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.