Dash and Celia Cross - Part 1

Last Sunday, Dash and I were special guests of the Celia Cross Greyhound Trust at their Annual Charity Sale & Show in Cranleigh, Surrey. Despite the rain (almost continuous), we had a great time. But that’s not what this post is about. This post is about what happened a month earlier, when volunteers from Celia Cross entered the abandoned kennel of a local greyhound trainer. It turns out he’d been arrested for growing cannabis, then skipped bail and fled the country. Fellow trainers had already ‘rescued’ those dogs that could still race, but sixteen greyhounds that were retired or injured had been left to fend for themselves. We all know that dogs are smart; dogs can do tricks. But they can’t clean their own excrement off the floor or change soiled bedding. And they can’t find food if it’s not there. Just look at the poor beast in the photo above. Black with a white chest, just like Dash. But Dash doesn’t sleep in a 2x4-metre cell with the ceiling about to cave in. You can see the fear in the eyes. Awful. OK, worse things have happened, and dogs aren’t people. But dogs trust us, and the worst thing someone can do is abuse that trust. If you think you can help the CCGT in any way – by donating money or food, or even adopting one of these greyhounds so desperately in need – then get in touch. It only takes a click: http://www.celiacross.org.uk/

Dash and the Dogs Trust

Where better to take a dog for a walk than the ‘Garden of England’? Faversham in the county of Kent was the location for Dash’s latest promotional outing. We were guests of the Dogs Trust at their Fun Day and Dog Show. This time was a bit different however, since the whole family came along! My wife, Sarah (featured in the book) and son, Freddy (unfeatured since still a twinkle back then), both got a taste of what it was like to share the stage with ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’. The turnout was fantastic, considering the weather did its best to put the dampers on the day. At one point, during the judging of the dog show, an almighty downpour forced Dash, me and a hundred or so owners and their pooches to run for shelter. Despite the drenching, spirits were high and we all stood under a nearby marquee for quarter of an hour sharing shaggy dog stories. I have to say this kind of camaraderie has been one of the nicest things about meeting other dog owners. People are so ready to talk about how thankful they are to have rescued a dog in need and how much their dog matters to them. One of the most affecting encounters of the day was with a couple in their sixties who had a handsome young lurcher – a whippet-greyhound cross in fabulous nick. It transpired it was actually their son’s dog. ‘So where’s your son today?’ I asked. ‘Still in bed?’ Their son had died of cancer two months previously. He’d adopted the dog, loved it and then left it to his parents. You could see how attached they were to it, and how much they missed its owner, their son. Dogs can do that kind of thing – and it doesn’t matter what breed or age or temperament. It’s their particular gift to receive love and pass it on. If, by some slim chance, you’re reading this and don’t have a dog, well, you don’t know what you’re missing. I guarantee that rescuing one will make you two or three degrees happier in an instant. The dog you adopt, of course, will love you forever: http://www.dogstrust.org.uk

Dash and GRWE

No posts for a while, but that’s because it’s summer … and Dash and I have been getting out and about. In July we were the guests of Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE) at two separate events. The first was in the delightful Somerset village of Mark. The second was stretching the definition of ‘west’ a bit, if you ask me, since we were in the village of Stoke Bruerne near Milton Keynes. Both events were ‘fun dog shows’ – fun by name, fund-raising by nature. There were stalls selling all sorts of greyhound-related merchandise, tombolas, lotteries, poo-bag tossing competitions (yuk!), photo competitions, homemade cakes, gourmet BBQ sausages (yum!) and, of course, more greyhounds than you could shake a stick at. Not that a greyhound is interested in sticks, mind you. The main event at each was the judging of the dog show, with categories including ‘Prettiest Bitch’ (Dash was barred from entering in case she lost!), ‘Most Handsome Male’, ‘Dog with the Waggiest Tail’, ‘Best Trick’, ‘Best Irish Brace’, ‘Best (non-Greyhound) Pedigree’ and ‘Dog the Judge Would Most Like to Take Home’. Dash and I even got to judge a few of these categories ourselves (see photo above), as well as dishing out a few rosettes. Much to my surprise, at the Mark show, I ended up choosing a Giant Schnauzer as the dog I’d most like to take home! More important, however, a combined total of more than £2K was raised at the two events. Good for GRWE … and greyt for greyhounds! Our next show is this Sunday (7 August) at the Dogs Trust in Faversham, Kent. Hope to see you there!

Great British Greyhound Walk

At the end of June, Dash and I attended the Oxford ‘leg’ of the Great British Greyhound Walk – an event designed to raise awareness of ex-racers and convince potential adopters to take on a pointy dog of their own. The goal was to get 2,011 (as in the year 2011) hounds out nationwide. The final result was a massive 2,279 dogs. I’ll let the pictures do the talking since the hounds did the walking ...

Dash Extravaganza!

