A5 6pp leaflet.indd - The Greyhound Sanctuary

Friends of
The Greyhound
Sanctuary
Newsletter Autumn 2015
ONLY
£10
PER YEAR
Thank you so much for your support this
year. Please renew your membership
to Friends of The Greyhound
Sanctuary for 2016 to help us continue
to rehabilitate and re-home abused and
abandoned greyhounds and lurchers.
A look back over the last year...
So far, 2015 has been quite a good year for the charity as we didn’t getting stuck
in the mud at any of our events, get completely rained off or any similar disaster!
There were a couple of shows we didn’t go to because the weather was so bad, and
from what we heard, we made the right decision, so that was good.
In December 2014, a Christmas collection held outside Tesco in Kingsbridge raised a
magnificent total of £500! Goodness knows how this happened - there must be some
very generous people down there and we were very grateful. It is being held again this
year on Monday 21st December and the aim is to raise even more, and if you can help
out or are in the area, please go and put some money in their tins.
The Devon County Show in May 2015 was as enjoyable as ever and although it is a long
five days – one to set up, three show days and one to take down – it is certainly worth
doing. We made a lot more than last year, especially on the Saturday, although the stand
costs us quite a lot. The charity needs exposure and it is a good way to become known in
Devon and to promote our forthcoming events. We handed out hundreds of flyers about
The Great Canine Caper and we think this publicity helped to swell the numbers this year.
We held a collection earlier in the year outside LUSH in Exeter. They ran a ‘Charity Pot
Weekend’ and this meant that we also got the proceeds from all the charity pots of
their products sold over the weekend. We hope to arrange another collection before
Christmas to catch the crowds doing their Christmas shopping!
It’s a Pawfect Day in the Park in Crediton took place for the first time in July 2015 for the
first time, and was a success. There were lots of lovely dogs there to take part in the
Scrufts Dog Show, which was lovely to watch. It really was a ‘pawfect day in the park’ and
very well organised by Groomed to Pawfection in Crediton. Let’s hope they will do it again
next year – watch this space!
The Annual World Indoor Rally Championship took place in Dartmouth on Saturday
1st August and it was a great success yet again - many, many thanks to Jac and John for
organising it! They raised an amazing total of £862 for The Greyhound Sanctuary and
this amount was matched by Barclays Bank – huge thanks to Andrew Hood for arranging
this. So as well as a wonderful fun day for all the family, it was a great fundraiser for our
greyhounds and lurchers.
We attended two other shows in August – the North Devon Show and the Okehampton
Show so it was a busy month for us. In spite of a drizzly day at Okehampton, we actually
did very well so it just goes to show that you never can tell what the day will bring! We
had some re-homing enquiries and these led to a couple of our dogs finding their forever
homes, which makes it all worth while.
And last but not least, our main fundraising event - The Great Canine
Caper - was held on Sunday 6th September 2015 at Escot Country
Park near Ottery St. Mary. This event replaced the 1000 Sighthound
event in 2014 but it was run along on the same lines with the
only difference being to open it up to all breeds of dogs, not just
sighthounds. It seemed to pay off as, there were still hundreds of
wonderful sighthounds as well as so many other breeds of dogs
too - all shapes and sizes and it was lovely to see them all!
The fancy dress class was particularly memorable with some stunning
costumes! A pair of tiny Chihuahuas stole first place dressed as the Bride and Groom
with their owner as the Vicar! We kept the sponsored walk as people seem to enjoy their
walk around the grounds, but the main income came from the Fun Dog Show. Some of
the classes were enormous, which made judging really difficult. It was a beautiful day
with warm, almost hot sunshine all day so we tried not to keep the dogs standing around
in the ring too long.
Best in Show was won by a lovely, very special white and
black greyhound called Maisie. We have to tell you that
very sadly, since winning, Maisie has passed over the
Rainbow Bridge after a valiant battle with cancer. We are
so pleased that she stole the show and it was very much
Maisie’s day. She will be remembered very fondly.
Dogs Matter put on a really great dog agility display and
they will be coming back next year to show us some
more. It was unfortunate that the heavy horses could
not come due to a last minute issue with staffing.
