept pulling at her to go to the terraces but she seemed fascinated by him. Here was a live being, with a character and soul of his own and not just a blur on the track or a silly name and a list of odds. All that we do in a lifetime of choices has consequences, maybe she was thinking about hers.

Next Greyhound social walk: West End Common and the River Mole, Sunday November 16

The next greyhound social walk will take us to West End Common on Sunday 16 November.

We will meet at 11am at West End Lane Car Park, West End Common, Esher.

We will do a forty minute walk up to the ledges, along the top of the ledges, down to the river Mole and back to the car park.

West End lane car park is on the west side of West End Lane, not far from the junction with the Portsmouth Road (A307) - see the red circle on the map below. The Ordnance Ssurvey grid reference of the car park is TQ126 632

Bring your adopted greyhound, or give a homeless hound from Hersham a treat by taking it out for the morning: West End Common is only ten minutes drive from the kennels.

View map of Esher, Surrey, England, UK on Multimap.com
Bird's Eye view of Esher, Surrey, England, UK
Get directions to or from Esher, Surrey, England, UK

Found Hound

Lily has been found, 10 days after going missing. It took the dog wardens one hour to catch her!

Lily is now safe in the loving hands of the WGW kennels staff in Hersham.

Staff and volunteers put in a huge amount of time and effort into finding Lily. Posters were put up in area where she was spotted, local dog walkers were approached and asked to look out for her. Many walked the streets and green spaces to look for her.

Staff manned the kennel phones round the clock in case that important call came through, hoping that someone could get close enough to timid Lily and read her Hersham Hounds dog tag.

Thank you to all who responded to the 'Lost Hounds' post on the Greyhound Gap forum.

Lost Hound

Lily, one of the homeless hounds has been lost in the Croydon area.

Lilly is a young and very timid greyhound. She was lost late on Monday 11th August whilst out for her last walk.

She is mainly white with black markings.

Lily has been sighted on Saturday16 August between 10.45am & 11am running through Selsdon High Street, and she was running towards Gravel Hill and New Addington.

Her lead is still attached. Please look out for her, she must be very hungry and tired now.

We are desperate to find her, especially as she was in an area unfamiliar to her, and a long way from the kennels in Hersham Surrey.

Please visit http://www.doglost.co.uk/Page.aspx?data=....xJvs60ETtbptclS
for a photo and description of Lily.

Please ring the Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare kennels at Hersham on this number if you see her: 01932 224918

New greyhound social group for London area

A new group has been set up to organise social walks for greyhound and lurcher owners in the South London/Kent area.

The group are called London and Borders Greyhounds. Their next two walks are in Sidcup (Aug 23) and Crayford (Aug 31). You can get more details of these walks and their other events from this calendar.

The group have exciting plans including a camping trip to the South Downs in June 2009.

Their first walk in July this year was attended by greyhounds re-homed from many of the the South East's re-homing kennels, including Hersham, Brighton & Hove, Clarks Farm and Romford. And the dogs even got liver treats at the end of the walk!

Photos from Nonsuch Park Greyhound Social Walk

We had a great turnout today. Lots of passers-by stopped to admire the dogs and ask whether it was a greyhound convention.I enjoyed people telling stories about their hounds: their racing exploits, and how they got their names. We met Vera, a small, quiet self effacing hound who won an amazing 29 races out of 118 under the name of Did She? We met a hound who raced under the name of 'Pour the Wine' but whom the Kennel hands called Tipsy (and she has been tipsy ever since). And the hound who raced as Bob's Memory (named by a widow after her late husband) now known simply as Bob. Tania enjoyed seeing hounds like Cleo and Ali, both of whom she remembers walking at Hersham, now happily homed with caring owners.
We couldn't have asked for better guides. John and Doreen are the Park keepers at Nonsuch. Three days ago they adopted a greyhound from Battersea's country kennels at Kent and they brought her out on the walk today. They guided us to the Mansion House Cafe in the middle of the Park, where we stopped for a cup of tea and a chat.

Then John and Doreen took us on a ramble back along a beautiful quiet walk, off the beaten track, through open fields and past a pond. We have been to Nonsuch Park many times but today we saw parts of it we hadn't known existed. Once back at the car park Doreen bought out a big bucket of water that the thirsty hounds took it in turns to empty.

