Finding a new location has been a long time coming. We have been searching for suitable properties since 2017 and have finally secured a site that will be just right for us.
Our new base will be close to the New Forest, we’ll still be Hampshire based, just a bit further South.
This new site gives us the opportunities that we have so far only dreamed about for our greyhounds. They will be moving from an unheated, converted stable blocks with one shared use yard to bespoke Modular kennels built to our specification.
Each kennel will have heating, insulation, electric lighting and natural daylight through a window.
Every kennel will have its own attached, covered outside run allowing every dog their own personal access to outside space all year round.
There will be a shared use outside enrichment area for the residents to take turns enjoying. This will include a sand pit for those dogs that love to dig, a paddling area for the water babies, a selection of dog safe interesting toys to play with, open areas for sunbathing and running around with shaded areas for relief from the summer sunshine.
A selection of dog safe plants and shrubs will be available for sniffing, rooting around underneath and perhaps some bird watching for those dogs that do not scare the birds away. The enrichment area will no doubt grow and adapt as we settle in.
Our greyhounds will be stimulated by a variety of toys/activities.
They’ll encounter traffic, other animals and probably children playing in parks on their walks which will comprise of pavement walks as well as trips out to discover the New Forest itself. These walks are not something we could offer daily from our previous site. Walks previously, although done every day mainly followed the same route around the farm we were based on. Lovely as that was, it wasn’t the real world that greyhounds need to learn about.
Blizard enjoying a walk on the New Forest.
Additionally we plan to create a room which can introduce the dogs to household furniture and our human expectations about not toileting indoors. They’ll encounter appliance noises and sights like those of a vacuum cleaner, T.V, washing machine etc.
You probably agree that this new venture is exciting. It allows so much more to be done to help transition individual dogs from racers into pets.
We hope all our existing volunteers and supporters will remain with us into the future. We will still need voluntary help. That help will most often be in a different format to previously, but it’ll remain valued and essential to our future none the less.
Our revised volunteering opportunities include: collecting dog food, collecting up car-boot items and dropping them off by prior arrangement with our car boot volunteers, meeting us for walks in the New Forest, street collections, collecting bedding in the form of towels & blankets only (NO duvets, covers, cushions or pillows please), collecting up dog toys, attending events which we may host or be in attendance at. Anyone willing to undertake some labouring to help create and maintain our forthcoming enrichment area or anyone who is able to put together garden buildings would be very welcome to help. We’re sure to need other voluntary roles filled as well, which we’ve perhaps not yet identified.
Group walk on the New Forest.
Upcoming Planned Walks:
Saturday 25th June 2022 - Ringwood Forest 5pm Saturday 23rd July 2022 - Bolderwood, New Forest - 5pm Saturday 20th August 2022 - Wilverley Plain, New Forest - 5pm Saturday 17th September 2022 - RSPB, Arne - 2pm Saturday 15th October 2022 - Badbury Rings, Wimborne - 2pm Saturday 19th November 2022 - Potterne Park, Verwood/Moors Valley - 2pm Monday 26th December 2022 - Sandbanks, Poole - 11am
(Nails/corn treatment can be completed before/after our walks too!)
If you would like to join us on one of our group walks please contact us by phoning 07769348310 or by email – [email protected] so we can give you more information about the location and the specific walk. We would love to see you at them!
Collections/Events:
This year we already have some street collections organised in the Fleet area and going forward these will continue. We are hopeful of organising some collection events soon in the New Forest area too. For collections we generally aim to attend these events with some of our kennel greyhounds. This enables the public to meet greyhounds who are looking for an adoptive home as well as a selection of already adopted hounds brought along by their families. If you would like to help at one of our street collections, then please contact us. Greyhound Lifeline are well known in several locations, but the new site allows us to “spread our wings” a little further afield.
We may have a few more collections/events to add in, if you would like to help at one of these please let us know so we can include you in our numbers and give you more information, alternatively if you would like to drop in and say hello, we would be very grateful and love to see you!
Rustic Fayre/Verwood – Bank Holiday Monday 29th August 2022
Fleet – Saturday 24th September 2022
Farnham – Saturday 22nd October 2022
Meadows – Saturday 12th November 2022
Longacres – Saturday 26th November 2022
Farnborough – Saturday 3rd December 2022
Regular visitors may be wondering about some of the services that we offer and how they’ll continue from a new area. We have been planning and all remains feasible:
Purchasing of goods can continue from Fleet. Contact us by email on [email protected] with your order for dog food, poop bags and other selected merchandise and we will arrange a mutually convenient collection day/time from the charity’s registered address. (Merchandise collections from Fleet can only include dry dog food, poop bags, toothpaste, plaque remover food additive, tick removers, toothbrushes, tooth gel and muzzles.)
Coming along to a street collection or other event? Order in advance and we can bring your order with us.
Mail order facilities are now available so we can ship items to you for an additional shipping cost (excludes dog food & other bulky items).
Payments accepted by card, bank transfer or cash.
100% of the profit from merchandise sales goes back to supporting the dogs in our care, we remain as we always have been fully staffed by volunteers.
Corn removal and nail clipping will still be available in Fleet for your adopted greyhounds, but it will be by prior appointment only and available on just 1 day per month. Advance dates will be published as they are set. If you’d like to purchase goods at the same time as bringing your greyhound for a pedicure, we’ll just increase your appointment time. Don’t forget to pre-book your merchandise order though or you may be disappointed.
Dates Scheduled:
T.B.C - June 2022 T.B.C - July 2022 T.B.C - August 2022 Saturday 24th September 2022 Saturday 22nd October 2022 Saturday 12th November 2022 Saturday 26th November 2022 Saturday 3rd December 2022
Walking the greyhounds:
This can be arranged by prior appointment only for anyone who would like to pop over and help out. Contact us by email on [email protected] or by phoning 07769348310 for more information about how this can work.
Car-Boot Items:
We will continue to need car boot sale items donated. If you have anything suitable please email [email protected] or alternatively contact us on [email protected]. These items are vital to our success as they bring in considerable and much needed funds for the greyhounds in our care.
Sale of Goods:
If you are local to our new site, you will be able to order your shop goods and then a pick up address will be given to you. You can contact us by email ([email protected]) or by phone 07769348310.
We have recently introduced a mail order service, for most of our products. Food & bulky items are excluded. A small P&P additional cost will be added to your order. Don’t forget that 100% of profits will directly support the greyhounds in our care.
Same Mission:
We hope you are as excited about this new adventure as we are. We may be working from a different location & in a different way but our mission and reason for being remains the same.
We will always be there for greyhounds waiting to come in, those in our care already and most importantly support remains available after adoption. Our care/advice is for the dogs’ lifetime.
Amazon Wish List:
In order to furnish this new facility with items to enhance the greyhounds’ lives we have compiled an Amazon wish list of items they would benefit from having. We will be very grateful for any items received.
To find this list use this link or alternatively follow the instructions below:
Go to Find a List.
Enter the name – ‘Greyhound Lifeline’.
Click Search.
Once you’ve found the List you’re looking for, you can Click Remember if you’d like to save a link to it.
Going Forward:
Whilst we wait for our new kennels and the enrichment areas to be built we will keep you up to date with the progress, through our Facebook and Website pages.
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
