Sponsor a dog
We have a number of special dogs, some of which require on-going medical treatment, and all of whom need extra care and attention. It costs just £15 a year to sponsor one of them and in return you will receive a certificate and photo of your chosen dog, as well an annual update on his or her progress.
The great news is that you can now sponsor any or all of these dogs using your credit or debit card via our online shop!
We have recently taken the decision to withdraw Freya from the Sponsorship Scheme. She has now got to the point in her rehabilitation where her recovery is not progressing any further and her keeper feels that she can no longer take any benefit from being on the Scheme. Freya is generally in good health and her future is still very much guaranteed by GRWE. We will continue to provide her with all the support she needs to ensure she has a happy, stable future.
Featured dog - Freddie
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Freddie came into GRWE’s care at the end of summer 2008 after suffering a stroke and his trainer decided the best thing for him would be to hand him over to GRWE. Freddie went straight into foster care where he received lots of love and therapy to improve his mobility.
In early 2009 Freddie was ready to be rehomed and he went to a lovely family where he settled in well. His owner and her two young sons loved Freddie very much and everyone was happy.
Unfortunately, Freddie had an accident in May which left him with a badly broken leg. Poor Freddie underwent several operations to try to save his leg but whilst recovering he suffered another massive blow – in October Freddie’s beloved owner died suddenly.
Being a GRWE dog means that Freddie has our support for life and,
as Freddie’s owner had no other family members able to look after him, Freddie came back into our care. Sadly, Freddie’s leg continued to cause him problems and on veterinary advice his leg was amputated so he would no longer be in pain.
Freddie is an adorable, cheeky greyhound who, at only two years old, has been through so much in his short life. However, with the help of the sponsor dog scheme, Freddie will receive all the medical help and attention he needs and his future is now safe.
Poppy
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Poppy is a beautiful greyhound x who came to us from Southern Ireland in September 2007 after first being handed in to a cat sanctuary along with a couple of other dogs. Thankfully, the owner of the sanctuary contacted GRWE to ask for our help and we were delighted to be able to so. We cannot be certain of Poppy’s age or history, but we think that she is about 4 years old and has possibly lived with travellers, as whenever she sees a horse she wants to walk alongside it and she loves caravans and children.
When Poppy came over from Ireland she was very frightened of people and was quite difficult to handle. In kennels she was extremely withdrawn and nervous, but with kindness and patience she started to learn to trust people.
Poppy found her forever home in late October 2007 and is now a happy and rather scatty girl who loves to play with the other dogs in the household. Poppy has found so much confidence in her new life that she has even started to help out at some of GRWE’s awareness days.
Sadly, Poppy developed a painful limp earlier in the year. Following x-rays and consultations, a deformity in one of her front legs was diagnosed. One bone was shorter than the other, making her walk on the inside of her wrist which became increasingly painful. Poppy has now undergone costly surgery by a specialist orthopaedic consultant, who pinned her wrist completely to allow bone grafts to heal properly. The pins will remain in her leg, at least for the foreseeable future. Despite the very recent operation, Poppy can already walk without constant pain and is very much enjoying the extra care and attention she needs at this time.
With the help of GRWE’s sponsorship scheme Poppy has the security of knowing she will have the very best of veterinary care, love and attention for the rest of her life.
Barney
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Barney is a very handsome brindle boy who came to GRWE in 2001. We think he was born in 1999. Barney was found wandering the streets of Manchester where he was well known to the local dog warden as he was picked up on a regular basis. On the last occasion, however, they had found Barney a quivering wreck, with MUFC (Manchester United Football Club) bleached into his fur. By the time GRWE became involved, he had been in a Manchester dog pound for quite some time, largely due to the fact that the country was in the middle of a foot & mouth crisis and no movements between kennels were allowed. Poor Barney had reached the bottom line. He was suffering from extreme kennel stress and was beginning to exhibit very serious signs of fear aggression. Life was looking very bleak for Barney and if GRWE hadn’t been able to come to his rescue then he would, without doubt, have been put to sleep.
Barney was collected by GRWE and we found him a very understanding forever home. Not only had he suffered physical abuse, but he was showing signs of psychological stress as well. We will never know what other cruelties Barney had to endure, but they had a profound and lasting effect on him.
Several years on, Barney is only just beginning to find the confidence he needs to live a fulfilled and active life. He is now a happy and confident dog in surroundings that he knows well and with the people that he has learned to trust. Barney’s fear aggression has improved and he is starting to attend the occasional GRWE event. Because of Barney’s miserable beginning he will always need the extra love and support of a very special home and the sponsor scheme.
Harvey
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Harvey is a beautiful, big brindle boy who was born in 2001. Harvey came to GRWE following a phone call to the local dog warden in Bedford. A kind lady had noticed a very thin young dog going through the bins in the neighbourhood and had tried to catch it, but the dog was so nervous he would run away as soon as anyone even tried to approach him. The dog warden eventually caught Harvey and was shocked by the terrible condition he was in. Harvey was completely emaciated and collapsed after just a few minutes of being walked towards the dog warden’s van. His fur was covered in a mixture of black tar and diesel oil. His ears were burnt, his back was covered in bald patches and he had no hair on is tail at all. Due to malnutrition Harvey had also developed Ricketts, a disease associated with a lack of vitamins and minerals. Who knows what sort of terrible cruelty and neglect this young dog had endured?
