January 9, 2012 10.24 am This story is over 146 months old

Greyhound charity rehouses 1000th dog

1000 happy dogs: A local greyhound charity has managed to rehome its 1000th dog near Lincoln.

A local greyhound charity has just rehoused its 1000th dog in Lincolnshire since its setup in 1998.

Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust (LGT), near Boston, saw Rick the greyhound (pictured) off into his new home in Sudbrooke, near Lincoln, with new owners Dave and Vicki Wells.

Vicki Wells said: “I have always been interested in greyhounds and am delighted that Rick is the 1,000th greyhound rehomed by LGT since it began.

“He joins my other greyhound Dolly, who we rehomed from LGT in 2006. I look forward to having many happy years with Rick and feel happy knowing that LGT give such great back up if there are any problems.

“Greyhounds are so easy that having begun with one, it has been no problem to add a second.”

Rick was already known to Wells as a successful racing dog, who raced 102 times in his career. Wells took Rick home after his last race with the help of a Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust syndicate.

Since starting in December 1998, LGT have taken on and searched for homes for 1000 retired racing greyhounds.

LGT once began life as a branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust, but gained independent charity status in 2004.

Chairs of the charity, Kevin and Mandy Stow, started rehoming with their first greyhound, Sky. Ever since, the pair help greyhounds off the racing circuit find suitable retirement homes.

Kevin Stow said: “We began with just the two of us and it started slowly, but gradually the owners we helped became more involved and it took off.

“Every year since 2006 we have successfully rehomed at least 100 greyhounds and we have been very fortunate to have many terrific helpers over the years.

“Like all groups there have been ups and downs, but the bottom line is it is about the greyhounds and we can now say we have helped 1,000 different greyhounds to find homes.”

Great pets

According to LGT, greyhounds make great pets due to being very lazy and laid back, and needing less exercise than other breeds of dog.

This means they are suitable for the elderly and children due to their tolerance levels. Some of the dogs can even live contently with cats and other small animals.

The charity is always looking for volunteers to help spread the word as well as potential new homes for its dogs.

Source: Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust