Dumfriesshire & Cumbria Greyhound Rescue

News and Stories 2005 - 06

Link to DGR newsletters

£300 Donation During an amateur photography holiday in the Algarve during September 2006 which was run by Tony Brown of F8 Glamour Club £300 was collected for DGR to use towards helping the dogs in their care.

THORNHILL BEAVERS Picture (taken by Graham) show Margaret with Magic, Darth and Timmy, collecting a cheque for £119.50 from the Thornhill Beavers following a recent fundraiser.  The boys ran a sponsored 10 miles, up and down their hall in Thornhill and decided to donate some of the cash raised to Dumfriesshire Greyhound Rescue.  Not only did they donate the cash but also collected some tins of dog food for the Greyhounds in foster care so that they could have a nice Christmas dinner. DGR thanks all the boys for considering our small charity and making our foster greyhounds happy at this time of the year.

Grand Greyhound Parade The last event in 2006 - the Grand Greyhound Parade in Dumfries Town Centre on Saturday 9 December - proved much better than anticipated.  Over 25 greyhounds were on display, all wearing their winter coats and although the town was quiet, £213 was raised in the hour we were there. Even a non member - Sarah with her GAL greyhound called Chloe - braved the chill wind to join in the fun.  A very good end to the year.                                                                                  Graham

Tuesday 5th December Graham received a letter from Leslie and Fiona Murdoch, the judges for the Fun Greyhound Show, who were most complimentary about the organisation of the event and the standard of the dogs. Fiona wrote "What beautiful dogs! Every dog there was a winner because it has a loving home.  How wonderful that so many dogs have been saved.  Judging is far from easy but is great fun and we got to give your re-homed dogs their fair share of cuddles" From all at DGR - Thanks Leslie and Fiona for your kind words

Casino Night On the 2nd December 2006 Theresa and Geoff Hardie who re-homed Thunder 11 months earlier raised £336.22 during a Casino Night and Auction they held at their pub, the Crown Inn at High Newton, Grange-over-Sands Cumbria. Yazmin, one of the models used in the Long Legged Beauties greyhound calendars came up from London to do the cover shot for the 2008 calendar and to be croupier for the evening. Items for the auction were kindly donated from both individuals and businesses and were auctioned at intervals during the evening by a local retired auctioneer. Part way through the evening Jenny and Stuart Stott who foster for DGR and who helped with the evening brought in their greyhounds Bobby and Indi along with their foster dog Troy. The dogs and Yazmin stole the evening and a good night was had by all who attended.

THANK YOU A big thanks to one of our members Lorraine Nichol who donated her commission of £114 as an agent for a Christmas Savings company, to DGR.  Lorraine advertised the fact that any cash raised in commission would go to the greyhounds at our 2005 Christmas Fayre and Fun Greyhound Show and managed to sign up a few members and friends as a result.  Well done Lorraine

NITHSDALE TANGENT Graham and Margaret Hill + Magic, Darth and Timmy gave a talk on Greyhound Rescue to the Nithsdale Tangent on Tuesday 28th November at the Buccleugh Hotel in Thornhill.  The ladies of the group were amazed at the success of DGR over such a short period of time and thoroughly enjoyed the visit of Magic, Darth and Timmy, who as usual, were on their best behaviour.  The group donated £15 to DGR for which we are very grateful.                                                                      Graham

Moffat Christmas Fayre - Sunday 26th November There was plenty Christmas spirit at the Moffat Christmas Fayre on Sunday 26th November when Graham and Margaret Hill, Arthur and Agnes Robinson and Emma Durose-Nelson and Russel manned the stall. Over £250 was raised on the day which is a record for any event in Moffat. The main bulk of the income was generated with the excellent quality of bric a brac which had been donated by members and supporters, along with over £80 in the Charity Tin. So remember - there is money to be raised in someone else's unwanted gifts!! Graham

ANNUAL RAFFLE - LIST OF WINNERS 1st - Peter Kerr, Middlebie 2nd - Pat Woodley, Dalry 3rd - Eck, Crackaig 4th - W McNeil, Langholm 5th - Francoise Norel Wilson, Moffat 6th - Elaine Hemphill, Dumfries 7th - Carol Hope, Annan 8th - Glen harris, Jersey 9th - Shona Bell, Dumfries 10th - Toby the Dog, Moffat

