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If you want to sponsor a long term foster dog, please contact Mrs Ann Thomson. Address: Newlands,
Eaglesfield, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, DG11 3AA. Tel 07710893889. EMail meathomson@aol.com Please make cheques payable to 'DCGR' and mark your letter 'Sponsorship
for ' and the name of the dog you wish to sponsor, let us know if the sponsorship is a gift for someone else and
provide their details too.
OR you can complete and send the form at the bottom of this page - payments can be
send by post or made by PayPal (which can be found on the front page of this website - please tell us in the Notes section
that it is for a long term foster dog and the dogs name.
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Appeal for sponsorship for DCGR's three
permanent foster dogs - Joe, Nina and new 'girl' Ruby Sponsor
a Long Term Foster Dog. There are times when Greyhounds
come into the care of DCGR and due to circumstances, for example ill health, personality traits or age,
cannot go on to be rehomed. These dogs go on to be fostered on a long term basis where they stay with the same foster carer for the
rest of their natural lives. Medical expenses and other costs are funded by DCGR, which is obviously an ongoing expenditure. The Greyhounds featured
below are available for sponsorship and all donations will be used for their ongoing day to day care.
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Belle
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| Belle |
September 2011
Belle is a pretty 7 year old fawn bitch who came to us for rehoming earlier this year. She
had some scarring, not a lot of hair on her rear end and was very nervous. Her main problem,however, was that she had suffered
breaks in both of her front legs, which left her with painful and swollen wrists. After veterinary assessment, it became clear
that she would need long term medication for pain relief and she would probably be restricted with regard to the amount of
exercise that she could take. As all of these factors would make it difficult to find a home for Belle, it was decided
to bring her into our Long Term Foster Dog scheme.Luckily for Belle, a wonderful foster carer took Belle in and very soon decided to give her
a permanent home with help from our scheme.Belle is settling in very well in her new home in Carlisle. Although still a little nervy, she is gaining
in confidence. The pain relief is working well and Belle enjoys her daily short walks - in all weathers! She even enjoys a
quick run around the table early each morning.She has dried food, with a little meat mixed in and has breakfast, dinner and a light supper. She
is very fussy about her chews - Tripe sticks are her favourite.Like many discerning greyhounds, she has discovered the comforts of the sofa and has developed
a strange, although very endearing,trait of preferring her head to be covered before she will go to sleep.Belle is now assured of a comfortable, happy and loving
home in which to spend the rest of her days.If you would like to help towards the cost of Belle's medication, please see details at the top
of the page of how to donate/sponsor her.
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Ruby
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| Ruby |
September
2011
Ruby was homed by DCGR about 2 years ago, but sadly came back to us in May 2011 due to no fault
of her own. It had been known to us that Ruby had a slight limp, but on being rehomed, the limp became very much more pronounced
and her new owner felt unable to cope with it, so Ruby came back to us once again.Ruby is now 8 years old. She is very small for a greyhound at around 55 lbs. She has only two
teeth, one canine on the top and one on the bottom at the other side. This keeps her tongue in place! Just! In common with
many greyhounds, she has baldy thighs. Ruby's leg was x-rayed, to try to find the cause of her limp. She has chronic arthritis
in her left wrist. The condition is non -operable and she will have to be on anti- inflammatory medication for
the rest of her life. She will only ever be able to take short walks, so, bearing these things in mind, Ruby was placed in
our Long Term Foster Dog scheme in the hope that someone could take her on.Very happily for Ruby, a lady has come forward who can offer all of the things which Ruby needs
to make her retirement a very happy one.She seems to be settling in well and we look forward to providing an update very soon on her progress.
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| Nina |
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Nina: A
report by Brian & Chris (New Galloway) June 2011 We first
met Nina on 30 April 2009 at a “Meet a Greyhound Day” in Newton Stewart, she was a friendly blue greyhound girl
and a former top racing dog who sustained a serious injury to her right rear leg; after the accident she was used to birth
two offspring before coming into the care of DCGR. At the time we met her she was in a care home but had
to share with other male greyhounds.
