Following on from my previous article, it would seem that the Your Greyhound’s History page continues to go from strength to strength. Aside from the many touching and heart-warming stories that appear daily, is the total commitment of previous breeders, owners and trainers to reach out to the adopters of their former charges and the reciprocal enthusiasm from the new owners to find out more about their beloved hounds former life.
Reggie chilling in retirement
Reggie and his siblings as a pup
One such story is that of Reggie. Reggie was adopted by Daniel Wellman, who asked the page to find out about his dogs history as he had no success in locating anything.
The breeder, Belinda Whittingdon Green, was tagged into the post and replied explaining that some of the litter just didn’t have any interest in the chase so were subsequently put up for adoption (Reggie being one of these) and hence no racing information to be found on him.
What was especially nice was that Belinda then uploaded some wonderful photos of Reggie with his siblings as a pup showing his happy earlier life and the wonderful ladies of YGH were also able to add him to the Greyhound Data page with a little more information.
Little Nell and Marshall
Proof of how special this group is came via a message from Uday Bhardwaj who explained that the page had reminded him that the best way to honour the memory of a much loved and departed pet was to give a home to another.
Consequently, Little Nell (Coyotegrashopper) was adopted from Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare and is already settling into homelife alongside their Lurcher Marshall – truly touching.
Tilly enjoying retirement
Yvette Smith was another member who found the group a great source of information regarding her beautiful 9&1/2 year old girl Tilly (Mightily Cute). Through the page Yvette was able to link up with the owner of one of Tilly’s brothers to share how the siblings are doing in their twilight years.
Yvette said “It’s been lovely to share my story with everyone in the hope to find her siblings and through this group I’ve connected with one of her brothers owners! Amazing to be able to share with people how loved and cared for these hounds are before their retirement”.
Page member, Carole Anderson, the proud adopter of Sky (Projection) was also delighted to have found the group, she said “So pleased I came across this group! I have found myself reading some of the articles that were posted from the Greyhound Star and it was interesting to read about the Westmead Stud and read about various different trainers approaches. I have to say that having read some of the linked articles on this site that I have a much more positive view of the racing world and it’s been great to see trainers, kennel hands and owners reaching out to find out how their ex racer is doing now”.
Another convert is Scott Boydon who said: “We had ex-racers in the 80’s and kind of listened to the ‘stories’ of mistreatment but as a child didn’t form an opinion. We got our current lurcher 4 years ago and my interest in sighthounds was rekindled.
“I found the social side with Greyhound Trust group walks and showing and really looked into greyhounds, their training and treatment to find the reality. I joined Facebook groups, spoke to owners, trainers and went racing to understand better the world of greyhounds. I am now looking at getting a share in a new racer when the current virus issues are resolved – very exciting times”.
The Your Greyhound’s History page continues to grow daily with membership now exceeding the 4,000 mark and people joining from all corners of the world with the same common interest – the greyhounds. The page admins, Clare Hadden, Viv Clements (earmark tracer) and Elaine Moore (video specialist), still demonstrate their commitment with regular feedback to anyone trying to find out more information about their dog – they are truly admirable.
Additionally, there are a number of competitions which regularly attract a large number of entries, the latest one is to win a fabulous Starshine collar and lead set courtesy of Deanna Williams – so get entering . There are also YGH Rosettes for runners up, previous ones have already made their way to recipients in Norway, California and Ireland as well as the UK.
Clare said “The page has become a key focus across all spectrums of greyhound ownership, it is not about whether you are pro or anti racing but rather about your love and appreciation of these amazing dogs through all stages of their lives”.
In addition to all the contact between former and current owners exchanging stories are the many fantastic videos being shared both of racing and retired greyhounds, it all adds to the fact that contrary to popular belief that racing and retired owners can co-exist so job done. And during these uncertain times with the COVID19 pandemic, it lifts the spirit to see folk sharing their greyhounds stories through all aspects of their lives – proof indeed that we really are just one big happy greyhound family and long may it continue.
