Hundreds of greyhound adoption groups have sprung up across the world to find homes for dogs that have been saved from the racing industry. As part of our continuing series, we would like to spotlight the wonderful work of Great Hounds in Need Ireland.
Dear Friend,
Formed in 2012 and based in County Tipperary, Great Hounds in Need has saved nearly 1,000 dogs to date. This all-volunteer organization cares for at least thirty dogs at any given time.
Greyhounds come from tracks, some from breeding farms, all neglected or abandoned — and still others are rescued moments from being put down at vet offices because of their age or injuries.
At this time, GHIN needs to raise funding to purchase a permanent home. After relying on foster carers, and then renting a property for years, more stability is needed. GHIN’s lease is set to expire in June and the team dreams of buying their current space to provide a secure future for greyhounds and lurchers in need. Follow their progress on social media.
Recently, cofounder Paul O’Riordan wrote to us about his work:
We are a volunteer association of hound lovers and our beloved dogs are an important part of our lives.
We see a lot of suffering. Recently, we were able to help a dog named Abbeyville Suir, who had been raced on a broken leg. His condition “wasn’t noticed” by his trainer (eye roll) – which destroyed his leg pretty much. That was when he was surrendered to GHIN for care. We brought him to a specialist clinic where he was operated on and they even took some bone from his shoulder to graft into his hock area to help the healing. This all cost a small fortune but it was ever so worth it because he is a lovely character. He has been adopted by a veterinarian and is living the best life ever.
If we had our own facilities, we could help even more dogs like Abbeville Suir. The current property we use consists of an old farmhouse with an annex, sitting on 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of land. We could do so much more if we owned it! Our ten-year lease concludes at the end of May, so in June we must either purchase or try to find somewhere else to rent, which is nearly impossible these days.
We dream of improving and expanding our facilities and hope you can help. No matter what, we want to continue our work placing dogs in Ireland and with our partners in Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Sweden and in my place of birth, the Czech Republic.
Paul
Please join us in helping empower the work of Great Hounds in Need Ireland by donating on their website or via their dedicated GoFundMe page. And if you would like a tax deduction for your donation, feel free to process your gift through our sister organization, the GREY2K USA Education Fund. (100% of all gifts received over the next week will be directed to GHIN).
Together, we can give all greyhounds the second chance they deserve!
For the hounds,
Jay Kirkus
Secretary
GREY2K USA Worldwide
