What a year 2009 has been.
I personally would like to thank everyone who have supported Greyhound Rescue North East, not just for 2009 but from previous years and hopefully you will all still be with us over the coming years.
The rescue has come a long way in the past 12 months. One of our biggest changes was obtaining charitable status, meaning we can begin to put the fundraising efforts on a more professional footing. Both the website and chat forum have been updated, and although both took time to set up, I think you would agree that they are much improved.
Of course our rescue is about rescuing and rehoming dogs, and so a special heartfelt thanks to all our owners who have helped make our rescued kennelled dogs into fantastic sofa hugging happy hounds.
There are a number of specific individuals who have provided a significant contribution to our rescue over the last year. This is an opportunity to highlight their contribution, and to give my own thanks.
• Cath and Jon introduced the monthly dog walk. It is always fantastic to see all the dogs again on the walks and nice to chat with owners about how well their dogs have settled in. I must mention that Cath is also the forum whizz and keeps everything organised.
• Sharon and family organised several fund raising events at “Pets at Home” which were very popular and we are looking forward to more of these. They have also taken on a number of foster dogs, and can be relied on to sort out anything else that comes up – even at last minute.
• Michelle and Nick organised a disco and fundraiser night which raised over £600, and have now become a key short term fosterer for our rescue.
• A rescue would not be a rescue without volunteers. Our dedicated team of volunteers are all dog owners and have a passion for helping dogs anyway they can. A very big Thank You to both adults, children and not forgetting all the helping hounds which are stars through and through.
Our first Christmas Fair took just 3 weeks to organise and was fantastic. Aside from raising over £700 (which goes back into the pot to help rescue even more of these special dogs), it was another great opportunity to see all our rehomed dogs and their owners.
We are also building a dedicated network of foster carers. A very big Thank You to those who do temporary (usually very short notice!) fostering, and also a huge Thank You to our permanent foster people who really do a fantastic job with all our oldies who we do not want to keep in kennels.
As well as the highs of helping a rescue, we do get a few lows. Honcho, Kitty, Fred, Molly, Tigger and Wolfie have all passed away to rainbow bridge and they will be sadly missed. We have also seen an increase in dog cruelty. Frankie Opal, Mickey, Minnie, and Ella Lurcher are all examples of ignorant owners. Thankfully for the above dogs they were saved by our rescue and most have now been re-homed.
And finally, I would like to say a big Thank You to Billie Jo and Steve, their dedication to these beautiful hounds is indescribable.
Hope you and your doggies have a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