After x-rays it was considered by the vets that an operation on her injured leg was not an option due to the period
of time since the accident and the consequent fusing of the bones (including a shifted patella); however it may be necessary
to operate in the future should her mobility deteriorate. Due to the
possibility of a large vet bill in the future it was decided that Nina be taken into permanent foster care with us and our
own greyhound Cassie at the end of June 2009. We had formerly fostered the late Katy who had died in April,
after which Cassie had a bad bereavement; we were all sure that Nina would help put the fun back into 10 year old Cassie’s
life – which proved correct.
Nina actually moved in and put on needed weight at an average
of a kilo a month for about 4 months. Nina has taught Cassie a few new tricks, such as running into the
hall at top speed when the collar and leads are handled or the faint sound of car keys rattling. Her walking
has improved as her level of fitness increases and she adapted to landing on her three good legs after a jump.
She is however somewhat nervous of children surrounding her and of distance gunshots from
various shoots.
Her leg is weak and occasionally tender when (for example) she has had an accidental bump with another greyhound
or human – a gentle massage on that leg for a minute or two eases any discomfort she may be having, she also gets some
alternative treatment which helps a lot.
In the last two years we have taken Nina and Cassie on all our varying breaks around the country; in September 2009
we visited Aberdeen for a short visit, then later a week in East Anglia; in 2010 a spring week in Cornwall and an autumn week
in the Mull of Kintyre; in 2011 a spring week in Herefordshire followed later by a few days in Blackpool visiting friends
in Lancashire. Coming up in October we are all off to the Sussex and Kent coast for a couple of weeks visiting
relatives and some exploring. And so far Nina has never complained about any of it!
Both dogs travel well in the car, they lie down as soon as they get in and can take a long journey (such as a 10
hours to Penzance) without any problem – we do ensure we stop en-route every 2 hours maximum to give us all a break. At home Nina and Cassie both have 3 meals a
day with a well balanced diet. Bedtime comes with a chewy treat before they both settled down together
for a long night’s sleep. They have 3 walks a day, the early morning walk is alongside a local burn
with longer walks at midday (they choose when to go) in the local parks for a good run, then later in the afternoon or early
evening in the adjoining fields for a good chase around.
Nina visits the veterinary surgery every month for a weight check (she’s a natural skinny) and if necessary
a check over by the vet. So far she has managed very well with the bad leg – and doesn’t deter
her from a very fast circular sprint in the parks and fields.
Nina costs are about £5 a week in food; we have had a supply of dried greyhound food for her but that supply
is unfortunately drying up so feeding costs may rise. We pay of course for her treats and Travelodge accommodation
etc. Nina is an affectionate, cheeky,
nosey, playful but clean greyhound who has been made very welcome at various friend’s houses around the country (if
allowed she likes to explore every room of their houses before lying down), and has been a joy to look after since she came
to live here just two years ago.
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| Joe |
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| Joe |
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JOE Joe
came into permanent foster care on 9th June 2009. He came to live in Dalton-in-Furness, South Cumbria when his previous
owner had to return abroad. He now lives with his foster mum and a 2 year old rescue whippet called Robbie. He
also has 2 more whippet friends who live round the corner and visit every day; Sophie and deaf rescue dog Chalky. Joe will be 10 on 27th October
and at 41 kilos is a gentle giant. He is an Irish ex-racer and has lost a toe somewhere along the way. His health
is good apart from his teeth which are in need of attention, and he goes to the vet on 10th July to hopefully have his dental
problems sorted. Joe
is a very handsome elderly gentleman who loves his walks and spends most of the day resting on his bed. He is very well
behaved and has never climbed on to the sofa, probably because he can't be bothered! He is still nervous of strangers
but is gaining in confidence each day. He loves to be cuddled and always answers to his name. He has never shown
any aggression and completely ignores the 2 cats who share his home, and has never had any accidents in the house. He
is sometimes reluctant to eat, but this is probably due to the state of his teeth. Everyone who meets Joe is very impressed with him, and he
has gained a lot of new admirers. He can now hopefully have a long, happy and healthy life in his new forever home. UPDATE ON JOE 9TH
SEPTEMBER 2011 Joe
is continuing to do very well in longterm foster care. He is settled and happy living in Dalton-in-Furness,
South Cumbria. He remains in good health despite ongoing dental problems. He has recently
had a trial of anti inflammatory medication and his mouth seems to have responded to that. He is now having
a break from it to see how long the improvement lasts. Otherwise, he still
suffers from quite severe psychological problems and remains very nervous in certain situations. He is
still frightened of strangers, particularly men and doesn’t like loud noises, the sound of neighbours and sulks for
hours if anything gets moved around at home!
