There are so many physiological differences between Greyhounds and other breeds of dog, they might as well be regarded as a different species.  Their hearts are bigger, their red blood corpuscles more numerous, all commensurate with the highly-tuned sprint athletes they are.

They also have very thin, light fur compared to other dogs, even the short-coated canines.  It seems so wrong to see poor shivering greyhounds being dragged around on the lead by their owners in the depths of winter.  They have virtually no fat to insulate them, no undercoat in their fur, give them a break - buy them a nice fleecy coat this winter!

Mind you, not all greyhound shivering is due to the cold.  There are quite a few "spooks" in the breed, dogs who for one reason or another are very nervous or anxious about different situations, like meeting people, other dogs, traffic noise, or fireworks and thunderstorms.  This doesn't apply to all greyhounds - some are cool as cucumbers, but it is so common it could be called a "type".  Sometimes they seem to be shivering out of excitement as it rarely happens when they are on home, familiar turf.  It's possible the thyroid - which in greyhounds is again, different, might be to blame.

This is Laddie earning his keep by collecting donations for his fellow Greyhounds.

This is Laddie stopping briefly to be pet but then wandering around aimlessly not sure what to do.

Terrific weather, beautiful dogs, passionate people, fun games, and great food!! Foglesville, PA, May 15, 2010.

A video slideshow of our rescued greyhound Sammy, his new pack mates, and his new home.

Caesar is an ex-racing greyhound & is deperately looking for a home. He is a gently laid back boy with a lovely nature. He's 5 years old & is currently in kennels located in Cheshire, England. Even if you are unable to adopt Caesar, you can still help him by rating this video or better still - posting or linking it to your twitter / facebook accounts, website etc. because the more people who get to see his video will dramaticlly improve his chances of finding a home. If you are able to adopt him, a contact number is shown in the film. Thank you for your help.

An infomative slideshow dedicated to the beautiful greyhound.

Crufts 2009

Crufts 2009

Dumping a dog is an appalling act that cannot be condoned, but the fact is, it happens, so the best thing is to deal with the consequences rather than wasting our energies wringing our hands trying to stop the unstoppable.

Now more than ever, your local Greyhound, or any other, rescue centre needs support. Whether in the form of money or time, any help would be gratefully received. My local centre Kerry Greyhound Connection relies on donations and we do what we can to help them raise funds, but more is always needed.  Hint, there's a handy PayPal button on their site.

As more dogs are abandoned, so more foster homes are needed. Why not contact your local rescue centre today? You're assured of a warm welcome!