Race Against Time for Greyhounds

There is a race against time in the midst of the cost-of-living crisis for retired racing greyhounds. These dogs need more help than ever, and Greyhound Trust are appealing to the general dog-loving public. “These dogs deserve to live their lives as family pets and loving companions, but as a charity our opportunity to fundraise the money we desperately need has been disappearing quickly.”

Formed in 1975, when it was normal for there to be no life after greyhound racing for race dogs, and when most greyhounds were euthanised or sold into animal testing, the Greyhound Trust have been pivotal in ensuring that racing greyhounds have a life after racing.

Greyhound Trust are the only national charity dedicated to homing retired racing greyhounds when their racing days are over. With many thousands of greyhounds leaving greyhound racing every year, the need for the Greyhound Trust is constant.

Homing thousands of greyhounds a year, they are the third largest homer of dogs in the UK— but you may not have even heard of them!

With an army of many volunteers across 55 sites in the UK, and hundreds of dogs in their care at any one time, Greyhound Trust have homed well over 100,000 greyhounds in their 45 year history.

Supporting their volunteer army of ‘greyhound home-finders’ to home so many greyhounds every year is a feat at the best of times, but the cost-of-living crisis is bringing challenges that no-one ever imagined.

The charity has always found it difficult to find a voice in mainstream media because journalists are usually searching for a pro or anti greyhound racing story. Now, the charity is urging the public to focus on the greyhounds, and make sure time doesn’t run out for the dogs in their care. Everyone will have heard of the household names in animal rescue and rehoming, but the Greyhound Trust are often forgotten in the media.

Greyhound Trust says that it would be fool hardy not to make a public plea for help when they have the lives of thousands of greyhounds in their hands every single year.

Lisa Morris, CEO, says: “This means we need to shout louder about the fact that we need people to help us now, as we are not a household name. We are, however, a long established, well governed charity, homing many thousands of greyhounds every year— a number our founders would be proud of.”

The charity has reached out to the media with the hope that even without a celebrity to endorse them and be the face of a public plea, a journalist with the influence to get them in front of a national audience will share their story.

Somewhat wistfully, Lisa also comments that: “Very few celebrities want to be aligned with a single breed charity, opting instead for multi breed organisations that appeal more widely to the to the general animal loving public.”

That’s not to say that greyhounds don’t grace the homes of famous people. The Greyhound Trust have homed to the English Tenor Russell Watson, British novelist J K Rowling, and Paul Hudson the BBC weather reporter, to name but a few. Jilly Cooper has been an avid supporter for many years.

The Greyhound Trust says: “In an attempt to minimise costs at a time when we know our fundraising will be seriously affected, to a point where we don’t know if we will survive the cost-of-living crisis storm, we have been trying to foster our greyhounds into homes, but with less disposable income among fosterers, our options are limited.”

Desperately needing to find alternative donations to cover the money usually raised through donations, the Greyhound Trust says: “Our plea is simple, any level of donation will make a lifesaving difference to the greyhounds and the charity as a whole. Even a 50p donation makes a difference and would feed one greyhound a basic meal for a day.”

“We know it is a hugely unsettling and worrying time for everyone, and we know many people are concerned about finances, so we do not make this plea lightly.”

“However, if you can find it in your heart to donate, foster, or even home a loving greyhound, you’d be doing a heroic thing for these gentle souls who are patiently waiting to find their family. We have sites across the UK so you can come along and meet our lovely hounds, just check out www.greyhoundtrust.org.uk”.