I was browsing images on my phone and came across this one of Petal, our recently deceased rescue greyhound. We had her for over 9 years from when she was aged 4. She was a rescue greyhound, which for those who don't know what this is, I will briefly explain. In the UK and Ireland it was once very popular to go to the dog races and bet on greyhounds racing around a track after a 'rabbit' (not an actual one, just one to get the dogs hunting instincts going).
However, over the last few decades, the popularity of greyhound racing has declined to the point that there an awful lot of retired greyhounds. Most were finished as racing dogs after 4 years or so and many were then euthanised. It is difficult to know for sure what happens to every greyhound that is retired or not fit for racing any more. Thousands are rehomed by charities (which is where we got Petal) but the League Against Cruel Sports estimates that around a thousand 'disappear' every year. Some are sold to research labs but it's thought many are simply euthanised despite being perfectly healthy.
Greyhounds make great pets, have wonderful personalities and are very affectionate! We have lots of happy memories of our beloved greyhound Petal and miss her greatly. Sadly, she developed a chronic condition that required every increasing doses of pain-killers. In the end it wasn't fair on her to put her through any more pain and discomfort. She was euthanised at home with her family beside her and although it was terribly sad to say goodbye, we know we did the best for her.
As I said, we have lots of happy memories of her time with us and the photo above is of her on the beach at Mersea Island. She loved the beach and exploring nooks and crannies, as well as running into the surf! It was a pretty cold day so she had her fleece on to help keep her warm.
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