Well done to the folks who gave homeless hounds from Hersham a day out from the kennels: This is Jet at the end of the walk, having a rest before his trip back to the kennels.
The next social walk will be in September: Please leave a comment at the bottom of the post if you have any preferences or suggestions on where we go.
James

Next retired greyhound social walk: Sunday June 29: Nonsuch park

Come and take your retired greyhound, or a homeless hound from Hersham, for a stroll through Nonsuch Park.

Meet at 11am, on Sunday 29 June.

Go to the car park located on the big bend on London Road, near Ewell. The car park is marked with a red circle on this map

We will walk along the mown paths through the meadows to the Mansion House which has a cafe, picnic area and WCs.


You will see this monument at the car park entrance:


Please contact the welfare kennels at Hersham if you are able to take a homeless hound out with us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Photos from 3rd Retired Greyhound Social Walk (Chatley Heath Semaphore Tower)

It was pouring with rain when we left home just after ten this morning. We wondered whether any hounds would turn up for the walk.

We needn't have worried - greyhounds are made of sterner stuff. We had three homeless hounds from Hersham. Kennel mates Pip and Striker came with flatmates Andy and Helen; and Tom had the honour of being the first greyhound ever to travel in the boot of Gareth and Sandra's Ka.

And we had four adopted greyhounds: Bonnie brought Melanie; Cassie brought Max and Chloe and their grandparents Jan and Derek; Becks and Alexa brought yours truly and family.

As we had pre-arranged, the rain stopped at ten minutes to 11. We were all peeling coats and jumpers off as we walked across the Heath. We only got lost once, and arrvived at the Semaphore Tower well before its 12 noon opening time.

Pip, Striker and Bonnie having a well earned rest

The sun came out as we walked back. The Heath landscape looked surreal, with large areas cleared of trees allowing heather and other plants to flourish. Hard to imagine that most of Surrey looked like this 500 years ago. Andy told us the opening battle sequences of 'Gladiator' were filmed here. We were walking through a deserted world, a sensation heightened by the silence of the hounds.

The surrealism was complete when we got to Pond car park and saw a gaggle of people who looked like they had walked straight out of Middle Earth. Turns out they were on a Lord of the Rings adventure day. A Healing preistess posed with Becks and Alexa


The path between Pond Car Park and Bolermere car park was confusingly signposted. The only person we could ask was lying prone across the path, another refugee from Middle Earth, waiting for the adventurers to find him. Gareth's polite request for direction was met with a gruff 'I'm doing something'

We left him to it. And got back without mishap (the Orc's didn't get us) for a familiar cup of tea at Boldermere Car Park cafe.

Next retired greyhound social walk: Sunday May 25

Come and take your retired greyhound, or a hound from Hersham, for a stroll on Chatley Heath Common. The common is situated near the A3/M25 interchange, 15 minutes drive from Hersham.

Meet at the Boldermere car park on Chatley Heath Common at 11am on Sunday 25 May. We will go for a forty minute circular walk around the Heath and past the semaphore tower.

Boldermere car park has toilets and a cafe. If it is full when you arrive there is another car park that is only five minutes walk away.

Here is a link to a leaflet which has a map and a description of the circular walk.

Please contact the kennels at Hersham if you are able to take a homeless hound out with us.

Please keep dogs on leads.

Look forward to seeing you there

Tania, James and the kids, plus Alexa and Becks

Photos from the 2nd Retired Greyhound Social Walk (Cowey Sale to Weybridge)

Cassie, Hannah, Dusty, Becks and Alexa took their owners for a social walk from Cowey Sale to Weybridge this Sunday. The dogs didn't seem to mind the drizzly rain and grey skies.

The Old Crown pub in Weybridge (a very greyhound friendly pub indeed) provided a handy pitstop at the half way point of the walk: with plenty of room for the hounds to stretch out for their forty winks.

Retired greyhound parade at Kingston Rugby Football Club

Nine greyhounds turned out for the retired greyhound parade before the Frank Walsh memorial event at Kingston Rugby Football club this saturday. Six were homeless hounds from the WGW kennels at Hersham, and the announcer gave each of them a character reference as they walked round. The other three were homed hounds with their owners.

