Details of the dogs are as follows:

Freya - is a small black greyhound girl with the most amazing ears! We believe that Freya was born in 2002. She was rescued from the Staffordshire area where, for the first two years of her life she had been kept locked in a shed with her two brothers. When she arrived at the kennels she was frightened and traumatised, and appeared never to have seen any of the big wide world. Poor Freya was so terrified that when people approached her she would wet herself through fear. Not only had Freya been shut away and neglected since she was a puppy but, due to the absolute terror that she exhibited when approached, we think she had also been physically abused.

Freya has now, with the help of GRWE, found the most wonderful and understanding forever home. Freya is still frightened of strangers and will back out of her harness if someone approaches her when out on a walk, or if approached by someone who is very tall or who has a loud voice. With plenty of patience and understanding, each day her confidence grows a little. Freya may never fully recover from her traumatic past, but with the help of GRWE and the support of the sponsor scheme we can guarantee that she will never be shut away in the dark again and that she will have the brightest possible future.

Soldier - born in 1999, was found tied up with a Jack Russell on a site that had been vacated by Travellers. He had been badly beaten and has many scars on his face and body. Soldier is a happy and trusting dog who enjoys his new home but as a result of his past, he needs help. Soldier has had a collapsed Trachea, which can affect his breathing, he has severely deformed feet, and bad arthritis; he needs some very special love and support.

Lizzie - is a very beautiful small white greyhound with the occasional grey patch. As far as we know she was born around 2002. Lizzie was found in Doncaster in the grounds of a nursing home. She had been spotted by staff on several occasions, but was so terrified of people that she was impossible to catch. Poor Lizzie looked so thin that the staff in the nursing home decided to leave food out for Lizzie to eat each day. Cleverly, each day the staff moved the place where the food was left closer and closer to the building until one day, three weeks later, Lizzie actually ventured into one of the rooms, where the door was quickly shut behind her. The RSPCA were called to collect Lizzie but still she would not allow anyone to touch her, so a special piece of equipment called a catchpole was used to restrain her whilst she was put into a cage. At this point Lizzie was handed over to GRWE. Lizzie was in a poor condition and needed to be examined by a vet, but she was so terrified of humans that she ended up biting both the vet and the vet nurse who was trying to hold her. The recommendation was that Lizzie be put to sleep.

Luckily for Lizzie, GRWE do not give up that easily and managed to find Lizzie a home with a very experienced lady who had helped many greyhounds in the past. We will never know for sure what happened to Lizzie before she was found but we believe that due to her condition and total fear of any humans that she had been tied up and beaten. With patience and understanding, each day Lizzie’s confidence grows, although there is still a long way to go before she can truly relax and enjoy all of the pleasures in life that many dogs have. Lizzie will be supported by the sponsor scheme for the rest of her life

Barney - is a very handsome brindle boy who came to GRWE in 2001. We think he was born in 1999. Barney was found wandering the streets of Manchester where he was well known to the local dog warden as he was picked up on a regular basis. On the last occasion, however, they had found Barney a quivering wreck, with MUFC (Man United Football Club) bleached into his fur. By the time GRWE became involved, he had been in a Manchester dog pound for quite some time, largely due to the fact that the country was in the middle of a foot & mouth crisis and no movements between kennels were allowed. Poor Barney had reached the bottom line. He was suffering from extreme kennel stress and was beginning to exhibit very serious signs of fear aggression. Life was looking very bleak for Barney and if GRWE hadn’t been able to come to his rescue then he would, without doubt, have been put to sleep.

Barney was collected by GRWE and we found him a very understanding forever home. Not only had he suffered physical abuse, but he was showing signs of psychological stress as well. We will never know what other cruelties Barney had to endure, but they had a profound and lasting effect on him.

Several years on, Barney is only just beginning to find the confidence he needs to live a fulfilled and active life. He is now a happy and confident dog in surroundings that he knows well and with the people that he has learned to trust. Barney’s fear aggression has improved and he is starting to attend the occasional GRWE event. Because of Barney’s miserable beginning he will always need the extra love and support of a very special home and the sponsor scheme.

