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)
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, February 25, 2008
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.
Friday, February 22, 2008
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
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
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).
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).
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