DGR Christmas Show - Sunday 19th November What a Day!! - all the organisation and preparation paid off and resulted in Dumfriesshire Greyhound Rescue's biggest and best event ever. Not only have we hopefully found homes for AT LEAST 4 of our Homeless Greyhounds but the charity raised over £3,500 in the process. Members of the charity as well as members of the public were amazed at over 100 - YES OVER 100 - greyhounds strutting their stuff in the 11 fun classes with the Supreme Champion of Champions going to Timmy, a brindle dog owned by Shiela McCulloch, a member from Edinburgh.  Runner up and reserve Champion was Jess, owned by Jenny Bragg, a member from Carlisle.  Even the local Provost and a host of MP's and MSP's were amazed at how well behaved the greyhounds were.  DGR thanks everyone who supported the event either by manning a stall, donating bottles, bric a brac or home baking or by just coming along and taking part

300th Dog homed At the end of October DGR homed our 300th dog - Frisbee - who is now living very happily in South West Scotland with her new owners, who are absolutely delighted with her. This is quite an achievement for a small charity who will have been going for just 5 years this November.

Sunday 29th October A tremedous end to the outdoor fund-raising season was had at the Carlisle Racecourse on Sunday 29th October. Plenty of greyhounds for the punters to see (including some members there for the first time) and the weather although a little chilly was dry and bright.  Over £700 was raised on the day and a number of really positive enquiries. 31 packs (310 cards) of our Christmas cards were also sold, so if any member out there has not got theirs yet, you had better be quick!

Donation for Katy Our thanks go to Tony Brown who during an event in the Algarve last week collected kitty money from everybody attending and has raised £300 for DGR as a result. Tony's and the F8 Glamour Club's donations to DGR started as a result of Yasmin - one of the models in our Greyhounds Calendars, persuading them to help our cause!

Donation DGR thanks Tommy and Annette Conroy and their son Scott of the North East Executive Sporting Club in Sunderland, for donating the proceeds of a raffle at their most recent boxing match on Thursday 5th October. A massive £550 was donated to assist us in our work in re-homing greyhounds.  This is the second time that the Conroys have donated large sums of money to us and indeed Scott's son Jordan, walked the Great North Dog Walk recently with his Rottweiller and donated £100 to us as well!!!"

Sunday 1st October - High Corby Methodist Church, Warwick Bridge Graham was invited to give a talk on Greyhounds during the Sunday service (Patron Saint of Animals - Saint Francis of Assisi - day) at High Corby Methodist Church. The service and talk went well, with a number of other members going along and taking their dogs with them (9 dogs in total), the dogs as usual behaved perfectly and were indeed the focal point of the morning. A total of £52.50 was donated to DGR on the day and all members were provided with a lovely lunch after the service.

Langholm Show 23rd September A wonderful day was had by all at the Langholm Agricultural Show on the 23rd September.  Over 15 Greyhounds with their owners turned up on the day and together with the weather, made it a really good fund-raiser and flag waver for the charity.  I keep saying it and I will say it again, the dogs were the stars - greeting people who came to our stall and "having a nap" in between.  Over £170 was raised towards our funds and with only one other outdoor even to go this year, I believe our Treasurer is extremely happy with the funds raised at all our outdoor events. Graham

Greyhound in Miniature Not to be outdone by the real thing, Margaret Hill and her daughter in law Carol-Anne, who are Doll's House enthusiasts, attended the International Doll's House Fair at the NEC Birmingham recently and purchased a 12th scale greyhound to fit on the 12th scale couch which is in the 12th scale lounge of a 12th scale Art Deco house!! The "maker" of the greyhound is based in Canada and Carol-Anne was fortunate enough to see his stand by chance and make the purchase.  Don't ask the price as her husband Stewart is still to find out!!

Talk at the Dumfries Probus Club Graham has yet another speaking arrangements next year This time it is the Dumfries Probus Club who have invited DGR to speak to their members about Greyhound Rescue on Tuesday 3rd April 2007.  Another first for DGR.