Harvey - is a beautiful, big brindle boy who was born in 2001. Harvey came to GRWE following a phone call to the local dog warden in Bedford. A kind lady had noticed a very thin young dog going through the bins in the neighbourhood and had tried to catch it, but the dog was so nervous he would run away as soon as anyone even tried to approach him. The dog warden eventually caught Harvey and was shocked by the terrible condition he was in. Harvey was completely emaciated and collapsed after just a few minutes of being walked towards the dog warden’s van. His fur was covered in a mixture of black tar and diesel oil. His ears were burnt, his back was covered in bald patches and he had no hair on is tail at all. Due to malnutrition Harvey had also developed Ricketts, a disease associated with a lack of vitamins and minerals. Who knows what sort of terrible cruelty and neglect this young dog had endured?

Thankfully, GRWE were able to take Harvey into their care and within a few months of being well fed and having his burns treated he was well enough to be able to go to a wonderful new home. Some of the hair on Harvey’s body has never grown back because his skin was so badly burned from the hot tar, but he recovered from having Ricketts and with the help of the sponsor scheme has, despite his past, blossomed into a very big and happy boy.

RT - is a very handsome big, black greyhound born in 1996. RT was taken into the care of GRWE when he was quite a young dog. RT is a retired racing greyhound and was in poor condition when he arrived. He was very underweight, had bald patches in his coat and had a couple of large scars, which, along with his total fear of strangers, led us to believe that he had been badly treated. RT was lucky to find an understanding home as some of his behavioural issues meant that adapting to family life was clearly going to be an uphill climb. For the first month in his new home, RT spent most of his time in a large dog crate. The door was always open but RT was too scared to venture out. Gradually, as RT became more familiar with his new home he began to venture out. Over the next few months RT spent less and less time in the crate but still considered it a safe place of refuge if he became frightened of anything or anyone. Once, when a person RT didn’t know appeared at the front door, he rushed upstairs and hid in a wardrobe, refusing to come out until he was sure that the stranger had left and the coast was clear.

With the support of GRWE and the sponsor scheme RT has grown in confidence. The crate is now a thing of the past and has been swapped for a place on the sofa. Although RT is still weary of strangers, his confidence has now grown to the point where, instead of hiding upstairs, he now watches through the banisters to size up any visitors and, if he likes the look of the person he will come down to investigate. Some would call RT a difficult dog, but we think he is a wonderful example of how a greyhound who has suffered at man’s hand can, with patience and understanding, be won round and learn to trust again.

Chester - is a very handsome black & white boy, who we believe was born around 2002. Poor Chester was found by a passer-by, lying by the side of a main road in Chester, having been hit by a car. He had severe lacerations to his body, one hind leg in particular, which at the time also appeared to be broken. Chester was rushed to the vets and, thankfully, after a thorough examination it was found that his leg wasn’t broken, just very badly bruised and lacerated. It was at this point that GRWE became involved and took Chester into care. Chester was extremely unhappy in kennels and it soon became apparent that he was, in fact, completely deaf. Chester was going to need a very special home with the skills and understanding necessary to give a deaf and traumatised dog a safe and secure life.

Chester has now found his forever home, a home that helps him with all the difficulties a dog without hearing may experience in life. Chester still suffers from separation anxiety if left alone, but with the support of the sponsor scheme he is able to lead a happy and fulfilled life.

Heather - is a beautiful white & black greyhound, who came to GRWE in 2004. We cannot be certain of her age, but we think that she was born in 2003. Poor Heather had been found in a field by a man walking his dog. She had collapsed and was bleeding profusely. Barbarically, her ears had been cut off and she had been left for dead. Miraculously, she survived this terrible ordeal despite everything. Heather was just another unwanted greyhound, her only crime was not to have been fast enough, and so her owner cut off her ears and left her to die, in pain and alone.

Many greyhounds have identity tattoos in their ears, so whoever discarded this beautiful girl definitely didn’t want to be traced! Heather took many months to recover and was slowly nursed back to health. She has now found the most wonderful forever home where she gets the care and love she needs. Heather has made incredible progress and has become a happy and confident girl with the sunniest of natures. Through the help of the sponsor scheme Heather will be guaranteed a life with the love and support that she deserves. She will never be lost and alone again.

Heather has become a registered Pets as Therapy (P.A.T) dog and visits many schools, youth groups and GRWE events to raise awareness of the terrible plight of those racing dogs not blessed with the necessary speed and who are discarded just because they can’t run fast enough.