I would never have imagined two years ago that every coat I own would have the pockets stuffed with poo bags and that my attempts to look stylish arriving at work, would be hopelessly undone by tell-tale handles sticking out! 

That, of course, is what has happens and seems naturally to lead to a person asking.  “What dog have you got?” then the charm-offensive of owning a rescue greyhound begins.

Let me straight away introduce myself, my name is Jo and I am the owner of two rescue greys.  Tracy is 7, mainly white with black patches and she is a tall girl.  Paddy is 4, mostly black and he is an athletic, muscle-bound lad.  Tracy is very much a ‘snooze in a deckchair’ type whilst Paddy is more ‘somebody turn on the treadmill!’

Paddy is a work in progress and it’s only dawned on me recently how far he has come in the twelve months he has been with us.  In the early weeks, he was on ‘red alert’ every time he went out.  I’m sure he’s scaled this down now to ‘amber alert’ most of the time. 

He still keeps a very close eye on cats that have the audacity to stare at him, squirrels that have the cheek to run up tree trunks or plastic carrier bags that skulk in the long grass.  He is looking back at me on a walk much more now and is responding nicely to a treat.  Feisty little dogs that come right up to his nose … well we’re working on that so more of that next time.

Truth be told, whatever greyhound you take home, you’re going to have to put some work in and it might seem tricky to begin with, but it really does get easier.  It doesn’t take long for them to feel at home and the benefits for the whole family are impossible to measure.  Forcing you up out that comfy leather chair to go for a walk – great exercise and a chat with the dog owner up the lane – is a fantastic remedy for stress!

That is the amazing thing about owning a greyhound; all kinds of folk from children and older ladies to young ‘lads-about-town’ have a genuine feeling for them and think they’re great – and they are!

Interested in Adopting a Greyhound?

Enquiries should be directed by telephone or text message to Greyhound Lifeline

• For all enquiries:
  • 07769 348310

Or by email to enquiries@greyhoundlifeline.co.uk
Or Contact us using our Contact page