Some members and their dogs at Talkin Tarn Some members at Balmaclellan getting ready for their walk Sponsored walks at Kirroughtree, Talkin Tarn and Balmaclellan on 10th September Super weather for members in the west of Dumfries and Galloway who took part in the sponsored walk at Kirroughtree Visitors Centre in the Galloway Country Park.  The DGR caravan was on hand to provide tea and coffee and thanks to Lucy Hadley, the Forest Ranger, permission was granted to have a "Meet a Greyhound Day", there as well. In all we had 12 dogs of various breeds, the predominent of course being greyhounds. Apart from the sponsor money (still to be confirmed), DGR made over £75 from generous members of the public.   Some 38 people and 26 greyhounds plus a few dogs of other breeds turned up for the walk at Talkin Tarn in Brampton, all the dogs behaved themselves perfectly, even the non greyhounds! The weather, as in Kirroughtree, was glorious, some £170+ in sponsorship was handed in on the day, with a lot more to come, and £13+ was placed in the charity tin, by members of the public.   Sandra Harrison's team had excellent weather for their walk in Balmaclellan which catered for members in the Dumfries and Castle Douglas areas. A very hot day for the 10 dogs, 7 walkers and 2 'sweepers'. All residents from the Dalry kennels took part, Senga  was in charge of Rocky and Nash who seemed to think they were off to the track and set of with great enthusiasm. New recruit, Alastair, escorted Susie, or Susan as he called her! Josephine and Fiona, from Cumnock, were in charge of Tinker, Jack and Markie. Luciana and Dariet had Barney, Billy and Charlie Whippet. Boots would only go with Sandy,at the front! Pat and Betty did a great job of carrying the water, needed a lot, and food for the picnic which included a pie each for the dogs!. After a quick 'ask round' we seemed to have raised well over £500. Many thanks to everyone.

Dolls House Raffle Thanks to everyone out there who bought a raffle ticket for the dolls house we had on offer at the many shows we attended throughout August. The house was donated by one of our members and another decorated it internally and externally. The winner, which was drawn on Wednesday 6th September was a Mrs Mieras from Dalston near Carlisle who we presume bought her ticket at the Dalston Show - Well Done! We raised £198 for the house which go towards re-homing greyhounds.

Bewcastle - Monday 28th August It was another wet and windy Bank Holiday Monday (thunder and lightning as well), a small contingent of DGR (Graham, Margaret and Al) did the honours at the Bewcastle Show along with Darth, Magic, Roma and Ragz (on her first event). A total of £73.90 was made on the day along with a parade of the greyhounds.

Boris - not happy being in the rain! Saturday 26th August It was one of those days!!! Torrential reain, ran out of gas in the DGR caravan and forgot to take the Charity Tins. Nevertheless, Graham is adaptable if nothing else. Prayed for good then it came - had cole meat rolls instead of bacon butties and drove a 40 mile return journey to get the charity tins. Over £190 raised on the day and once agin, Magic, Darth, Max and Boris were the stars, attracting many, many people to our stall.  Our stock is disappearing so fast, we will need to order quite a lot for our Fun Greyhound Show in November.  Only 2 more outdoor events to go - Bewcastle on 28th of this month and Langholm on the 26th of next.  If any members can manage to go, give Graham a ring at 01387 254458.

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August The Galloway Country Fair on the 19th and 20th of August, is the largest event we attend and is run over 2 days. Despite the weather forcasters predicting torrential rain, it stayed relatively good over the 2 days and as a result, the Fair was very busy. The only downside to the event was some people who attempted to enter the show using our charity name to try and get in free of charge. This shows how important it is to tell our Events Organiser if you are coming to events in order that he can make the necessary arrangements. On this occasion, he could tell the organisers that they were definately NOT representing our charity. We had a parade of greyhounds at 11.00am each day and this went well with the people in the showground at that time. Our stall as usual, was extremely busy with visitors wanting to see the dogs, whether or not we will get homes as a result of the Fair, remains to be seen, but we may get some sponsorship of foster homes. Over £750 was raised over the weekend which will assist us greatly. A special thanks is due to Emma and Elouise who with Susie the greyhound, managed to fill a collecting tin as they wandered around the fair - well done girls and of course Susie.   The Dundrennan Horse Show on Sunday 20th, was not as successful as anticipated. We were invited to run the raffle at the event with DGR keeping the cash. Only 35 people bought tickets, with an income of £46 which over the 6 hours our members were there, was disappointing. Nevertheless, the smal amount of cash raised will assist in our work.   .