It was a relaxed, friendly event. The rugby players and supporters, young and old, made a fuss of the hounds and show a genuine interest in their lives and their natures. And for this greyhound owner it was nice to have the chance to throw a rugby ball around with my kids! The beer tent, the BBQ and the sunshine all added to the conviviality.

The memorial match is played every year in memory of Frank Walsh, who died at the age of 43. The proceeds of the match go to charity, and this year Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare was nominated as one of the charities.

Thank you to Kingston RFC for making us and the hounds so welcome.

Take your retired greyhound on parade at Kingston Rugby Football Club this Saturday 26 April

Kingston Rugby Football Club are holding the Frank Walsh memorial rugby match this Saturday (26 April) at 3pm. It is a charity match, and a percentage of funds raised will go to Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare (WGW) at Hersham.

Before the game there will be a parade of retired greyhounds. It is a good opportunity both to raise the profile of retired greyhounds, and to raise funds for the homeless hounds at Hersham. If you have a retired greyhound it would be great to see you and your dog on Saturday.

The parade will take place at 2:30, before the rugby match. Please aim to be at the ground between 1:30pm and 2pm.

The address of Kingston Rugby football club is:

King Edward Recreation Ground
Hook Road
Chessington
Surrey KT9 1PL

If you would like to take a hound from Hersham along to the parade then please ring the Kennels on 01932 224918 (regular walkers or greyhound owners only). The Kennels would allocate you a hound that you could pick up at 1pm, and return as soon as you can after the parade.

We hope to see you there: if you can't make it we will post some photos on the blog next week.

Next Retired Greyhound Social Walk: Sunday 27 April 2008

Come and take your retired greyhound, or a hound from Hersham, for a stroll along the river Thames.

Meet at Cowey Sale car park near Walton Bridge at 11am on Sunday 27 April.

We will walk by the Thames to Weybridge and back, along the towpath.

All retired greyhound walkers and owners plus their hounds are welcome.

Please keep dogs on leads.

Please contact the kennels at Hersham if you are able to take a homeless hound out with us.

Look forward to seeing you there

Tania and James (plus Alexa)

Home Checker

Dot at the Hersham kennels asked me if I would like to become a volunteer home checker for my area. Before a potential adopter can home a hound the RGT needs to be satisfied that its new home is greyhound friendly and secure.

It makes sense to have a body of volunteers to undertake this task. It would divert scarce resources to send RGT staff out across the counties to check homes which may or may not become permanent residences for retired greyhounds.

Well, what is the 'home check' for? Mainly it is to advise on potential 'hound hazards' in and outside the home.

What do we check for? Most importantly we check the garden and fencing. All fences, hedges and gates must be 6 foot tall, in good condition without any gaps at the bottom or between the panels. Greyhounds are agile jumpers and can clear smaller fence with ease if they think a prey, (cat, squirrel etc), is worth the chase. Needless to say this could result in a serious injury to the dog, not just the small animal. The rest of the garden check is simple. Any garden tables, shed boxes or play-houses next to the fencing which the greyhound can jump on to and over the fence should be moved.

What about the internal home check? This is also a common sense exercise. As we know, greyhounds are slender swift creatures. So we check that all members of the household are aware how easy it is for a greyhound to escape out of the front door. I take Alexa with me and, keeping her on the lead, demonstrate how small a gap they can whizz through to freedom and the open road. Its useful to take your own hound on a visit!

Laminate, lino and polished wood flooring can 'spook' a hound fresh out of kennels. Usually a strip of carpet or a rug with a non-slip backing works a treat.

Stairs can also seem daunting to our leggy doggies. Alexa demonstrated how easily she could climb steep carpeted stairs only to become a decrepit old lady needing encouragement and physical support to come back down again! In this home the living area was on the first floor.

Floor to ceiling windows and doors are another often overlooked hazard. Most hounds would spot something, charge towards it and crash into the glass. A simple solution is to place a 'vision strip' along the hounds line of vision. A really cheap option is to tape a roll of wall paper across the glass. More attractive options can be found in DIY store such as peel off plastic which looks like frosted glass. This can be removed eventually.

