Isle of Wight Greyhound Owners Group

09/07/2025

🔥JULY WALK CANCELLED DUE TO HOT WEATHER🔥
Although our regular walk location is one of the coolest and most shady parts of the island, we have decided it's not worth the risk in the current spell of hot weather. We will be having a summer break from walks and may schedule one for mid to late August if the temperatures cool down enough.

30/05/2025

Save the date!!

27/04/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18gjb1RPmK/

INTERESTING GREYHOUND FACTS

1. Greyhounds are the only breed of dog specifically mentioned in the Bible.

2. Greyhounds are the second fastest animals on earth. Only the cheetah is faster, but in a straight race a Greyhound would actually beat a Cheetah as Greyhounds can sustain their high speeds for longer.

3. When running, greyhounds spend 75% of their time in the air.

4. Some greyhounds sleep with their eyes open.

5. Greyhounds come in 18 primary colors and over 55 different color combinations.

6. Greyhounds wear muzzles while racing to protect themselves from injury during the excitement of the race and to make it easier to determine the winner in a photo finish.

7. At one time only noblemen were allowed to own a greyhound.

8. Most (we would say some) greyhounds are physically unable to sit.

9. Greyhounds have a higher body temperature than any other dog.

10. Greyhounds have significantly more red blood cells and a bigger heart and lungs than any other breed. Red blood cells carry oxygen that helps them to run faster.

11. Greyhounds have a universal blood type and are used for blood donors.

12. Greyhounds have a 270-degree range of vision. They can see objects behind them and over ½ mile in front of them.

13. Greyhounds have stereoscopic vision, which means they are suited to seeing moving objects. When calling a greyhound it is sometimes helpful to move your body while calling.

14. Greyhounds are in the top five gentlest dogs.

15. Some very famous people including Cleopatra, Christopher Colombus, Teddy Roosevelt, General George Custer, Bo Derek, Jackie Gleason, Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Betty White, Leonard Nimoy, Frank Sinatra, Queen Victoria and King Henry VIII have owned greyhounds.

16. Grey is now the least common color because at one time it was thought that gray dogs ran slower and the color was bred out.

17. A greyhound uses its tail like a rudder while racing.

18. Greyhounds are mentioned in 11 of Shakespeare’s plays.

19. A content greyhound will often “cockroach” or "roach" (lay on its back with legs up).

20. The day before Custer’s last stand, he sent his 40 greyhounds away with a soldier thus saving their lives.

21. For every greyhound registered with the AKC there are 150 registered with National Greyhound Association.

22. During a 30-sec race 100,000 watts of waste heat energy is produced, enough to bring 600 ml of tap water to boil in 2 minutes.

23. Greyhounds can lose up to 5 pounds in a single race.

24. Out of all the purebred dog breeds up to date, many animal experts have come to believe that the Greyhound is perhaps the healthiest breed of dog when it comes to staying clear of developing any hereditary health issues. It’s truly amazing how a dog breed as ancient as the Greyhound can have a practically perfect health record.

09/04/2025

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🐍Adders🐍
☀️With the glorious weather recently, the Veterinary Animal Poison Line has seen an expected increase in calls regarding adder bites.
The adder (Vipera berus berus) is the only venomous snake native to the UK, and is also found across northern Europe. It is a protected species in the UK. Adders are most commonly, but not exclusively, found on dry, sandy heaths, sand dunes, rocky hillsides, moorlands and woodland edges. The clinical signs of an adder bite can include rapid and progressive swelling around the bite site, pain, lethargy, vomiting, bruising, bleeding and collapse.
What should you do if your pet has been bitten by an adder?

❌Do not panic.
❌Do not interfere with the bite.
❌Do not apply a tourniquet.
❌Do not attempt to touch or catch the snake.
❌Do not kill the snake – it is a protected species.

If practical, carry your dog to your car and contact us on 01983 214747 - do not delay seeking advice even if your pet is well as things can change quickly.
🐍Adders are not aggressive and generally only bite when provoked. They hibernate in the winter and as a result most bites occur in the summer. Pets are frequently bitten on the leg, head or neck. If your pet has been bitten by an adder (even if you did not see the snake or are not sure what happened) – contact us immediately. One of our vets will examine your pet to determine the location of the bite and extent of the swelling to ascertain what treatment is necessary.