Dalston and the Border Gathering The weekend of the 12th and 13th August was extremely busy for DGR with the Dalston Show near Carlilse and the Border Gathering in Dumfries. Thanks to Allan and Bev and daughter Lisa, who donated some really good childrens toys etc, we made a creditable £200+ for the funds and "wowed" the people of Dalston with about 15 greyhounds (lost count) in the field. Whether any homes will come out of the event, we will wait and see.  At the Border Gathering in Dumfries on the Sunday we were treated to the sight of Graham (our Fundraiser) and Al, our Re-homing Co-ordinator, in Kilts . Nevertheless, people were still attracted to our stall and we made over £150 in sales.  At this event, we re-homed our 290th greyhound - Hondo - to a lovely couple from Kirkgunzeon, near Dalbeattie.  By all acounts, Hondo has settled quickly.  All in all, another successful weekend.      GRAHAM

Saturday 5th August An exception day for DGR on Saturday 5th August, when we split forces and attended the Dumfries Show and the Gatehouse of Fleet Gala. All our active members turned out along with a few who hadn't been to an event before - and didn't it open their eyes!! As usual (it's becoming a cliche now) the greyhounds were the stars attracting many, many people to our stall. The weather was extremely kind, which meant that record attendances were at the shows, the follow-on being that over £500 was raised at Dumfries and nearly £200 at Gatehouse. In addition, many people took our flyers and we think at least 2 people witll to the Home Visit stage in the procedure. Our stock "took a battering" at both events and our illustrious Stock Purchaser, Dick Henry, is going to work hard this week to replenish our sales goods for the forthcoming events. DGR thanks all members who took the time to come along and would like to encourage our newer members to come along to an event and "show off" their lovely pet".     Graham

Castle Douglas - Thursday 3rd August The sun shines on the righteous!! What a beautiful day at Castle Douglas on Thursday 3rd August at Stewatry Show and even a visit by Royalty!! Over £130 raised on the day with at least 1 definite home check in the offing. Magic and Darth even won rosettes in the veteran class in the Fun Dog Show. To "crown" the day, Princess Alexandra, who opened the Agricultural Show, stopped at our stall and had a long conversation with Sandra Harrison. All in all, a very good day. Even spoke with a woman on holiday from Cheshire, who was so impressed with our greyhounds at the Dumfries Show last year, she re-homed 2 from West of England Greyhound Rescue on her return home.                                                                  Graham

Otterburn Sunday 30th July The RSPCA Dog Show at Otterburn in Northumberland, on Sunday 30th July, to which we were invited, was a real eye opener in as much as the ONLY Greyhounds in attendance at the event, were those brought by DGR. I found it amazing that in over 100 dogs at the event, the only greyhounds were Jack and Fern (Bev and Allan), Jamie and Paddy (Yvonne and Malcolm), Magic and Darth (Graham and Margaret), Daisy and Ken (Al and Judy) and Katie and Cassie (Chris and Brian). As usual the dogs were a great attraction and Magic and Darth won rosettes in a couplf of classes and Kenny won "Most Handseom Dog". Over £100 was raised on the day but the most important thing in the view of DGR was the promotion of Greyhounds as pets. And Al was so confident the weather would stay fine and dry that he didn't even take the gazebo!!   The day before Otterburn, Graham and Margaret Hill were at their caravan in Haltwhistle and were speaking to a couple of families who had greyhounds and were very interested in the work that DGR does. As Graham and Margaret had DGR's sales stock with them, they showed them what we had. In all £103 of stock was sold in 10 minutes.  Must be a record!!!!

Moniaive Horse Show - Sunday 30th July Betty Roy, Sandra Harrison and her friend Pat and Jane Elliott attended the Moniaive Horse Show on Sunday 30th of July and raised an impressive £200 for 'the cause'. This year is the second year in a row that we have been invited to Moniaive and results have been exceptionally good on both occasions. Our thanks to Betty for organising the event.                                                                      Graham

Greyhound Talk The next invitation to talk on geyhounds has arrived on Graham's doormat. This time to Halton Lea Gate WI, near Brampton on the 5th September 2007. Our fame is spreading!!  Graham

"Box o' Bananas" Stopped off at 'Hazel's' in Castle Douglas and gave a great impromptu performance on the forecourt in aid of DGR on the mornings of Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd July. Special thanks to Jock 'on the box'. A really talented bunch of young musicians with a great sense of humour. Buy the CD it's excellent - and that's from the oldies!

