Rescue greyhounds let off the leash

The group was set up by Matt Le Page and Jo Ferguson after they took on a retired greyhound through Jersey Greyhound Rescue, whose local representative carried out a home check prior to the dog being brought over.

Miss Ferguson volunteers for Guernsey Animal Aid at its Forest headquarters and she obtained permission from the charity’s founder, Sue Vidamour, to let the greyhound use a large fenced-in area on the site for a run.

Over time, they came into contact with more greyhounds being adopted by locals, and the group grew as a result.

Mick Hamel is the representative of Jersey Greyhound Rescue, which was founded in 1997 and has since gone on to re-home some 200 animals in the Channel Islands.

The dogs are all ex-racers which are no longer wanted by their owners for racing and while some of those are found other homes, many are not.

‘Thousands are destroyed,’ said Mr Hamel. ‘Pups are destroyed because they won’t run.’

He said his reason for helping find new homes for the dogs was simple: ‘They’re beautiful animals and they deserve a life that’s not just running.’

Mr Hamel owns three of the dogs himself, and said there was one major difference between caring for these animals as opposed to other dogs. You have to remember that they’re sight-hounds. They’ll chase anything,’ he said.

The local greyhound group meets every couple of weeks in the summer at the Animal Aid site, where the dogs are let off the lead and have the freedom to run.

Winter gatherings are less frequent, and sadly the ground was wet and the weather damp yesterday, meaning that most of the time the animals were content to simply play with their friends and enjoy the company.

Being that it was a Christmas gathering, there were suitably festive treats for the dogs in the form of lamb and cranberry snacks, while their owners were able to enjoy a mince pie.