UDATE 20th December 2020…
Who can believe that this was almost a year ago…these are the dogs that broke my heart into tiny pieces. Not because we couldn’t fix them, i knew we could. But the state that they had been in for so many years, so much neglect and sadness. It was at this point that i realised that even though Tia has been going for 24years and with all the other Independent greyhound rescues out there, that have equally been going for years….in the words of a long gone greyhound trainer, who i met right at the beginning…” you’ll never change it “
Maybe we have, maybe we haven’t….we have changed it though for the tens of thousands of dogs we have rehomed over the years. In spite of the racing industry.
The horrors of that place will never leave me, the dog mess so deep i couldn’t easily open the doors of the sheds. Ramble who came flying out of his kennel with his bowl in his mouth, Stilton and Babybelle who i couldn’t get on the first trip and their faces when i walked away….and of course Mr Mole who was doing the wall of death up to his belly in his own faeces..
There are many times i have wanted to give up and just walk away from it all, from the horrors, the bullies and the lies…but fear not i am not going anywhere. In fact it makes me even more determined…
What i didn’t tell anyone at the time: The GBGB ( Greyhound Board of Great Britain ) had also been notified about these dogs. They were absolutely fuming when we got to them first….one of the stewards was under strict instructions to get into our kennels and find out if any of the dogs were registered dogs, check their earmarks..i lost track of the amount of times he turned up…needless to say he didn’t get in. He was however obviously relieved that the deceased owner of the dogs wasn’t a registered trainer..
There isn’t a problem with greyhound racing is there? Oh yes, there bloody well is…
Deb
Friday 27th December i got a phone call to say that an old guy had died and he had left 13 greyhounds on an allotment in Sheffield. They are all old dogs and there is no one to look after them.
When i arrived there on Saturday i was prepared for what i would find, 24 years in there’s nothing much shock or surprises me, or so i thought.
The dogs were spread over 3 separate gardens…The first 10 i got on the van and i had to leave the other 3 for the second trip.
I don’t have the words…i hope the pictures will tell the tale.
Thanks to all my staff and volunteers, some who came in at short notice. The dogs were all bathed, claws cut and taken to their new fresh, clean home.
They are all on good food and antibiotics. Chris our vet is aware and making urgent arrangements to come and do the dentals in our onsite vet room…
The eldest blue girl with the awful teeth is 12yrs old. She is the happiest.
There is a younger black boy who is a wreck….he has bad eyesight as he has been locked away so long..i didn’t know if he was going to bite me when i went into his “kennel” he was messing himself, absolutely terrified trying to escape….no escaping me mate…he didn’t bite.
So here they all are….they just need names, i doubt they have ever had any.
The sad, sad thing is that these dogs have been in a bad way for a long, long time.
If only he had asked for help….Tia would have helped, because that is what we do.
We don’t judge.
They didn’t go out yesterday but they have all been out into the paddocks today.
Welcome to your new life…for the time you have left you will be absolutely ruined…