However, Diana McFeat will be coming with her lovely
shire horses next year. They came along back in 2014
and were very popular especially when everyone
joined in with the line dancing!
The feedback from this event was very good and we raised a fabulous £2,500
for The Greyhound Sanctuary and so we will be doing it again in 2016 – bigger
and better with an ambitious target of raising £5,000. Please come along and
support us to help us to reach it! We will be taking stall bookings from traders
from January.
The next The Great Canine Caper is Sunday 11th Sept 2016
Don’t forget to put it in you diary - and we’ll see you there!
Re-homing in 2015
After a slow start to the year, our re-homing picked up nicely and many of our
greyhounds and lurchers including Apollo and Cody who had been in the kennels for a
while, found their forever homes.
However, we still struggle to find enough homes as there are just so many dogs waiting
for someone to give them a home. Sadly, we have also had some dogs returned this year,
it does not happen often but it’s not good when it does. Often this is through no fault
of the dog, but it sometimes makes them more difficult to re-home. Happily Max got a
second chance and went back in to a new home quite quickly.
Tiggs, Pepper and Sparky are still waiting for that special person to give them a forever
sofa to relax on and two new greyhounds have arrived recently from Ireland - Buzz and
Nina. Both Buzz and Nina are lovely friendly dogs, they have been neutered and spayed
and will be ready for re-homing very soon.
As always, a big thank you to Janet and the girls at the Kinnings Farm Boarding & Rescue
Kennels near Umberleigh in North Devon for all their care and love of the dogs while they
are with them. They do a lot of rehabilitation work with our dogs so that they can adjust
to being in a home and we are very grateful for all the time they give to the hounds.
If you know anyone who could give a forever home to one or more of our wonderfully
gentle greyhounds and lurchers, please tell them about The Greyhound Sanctuary and
ask them to contact us to arrange to come and meet them in the kennels.
Full details of all our dogs available for re-homing are listed on our website at
www.thegreyhoundsanctuary.org/rehome-a-greyhound
Apollo and Cody who found their
forever homes this year
You can now donate to
The Greyhound Sanctuary online
We want to make it as easy as possible for our lovely supporters to donate to The
Greyhound Sanctuary and so we have set up a Virgin Money Giving page so that you
can do any of the following:
• Make a donation at anytime (or set up a regular donation) for any amount
• Sponsor any of our fundraising campaigns such as Sally’s Abseil Challenge (see below)
• Set up your own fundraising event on there and raise money for us yourself
This is an easy, safe and secure way for us to collect donations and sponsorship
payments so please do take a look on the ‘Donate’ page on our website at the following
link where you can click through to our dedicated Virgin Money Giving page to make a
donation or just find out more...
www.thegreyhoundsanctuary.org/donate
Sally’s Sponsored Abseil Challenge
On Wednesday 6th April 2016, our wonderful trustee Sally has bravely agreed to do a
sponsored 30-metre (approx 100ft) abseil off a viaduct on Dartmoor to raise money
for The Greyhound Sanctuary.
Sally’s mum, who was 90 at the time, had wanted to do the abseil herself
to raise money for the charity in which her daughter has dedicated so
much of her time, but luckily Sally managed to convince her that perhaps
it might be better if she did it on her behalf! Sadly, Sally’s mum passed
away in the summer of 2015 and so this abseil has become even more
important to Sally and she is determined to complete the challenge,
despite being terrified of heights.
Please help Sally raise as much money as she possibly can by
sponsoring her on our dedicated Virgin Money Giving page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/sallyabseilchallenge
Max was sadly returned
through no fault of his own, but
we managed to find him a new
home quite quickly!
Tiggs, Pepper & Sparky are still waiting
to meet that special person or family
to give them a home as are our latest
arrivals - Buzz and Nina. Can you help
or do you know someone who can?
If you don’t have access to the internet to make an online payment,
please send a cheque made payable to ‘The Greyhound Sanctuary’ to
Sally Salter, 99 Broadway, Exeter EX2 9NU and please include a note
saying it is for Sally’s Abseil Challenge along with your name, address and
contact number. Thank you!