Bedding - don't our hounds just love thier beds!! In the early days a folded duvet and blanket makes a snug bed. I check that the bed will be in a quiet place out of any drafts or direct sunlight.
It must also have room to allow the dog to stretch out. If there are children living in or visiting the home, I would advise the owners to let this be the dogs 'bolt hole' and that it should be left alone to rest or just feel safe in an area of its own. In the first few days a greyhound can be stupidly tired with the newness of it all!

Once the house check is complete and I have talked over any issues and answered any questions, I phone the kennels and chat about the visit and any concerns or changes which need to be made. Once any changes have been made we visit again to make sure that the new home is ready.

There is no 'pass' or 'fail'. Any concerns are delt with by the kennels and not through me.

Our experience as owners is invaluable. We can offer to befriend a new owner and share our experiences sometimes giving practical advice. My home checker kindly become my mentor and was very supportive when my new greyhound needed an operation. She even came along to the vets with me!

If you'd like to become a home checker, please let Dot or Denise know.

Bobo

We took a hound from Hersham Greyhound Welfare Kennels for a day out on Sunday. Our kids wanted to go to Painshill Park and our retired greyhound Alexa always likes having the company of her own kind.

The kennels gave us Bobo. Bobo has only been at the kennels for three weeks. A new young fellow (not yet four), hoping to be adopted into a loving home. Dot described him as 'a little darling' and she wanted to see what he was like on his first trip to 'the big wide world'.

So Bobo got the family road test: an afternoon out with two children, aged five and eight, liable at any moment to give an unsuspecting greyhound a bear hug.

We think he is named after Bobo Balde, a huge and very enthusiastic footballer who plays as a whole-hearted centre half for Glasgow Celtic.

Bobo the greyhound isn't huge, he is on the small side for his breed. But he is enthusiastic, and his default mood is happy. His tale was wagging immediately we left the kennels, and he wagged it a lot during the afternoon.

We took him to Painshill park and he had a good old walk around the lake. He listened patiently to the guide's description of how the artificial stalagtites were made when we did the tour of the grotto. He wasn't phased by anything and seemed to enjoy the attention given him by our kids and the general public.

His desire to fit in makes him a quick learner, he was hesitant about getting into the car on the way out but jumped in with alacrity on the way back. By the end of the walk he was starting to recognise his name and turned his head when we spoke to him.

He flirted with little old ladies and cheerfully approached little kiddies too. He did all he could to recommend himself as a potential adorable pet hound. He definately has a 'take me home, you won't regret it' expression on his sweet face!

He walked in zig zags all the way round Painshill because he was interested in everthing. Food will be a big motivator to him, we had to get his snout out of our picnic bag a couple of times.

We didn't meet many other dogs so we didn't do the 'spaniel test' but a note on his record card at the kennels says that he is good with small dogs.

We think he would suit any type of household, including families with children. We couldn't fault him.

ReachTheBeach 2008

The first Newsletter for this year's RtB event has just gone out. If you want to chat about the event you can do it here using the Comments

Retired greyhound social walk: Richmond Park

The first retired greyhound social walk took place on Sunday 10 February. We met at Broomfield Hill car park in Richmond Park at 11am.

Hersham Hounds had advertised the walk on their website and at the kennels, and we had heard from Denise that a number of people had booked out greyhounds for the day to bring them on the walk. But we didn't have a clue how many retired greyhounds and their owners or friends would turn up

In the end the sun shone and around 20 dogs enjoyed the springlike day.



We strolled down the hill to Isabella plantation, did a tour of the woodland garden, then stopped outside it for some photos and chat.

We had a nice mix of adopted greyhounds and their owners, together with hounds from the Hersham kennels. We recognised some recently adopted hounds and enjoyed hearing how they were getting on.

Lots of passers by stopped to chat and fuss the hounds. People were genuinely interested in seeing so many dogs of the same breed together. The hounds were beautifully behaved and so quiet. They seemed to enjoy their walk and each others company (and especially the sausages Tom handed out to them).




There was a general consensus that we should repeat the walk, and lots of ideas for places we could meet (including Nonsuch Park and Wimbledon Common).