2007 Talk Graham, our Events and Fundraising Co-ordinator, has received his first invitation for 2007 to talk on Greyhound Rescue. Arthritis Care in Scotland, have asked him to address their Dumfries Branch on Wednesday 18th April 2007. Apart from this one, he knows of another invitation winging it's way to him from a WRI near Brampton.  Our fame is spreading!

Moffat - 22nd July The Meet a Greyhound Day in Moffat was held in an area with no shade for the dogs - so a cunning plan was developed and as you can see from the picture shade was found for all the dogs. Unfortunately as the weather was so hot the day was cut just over an hour short for the sake of both dogs and humans! A respectable £98 was raised from donations and more importantly a possible new foster home found!

Chairman’s BBQ A Members only BBQ was held earlier this month at the Chairman’s home near Lockerbie. Despite the rather inclement weather (which did nothing to dampen spirits), some 27 people and 28 dogs turned up (some of whom are pictured) on the day. Both dogs and humans had a great time, with all the dogs behaving impeccably, as they always do. The event was such a success that Arthur is already starting to refine the plans for next year’s BBQ! Our thanks go to Arthur and Agnes for their hospitality and we look forward to next year!

Sunday 16th July Graham and Margaret opened up their back yard for a "yard sale" yet again last Sunday 16th July. Using the briac a brac which has been donated. This time they broke their record and raised an amazing £145.60, with the only cost being to Margaret who got rather sun burnt!

The Cumberland Show - 15th July The weather was glorious, our stand, postioned perfectly under the cool shade of trees, attracted a lot of attention from the crowds who thronged the show. Graham and Jane made £308 in sales on the day, we have three definite home checks to be done and a good day was had by all members who attended - our thanks to Graham for his superb catering!

BAR-B Q TIME IN DUMFRIES With the good weather at the beginning of July, Graham and Margaret Hill with Magic, Darth, Timmy and Kelly decided to have a bar-b-q at their home in Dumfries. Not only did the adults enjoy themselves but with the beef burgers, chops, chicken and kebabs aplenty, the dogs enjoyed themselves as well as the picture clearly shows.

Sunday 2nd July Our industrious fundraiser Graham and his wife Margaret, opened up their back yard for a "yard sale" on Sunday 2nd July wih all the briac a brac that has been donated. The magnificent sum of £87 was raised on the day and many of the visitors admired the 6 greyhounds - yes 6!! that were lazing around. The dogs were Magic, Darth, Timmy, Max, Kelly and Amber, so plenty for the people to see.

Dumfries Meet a Greyhound Day - 1st July Our first "Meet a Greyhound Day" in Dumfries was a tremendous success with over £400 raised in a few hours. About 20 of our greyhounds "strutted their stuff" attracting many people over to see them. This event was a first in another way as well in that we had to stop early because it was TOO HOT!!  The dogs coped well with the humidity but when the sun came out it really was quite warm so we decided to quit early. A lot of people asked questions and we nearly ran out of flyers so all in all a really good day.

Harris before his haircut Harris after his haircut Sponsored Haircut - 26th June The sponsored haircut by Harris Wright (see previous article on the subject) took place on Monday 26th June in Crew Cuts in Dumfries in front of family, friends, Graham and Margaret Hill with Magic, Darth and Timmy as well as a photographer from the Dumfries Standard and Border Television. Harris raised over £500 - yes £500!!! Which he is donating to DGR. Well done Harris. Apart from the cash raised, the hair is being donated to a cancer charity called "Locks of Love" which makes wigs for children who have lost their own hair. Well done again!!

Jordan aged 9 and Bets aged 5 after taking part in the Great North Dog Walk for DGR Sponsored Dog Walk Graham, our Fundraiser, got a phone call from a supporter in Sunderland asking if he could donate the cash raised in a sponsored dog walk to DGR.  Of course the answer was yes and Scott Conroy of Sunderland has kindly donated over £100 to our funds.  Thanks Scott!!!