He enjoys
his food particularly if it is livened up with a spoonful of tinned meat and loves his dentistix no matter how bad his mouth
feels. He gets very excited when he goes for his walks but is only happy going round His Block with no
deviation from the usual route. Joe finally discovered the sofa this year and regularly makes himself comfortable on there with his big soft toy
mouse for a pillow. He is very cuddly and will now happily climb up next to us on the sofa for a snuggle. Joe lost his old whippet
friend Chalky last week and is a bit subdued, but he still has the company of whippet Sophie and Robbie and Harry are always
calling round. Harry the whippet (formally Blitz) came from DCGR and he and Joe are good pals.
Joe keeps him in check when he is being naughty and gives him a few words of advice! Update 19th July - Joe has
settled in very well and enjoys the company of his three whippet friends and his new family. He is eating well and enjoying
his short walks around Dalton-in-Furness, although he is still very wary of people that he doesn't know. We are
gradually increasing his exercise to improve his level of fitness and to get him used to meeting strangers. He had another course of antibiotics
in preparation for his dental surgery on 10th July. This went very well and he had 15 teeth out. The same evening
he was eating his crunchy food again on the vet's advice and has been eating well most of the time since. The vet
is very pleased with his progress and he finishes his antibiotics tomorrow (15th July). We are going to start cleaning
his teeth at the end of the week to hopefully stop things getting bad again, although the vet thinks he may need further dental
treatment in the future as some of his teeth are pretty worn down. Otherwise he is in excellent health and has
made a wonderful new addition to our family.
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| Alfie |
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| Alfie |
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Alfie - Sadly Alfie had to be put to sleep at the beginning of July 2011, age and
illness finally caught up
with this brave and lovely boy, he will be sadly missed
by all who knew him.
Alfie was a 10 1/2 year old Greyhound when he was brought into DCGR with his female companion and their five puppies. Alfie went to live with Jane
and her Greyhound Holly as a long term foster dog. The initial concern
was about Alfie’s mouth. He had a nasty abscess and the vet
also had to remove 17 teeth. He is now comfortable and eating better
and is putting on a bit of weight. It will take a long time before he
can manage hard food and biscuits. Jane has to brush his teeth daily
and he stands like an angel while she does it.
Alfie is a quiet boy and he settled very well into Jane’s house although he is still puzzled about the television.He travels
happily in the car and likes
trips out. He doesn’t join in much when Holly plays, but he loves people. He greets Jane by rubbing his face on her,
tuffing her with his forehead and grinning, showing the few teeth that he has left. He enjoys his walks and his fitness and general condition
is improving. Alfie has finally fallen on his
feet and is responding so well to the comforts, love and stability of a family home. His medical needs can be monitored and intervention provided
before he suffers such discomfort as he has in the past. Alfie is a beautiful boy who may well give Katy some competition in the Best Veteran
class of next year’s
DCGR Christmas Show.
6th November 2008
Due to unforseen circumstances we had to look for a new foster home for Alfie in October this year, at the end of the month he moved to his new, permanent foster home, where he has begun to settle in with
his new Mum and Dad and foster Brother and Sister,
who are both retired greyhounds.
For a yearly donation of not less than £10 or
standing order for a minimum of £2 per month, you will receive a certificate, information about greyhounds as pets,
a fact sheet about your sponsor dog and a Christmas card featuring him or her. When we receive your
form we will get back in touch with you to confirm the details of your sponsorship. All sponsors will have their name on
the dogs sponsorship page (unless they wish to remain anonymous) and will receive a certificate of sponsorship with a
picture of their chosen dog. Please note that due to work commitments only irregular updates on our sponsored
dogs will be given on the website.
Or
you can send your donation direct to Mrs Ann Thomson. Address: Newlands, Eaglesfield, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire,
DG11 3AA. Tel 07710893889. E Mail meathomson@aol.com Please make cheques payable to 'DCGR' and mark your letter 'Sponsorship for ' and the name of the
dog you wish to sponsor, let us know if the sponsorship is a gift for someone else and provide their details too.
Please note if you wish us to contact you by email you must put your email address
onto the form.
Cllick here to download a standing order form
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