The first photo of Dash above was taken at the Greyhound Extravaganza in Suffolk by www.amantephotography.com. The colour and quality are wonderful. The hay bales add a rural touch, and nicely match the gold on her coat. It’s just the pose that’s a bit odd, but there’s only Dash to blame for that. It looks like she’s just spotted a hare going past the barn door! To be fair, though, it was an odd day all round. Oxford and Newmarket in Suffolk aren’t close, but we arrived at our destination in just over two hours. This probably had something to do with the shiny new sat-nav stuck to my windscreen. Yup, I’ve finally succumbed. No more crumpled pieces of paper with directions to dog shows in the back of beyond; no more phoning up organizers from a lay-by and, after explaining that we’re going to be late, asking if they could stay on the line while I follow the sound of their voice. Instead, at ten o’clock sharp, Dash and I trotted up to the stand of the event sponsor, www.burgesspetcare.co.uk. (Burgess also sponsored the launch of ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’ and we attended the Greyhound Walks Show in Essex as their guests, so Richard Rockett – real name, very nice guy – is fast becoming one of Dash’s pals. That’s him in the second photo above.) The stand itself was right next to the main ring – a prime position. It was also right next to the public address system, so we spent the first half hour shouting into people’s ears as if we were at a nightclub. Fortunately, it was later turned down. Also fortunately, the weather stayed fine and the turnout was good. It was gratifying that plenty of people (and their hounds) came up to say that they’d already read the book. Perhaps I should have offered to buy it back at resell it to someone else at half price?! But it’s not only about ‘shifting units’. I was there to meet and share stories with more greyhound lovers; I also had a perfect view as the different classes were judged in the fun dog show. The ‘fancy dress’ class is the one that always cracks me up. There were some hilarious outfits, including a really good one of a grey-muzzled male as the Red Baron, with flying ace goggles and, best of all, a pair of floppy wings. It was obvious that some owners had spent considerable time and effort in making the costumes, like the spotted flamenco outfit pictured above sported by ‘Kenza’, a Spanish greyhound or ‘galgo’. The oddest part of the day was still to occur however. As the crowd began to thin out, we said our goodbyes and set off for Oxford. Three miles later, the car broke down. A sat-nav can do many things, but it can’t replace dead spark plugs and a blown coil pack! Six hours and two tow-trucks after that, we finally arrived in Oxford. For those of you who know the story in ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’, it wasn’t the first time Dash has seen the inside of a tow-truck! My hope is that it'll be the last …

Camping Dash-style!

What could be better than waking up next to a loved one? Well, I’d be able to tell you if a certain greyhound hadn’t got between me and my wife when we went camping last weekend. Since we don’t have one of those tents with ‘pods’ that keep people and pets in separate sleeping compartments, everyone gets bundled in together. Dash started out on her mat at the foot of the sleeping bag, but by morning was stretched out on top of said bag, and also on top of me. On waking, the view I was treated to was straight up her nostrils (see photo above). The view was accompanied by a handsome blast of dog-breath. At least it masked my own. There’s much to be said for camping, but personal hygiene is certainly put to the test. Still, we spent a fabulous weekend in the New Forest. Half the time I was off in pursuit of Freddy, my eighteen-month-old son; the other half I was trying to keep Dash from snaffling assorted foodstuffs from the BBQ. On one occasion, she managed to nip in when I wasn't looking and bolted down a whole sweetcorn. She then proceeded to bring it up piece by piece over the next two days. Mostly outside, but once in the tent (yellow gloop everywhere!) and once in the hall when we got home. Who says vegetables are good for you? Next weekend we’re away again, but on ‘official promotional duties’ this time. Dash and I are appearing at the RGT Greyhound Extravaganza in Suffolk on Sunday 5 June. We’ll be there all day, so do pop by if you’re in the area. There’s a fun dog show, plenty of stalls and copies of ‘Dash: Bitch of the Year’ for sale. Each book is signed with a limited edition pawprint sticker. Sweetcorn stains optional.

Bristol ‘Best in Show’!

The Fun Dog Show in Bristol was exactly that. Fun. Dash was the VIP guest (in her fancy coat and matching collar) and we opened the event by breaking the good news that I’m now patron of the Bristol Dog Action Welfare Group, or Bristol DAWG for short (http://southwestdawg.wordpress.com/). This is a fantastic organization, dedicated to rescuing and rehoming abandoned greyhounds and lurchers. It was founded in 2009 by Elkie Lonnkvist and has consistently rehomed an average of six dogs per month. The dog show was a fundraiser but also an awareness-raiser of the continued plight of these lovely creatures. I’m pleased to say we met lots of happy, healthy hounds and their devoted owners. Judging proceeded swiftly through the categories of ‘Best Puppy’, ‘Best Pedigree’, ‘Most Handsome Dog’, etc. until it was our turn to select the ‘Best Greyhound or Lurcher’. How to choose from fifteen impressive specimens? Although I’ve met plenty of greyhounds (and lurchers) in the three and a half years that I’ve owned Dash, I still consider myself a greyhound enthusiast rather than an expert. After looking up and down the line of dogs, I made the hounds do a lap of the ring. If it’s good enough for Crufts, I thought. In the end, the selection was made and the rosette awarded (the greyhound at the far right of the group picture). It was only afterwards that one or two of the organizers remarked on the similarity of the winner, at least in colour and markings, to Dash herself! Ah, well, it just goes to prove there’s only one ‘Best in show’ in my life – the ‘Bitch of the Year’ herself.