We are proud supporters of Rescue Groups across Australia, offering product and sponsorship to dogs who require special nurturing and care after being rescued from abandonment or homes of abuse.
Busselton Greyhound Awareness is rescue group set up by Jacky Kemp and Lesley Rouvray with their aim being to alert the wider community to the plight of Greyhounds, the need for adoption and fostering, to promote the pleasures of owning and fostering a Grey and to dispel the myths surrounding these gentle dogs.
Below Jacky shares with us a bit about the beginnings of their rescue group, how she came to adopt her beautiful Greyhound Lucy, how Rose-Hip Vital Canine helps her injuries and some ways you can get involved to help Busselton Greyhound Awareness.
“My Greyhound journey started in April 2013 when I was feeling lost without a dog but had vowed I didn’t want to own another due to the heartache of loosing them. Feeling empty and sorry for myself I started looking for something worthwhile to do with animals without actually owning them, that’s when Greyhound fostering raced into my life and turned my whole world upside down in the nicest possible way.
I realised early on in my fostering days that there were a lot of myths surrounding Greyhound’s ie. They need a lot of exercise – totally untrue they are couch potatoes. They are aggressive, again totally untrue, that comes about because of a 1927 law that they have to wear muzzles when out in public.
So, I felt that I needed to do more and educate the wider public, luckily at that time I met my now BGA partner Lesley Rouvray. We are both on the same wavelength regarding our love for Greyhounds and spreading awareness, so Busselton Greyhound Awareness was formed in July 2013. We now focus on fostering and rehoming, spreading awareness and helping people find their perfect companion. Because that’s what Greyhounds are “The perfect companion”.
Greyhounds like to sleep a lot, only requiring a 20 minute walk twice a day, they are nothing like you see at the racetrack and they adapt very quickly to a home environment. They are extremely calm, intelligent, quiet dogs with a gentle and sensitive temperament and make great inside dogs as they do not smell, are hypoallergenic, molt very little, and are not big on barking, so the one downside is they are not any good as a guard dog.
So for me what I originally started out to do in 2013 i.e. not own a dog, I have not achieved, as Lucy came into our life as a foster in July 2014. When she came to us she was only using 3 legs as she had a broken hock that had ended her racing career the year before. Her hock had not had veterinary care so it had been allowed to heal badly, this in turn had given her hip and back problems. We took her straight to the vet who told us to euthanize her, as she wouldn’t be easy to re-home. Lucy was only 4 and enjoyed life so that was certainly not an option, so she was put on medication, but the downside to that was that the medication would have long term downside affects on her and by 8 years of age the medication wouldn’t be working so she would then be at the end of her life. So in January 2015 we adopted her.
Lucy is now 7 and not on any medication she walks, runs and twists and turns without ever ending up lame thanks to Rose Hip Vital Canine, she has now been on this for 2 years and it has proved to be her lifesaver. We advise anybody who adopts one of our ex racing Greyhound’s to put them on Rose-Hip Vital Canine as a preventative. Lucy is still a regular at the vets and from time to time has acupuncture and physio just to make sure she is still on track.
With the racing industry in turmoil at the moment Greyhounds need help from each and every one of us even more than ever, so if you are able to foster or adopt or know someone looking for a dog, please ask them to think about a Greyhound they make the perfect companions. There are many Greyhound Rescues all over Australia.
We are in Western Australia and have a Busselton Greyhound Awareness Facebook page, which explains what we are about. If we can help anyone in any way please do not hesitate to contact us via our FB page.”