Dumfries & Galloway Canine Rescue's Fun Dog Show - 25th June A last minute invitation to the Dumfries and Galloway Canine Rescue's Fun Dog Show at the Barony College in Dumfries on Sunday the 25th of June, turned out better than expected.  Robert and Lorraine Nichol with kids and Katie and Margaret and Graham with Magic and Darth provided the "attraction" and many, many people, who had dogs of their own, commented on how graceful and quiet the Greyhounds were.  Nearly £150 was raised on the day and a number of leaflets handed out.  The icing on the cake was when Katie won the BEST FEMALE HOUND and Darth won one of the prestigious trophies - the Honorine Murray Cup for the BEST RESCUED DOG.  Magic and Margaret came in third in the Dog That Looks Most Like It's Owner Category.  Not bad going for the only three greyhounds to enter any of the classes!!!

Closeburn Village Gala Saturday 24th This was a little better with nearly £50 being raised.  As no dogs were allowed in the park, there was not the usual attraction for people and as most (if not all) the children's attractions were free, our stall did not stand a chance.  Anyway thanks to Margaret Hill and Jane Elliott for giving it a go

Mabie Farm Park - 18th June Meet a Greyhound Day at Mabie Farm Park in Dumfries on Sunday 18th of June was a washou due to the weather. Very few people went through the Farm Park's doors and as a consequence, we packed up early and went home. Disappointing!

Kirkudbright Jazz Festival 17th June   The Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival on the 17th of June was a tremendous success.  Good weather, lovely scenery, plenty of people and lots of greyhounds for people to see.  Quite a few people took away leaflets and one or two spent a considerable time talking to the dogs and our menbers.  Nearly £150 raised for DGR funds

Jenny & Jess, during a few moments when the sun was shining! Upperby Gala Monday 29th May It was a beautiful hot sunny day when DGR members set up the stall at Upperby Gala, (Hammonds Pond, Carlisle) then within minutes the wind came up followed by the rain, then the sun came out again, then it rained, then the sun came out, then it hailed! But despite the vagaries of the weather the few members who turned up for this event managed to raise just under £150 from sales so all was not in vain!

Calendar Sales Raise £577 for DGR - May 2006 Since the launch of the ‘Long Legged Beauties’ Rescued Greyhound Calendar 2006 last year Jenny and Stuart Stott who produced the calendar and who foster greyhounds for us have been busy selling the calendars and received orders from all around the world.  Since the launch we have received two cheques from them totaling £577.00 for which we thank them.  In addition to the donation we received we must also thank them for all the publicity both Greyhounds and Greyhound Rescue received around the world, the value of which is immeasurable. They are currently producing 3 styles of calendar for 2007 (‘Just Greyhounds’, ‘Greyhounds & Lifestyle’ and ‘Greyhounds – Sexy & Amusing’).  In producing 3 styles they hope to reach a much wider audience thus raising even more funds for us next year. Click the link below to see the pictures from the 2006 calendar and watch their home page for more information about the 2007 calendars. Click here for link to Calendar Pictures

Kirkudbright Half Marathon 27th May The weather was very unkind at the Kirkbudbrigh Half Marathon with rain, cool wind and muddy conditions underfoot. Not very busy either and income was extremely disappointing. Not only were the greyhounds miserable but their owners were as well!! Having said that, a couple of people showed considerable interest in re-homing and it may pay dividends in the future.

Harris with Magic HAIR SUPPORTS GREYHOUNDS It is usually the other way around isn't it?  Greyhounds chase Hares. Well this story is that Harris Wright, a 14year old schoolboy from Dumfries who has not had a haircut for over 4 years, has decided to get his locks cut and aid Dumfriesshire Greyhound Resce at the same time.  His hair is 59cm's long (nearly 2 feet) and because he is a regular visitor to DGR's website, he is going to ask schoolmates, friends and relations to sponsor "the shearing" and donate the cash to help the greyhounds.  Sponsorship forms are already circulating and the "dastardly deed" will take place at the end of school term in June. If anyone out there would like to sponsor Harris, please send a cheque made out to DGR (Sponsored Haircut)  to Graham Hill, 2 Dalbeattie Road, Dumfries DG2 7PD