Fundraising Events 2016
Thursday 11th August
Okehampton Show at Stoney Park Showground, Okehampton
Sunday 6th March Celebration of Dogs at Blackpool Sands, Stoke Fleming, Dartmouth
This show always delivers a great day out for all the family with lots of dog-based
activities including gun dog display, sheep dog display, fun dog show and much, much
more. We’ll be taking a stand there so please come along to visit us and buy some of our
fabulous greyhound and lurcher merchandise!
On Sunday 6th March 2016 we will be having a stand at the Celebration of Dogs event at
Blackpool Sands near Dartmouth, Devon.
For more information, please visit the dedicated Okehampton Show website at
The event starts at 10am and finishes at 4pm and there will be lots going on including an
agility dog display and fun dog show. Please come along to the event and visit our stand
to help us raise money for our rescued greyhounds and lurchers.
This will be a fun day out with plenty of wonderful stands to browse at Blackpool
Sands. Entertainment includes: Donkey Rides, Dog Show (various classes), Agility
Demonstrations, Dog Behaviour Workshops, Dog and Handler Fancy Dress, Local Trade
Stalls, Falconry Display and prizes awarded throughout the day. Entry Fee £1.00.
Thurs 19th-Sat 21st May Devon County Show at Westpoint, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter
Visit the Devon County Show from Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st May 2016 and come
and see us on our stand. It’s a great day out for all the family and we’ll be there with lots
of unique gifts you can buy to help us raise funds for The Greyhound Sanctuary.
For more information, please visit the dedicated Devon County Show website at
www.devoncountyshow.co.uk
www.okehamptonshow.co.uk
Sunday 11th September The Great Canine Caper at Escot Country Park, Ottery St. Mary
This is our main annual fundraising event, organised by us with all profits made on the
day going towards helping us to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home as many greyhounds
and lurchers as possible. This event helps to see us through the winter months when
there are less events and ultimately less money coming in to the charity and it is so
important to our survival. Please do come along and help us to reach our ambitious
target of £5,000 profit – we can only do it with your support!
It’s a great day out for all the family – bring your dogs to enter the fun dog show classes,
enjoy the dog agility and heavy horses displays and browse the many trade stalls. Plus
enjoy some delicious hot and cold food and refreshments. 2015 was a lovely sunny day
so keep your fingers crossed for the same again in 2016!
For more information, please visit The Great Canine Caper page on our website at
www.thegreyhoundsanctuary.org/the-great-canine-caper
Sunday 31st July Totnes Show at Berry Farm, Berry Pomperoy, Totnes
The Totnes Show attracts thousands of visitors of all ages as there is something for
everyone! Amongst a whole host of other things, there will be a Home & Handicrafts
marquee, Craft Tent, Food Hall and a large Trade Stands section offering a wide choice
of goods and services. We’ll be there with The Greyhound Sanctuary stall so please come
and join us on Sunday 31st July for a great day out!
For more information, please visit the dedicated Totnes Show website at
www.totnesshow.com
October (exact date TBC)
Cheese & Wine Event with Silent Auction
at Matthews Hall, Topsham
November (exact date TBC)
Christmas without Cruelty Fair at the
Corn Exchange, Fore Street, Exeter
We are currently finalising the details of
this event and so we’re asking for donated
items for the silent auction. These could
include any unwanted gifts, large or small
donated items and/or promises for your
time such gardening, dog walking, DIY etc.
Just a couple of hours of your time for a
promise would be great.
This is a wonderful event with lots of lovely
stalls that are all dedicated to making sure
your Christmas gifts haven’t harmed any
animals in their making. Please keep an
eye out for more details on our Facebook
page and the The Greyhound Sanctuary
website and come along to get your
Christmas 2016 gifts!
Friends of The Greyhound Sanctuary
membership is just £10 per year.
You will receive a regular newsletter about our work, upcoming fundraising
events and details of our rescued greyhounds and lurchers looking for their
forever homes.
I would like to become a member for £10
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membership for £10
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Please make cheques payable to The Greyhound Sanctuary.
If you would like to pay via BACS transfer, please contact us for our bank details.
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Office Address 99 Broadway Exeter Devon EX2 9NU
Tel 01392 686 001 Email info@thegreyhoundsanctuary.org
Web www.thegreyhoundsanctuary.org
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