Thankfully, GRWE were able to take Harvey into their care and within a few months of being well fed and having his burns treated he was well enough to be able to go to a wonderful new home. Some of the hair on Harvey’s body has never grown back because his skin was so badly burned from the hot tar, but he recovered from having Ricketts and with the help of the sponsor scheme has, despite his past, blossomed into a very big and happy boy.
Chester
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Chester is a very handsome black & white boy, who we believe was born around 2002. Poor Chester was found by a passer-by, lying by the side of a main road in Chester, having been hit by a car. He had severe lacerations to his body, one hind leg in particular, which at the time also appeared to be broken. Chester was rushed to the vets and, thankfully, after a thorough examination it was found that his leg wasn’t broken, just very badly bruised and lacerated. It was at this point that GRWE became involved and took Chester into care. Chester was extremely unhappy in kennels and it soon became apparent that he was, in fact, completely deaf. Chester was going to need a very special home with the skills and understanding necessary to give a deaf and traumatised dog a safe and secure life.
Chester has now found his forever home, a home that helps him with all the difficulties a dog without hearing may experience in life. Chester still suffers from separation anxiety if left alone, but with the support of the sponsor scheme he is able to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
Heather
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Heather is a beautiful white & black greyhound, who came to GRWE in 2004. We cannot be certain of her age, but we think that she was born in 2003. Poor Heather had been found in a field by a man walking his dog. She had collapsed and was bleeding profusely. Barbarically, her ears had been cut off and she had been left for dead. Miraculously, she survived this terrible ordeal despite everything. Heather was just another unwanted greyhound, her only crime was not to have been fast enough, and so her owner cut off her ears and left her to die, in pain and alone.
Many greyhounds have identity tattoos in their ears, so whoever discarded this beautiful girl definitely didn’t want to be traced! Heather took many months to recover and was slowly nursed back to health. She has now found the most wonderful forever home where she gets the care and love she needs. Heather has made incredible progress and has become a happy and confident girl with the sunniest of natures. Through the help of the sponsor scheme Heather will be guaranteed a life with the love and support that she deserves. She will never be lost and alone again.
Heather has become a registered Pets as Therapy (P.A.T) dog and visits many schools, youth groups and GRWE events to raise awareness of the terrible plight of those racing dogs not blessed with the necessary speed and who are discarded just because they can’t run fast enough.
Sid
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Sid was born in January 2004. Although he was bred for racing, he was just 5 months old his trainer took him to a vet to be put to sleep as he had a fractured hip and was no longer any good to the racing industry. Thankfully, GRWE were contacted by the vet and Sid was taken into our care. We arranged for him to be taken to a veterinary hospital where he underwent a hip replacement. Unfortunately, this surgery failed and so he had a second operation a month later. He was still only 6 months old. Sid is now in his forever home where he lives happily with other greyhounds. Despite his past he is a really sweet and happy-go-lucky boy. Sid makes everyone his friend and he greets all dogs and people with a big grin and a madly wagging tail. GRWE are committed to look after Sid and his injured hip for the rest of his life. He will never be abandoned for having an injury that costs money to fix. Due to Sid’s injury it is likely that he will suffer from arthritis later in life but, thanks to the sponsorship scheme, he is now guaranteed a safe and secure future for the rest of his life.
Soldier
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Born in 1999, Soldier was found tied up with a Jack Russell on a site that had been vacated by Travellers. He had been badly beaten and has many scars on his face and body. Soldier is a happy and trusting dog who enjoys his new home but as a result of his past, he needs help. Soldier has had a collapsed trachea (windpipe), which can affect his breathing, he has severely deformed feet, and bad arthritis; he needs some very special love and support.
Lizzie
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Lizzie - is a very beautiful small white greyhound with the occasional grey patch. As far as we know she was born around 2002. Lizzie was found in Doncaster in the grounds of a nursing home. She had been spotted by staff on several occasions, but was so terrified of people that she was impossible to catch. Poor Lizzie looked so thin that the staff in the nursing home decided to leave food out for Lizzie to eat each day. Cleverly, each day the staff moved the place where the food was left closer and closer to the building until one day, three weeks later, Lizzie actually ventured into one of the rooms, where the door was quickly shut behind her. The RSPCA were called to collect Lizzie but still she would not allow anyone to touch her, so a special piece of equipment called a catchpole was used to restrain her whilst she was put into a cage. At this point Lizzie was handed over to GRWE. Lizzie was in a poor condition and needed to be examined by a vet, but she was so terrified of humans that she ended up biting both the vet and the vet nurse who was trying to hold her. The recommendation was that Lizzie be put to sleep.
Luckily for Lizzie, GRWE do not give up that easily and managed to find Lizzie a home with a very experienced lady who had helped many greyhounds in the past. We will never know for sure what happened to Lizzie before she was found but we believe that due to her condition and total fear of any humans that she had been tied up and beaten. With patience and understanding, each day Lizzie’s confidence grows, although there is still a long way to go before she can truly relax and enjoy all of the pleasures in life that many dogs have. Lizzie will be supported by the sponsor scheme for the rest of her life