23/03/2025

*IOW DOG OWNERS BEWARE*

16/03/2025

"Hello Everyone, Chloe here, and I've had a lush day at Osborne House with Mummy. When we got to the little cafe by the beach I showed great interest in the bags of natural dog treats and nudged the Duck ones with my nose. So Mummy bought me some and a hot chocolate drink for herself. Of course once we sat down and Mummy opened the treat bag, I decided I didn't want them. Mummy called me a 'Typical bloody greyhound' which I took as a huge compliment as it shows I'm continuing to showcase my breed as the independent, free-thinking, decision making hounds we are including giving our humans the puppy eyes, to get treats we then decide NOT to show any interest in, in order to be deliberately obtuse. Ah ... my work here is done. Bye for now. Licky kisses 😋" Chloe

08/03/2025

THIS ⬇️ Back when Arik was young I was walking along the local high street with him and was approached by a guy who asked the usual "Did he race? Was he any good etc?" I noticed he kept glancing at two other guys in a white van parked across the road. Then the guy asked "He's a handsome dog. Has he still got his b*lls?" I replied "No. All retired greyhounds are neutered or speyed before they're rehomed." The guy shrugged said "Shame" and wandered off. This freaked me out and I took Arik straight home. I'd really needed a few bits from the shop but there was no way I was going to risk tying him up outside for the sake of a bottle of milk and some eggs. You just never know who's around these days and you have a duty of care to your dog to put their safety and welfare FIRST ... ALWAYS.

The dangers of leaving your Greyhound out side a shop ,after yesterday's heart stopping incident which thankfully ended on a good note ....this time !
FIRSTLY DONT ...!!!!ITS JUST NOT WORTH THE RISK !!!
1 GREYHOUNDS/LURCHERS are at high risk from being stolen by travellers or to travellers for illegal hare coursing!
2 Bait dog's are all peoples pets left unattended or given away free to good home !
If on an emergency occasion
Never tie with leather lead unless your dog is muzzled (They will chew through in seconds &be off )
Secure to a solid lamppost /fence etc
This is a learning curb ,we all make mistakes &accidents happen &hopefully we learn by them
Even we make mistakes I once forgot to close my back gate .. 7 dog's running down lane onto a roundabout &up a duel carriageway! All but one came back ..my beautiful black boy Ollie was out for 2 nights ,though myself &Daisy were out for hours in the cold ,dark night lol even being returned home by the police for not wearing high vis ! Thankfully he was found miles away in a country park

08/03/2025

It looks like Sweep has been caught.

07/03/2025

Newport IOW friends please keep an eye out! This is one of ours!! Left tied up outside Poundland in Newport when he got spooked. Ran off dragging the shop sign behind him. Sign got caught on something and came off but Sweep is still on the run.

S.o.s one of our greyhounds on the loose blue with white feet Sweep formally known as SOX
Newport

26/02/2025

*Greyhound Breeding*
First photo is ...
Westmead Hawk (double Derby Champion & Arik's Dad)
Born: 2003
Died: 2014

Second photo is ...
Bono (recently found his forever home through my walks on the Isle of Wight)
Born: 2023
Sired by: Westmead Hawk

No your eyes are NOT deceiving you and NO this is NOT a typo. You see when successful greyhounds like "The Hawk" retire from racing they go to Stud where their ... Good Stuff is harvested and stored. Westmead Hawk will have Sired literally THOUSANDS of pups and still continues to do so even though he's been at the Rainbow Bridge since 2014.
The same however is NOT said of the Mum's. Greyhound b1tches are only allowed 1, maybe 2 litters in their lives before they are speyed. (Arik's Mum, Mohane Classic, only had 1 litter - Arik's litter). Unlike other breeds, one female dog is NOT expected to churn out litter, after litter, after litter. The strict breeding regulations and the GBGB simply don't allow it. That's why for two hounds to have the same Dad is nothing special, but for two hounds, from different litters to have the same MUM ... that's extremely rare! All this is BECAUSE of the strict controls and regulations of the racing industry. Racing DOES NOT ALLOW backyard breeding, inbreeding, or unmonitored/unregulated breeding of any kind. BECAUSE of racing the breed is kept PURE and away from grotty high rise council flats by people who thing breeding greyhounds is a piece of pi$$. (Greyhound pups stay with their Mum and Siblings up to 18 months of age and need acres of land to grow up on and run around in. Can you imagine trying to contain all that in a flat? It's not something you'd be able to keep quiet, the flat would be destroyed, and there'd be s**t everywhere. It just doesn't bear thinking about). So where am I going with this? Well ... again ... get rid of racing and you get rid of the breed. Whilst the boys can have their Good Stuff stored, the girls cannot. There will never be harvesting of eggs from Greyhound Mommas to be used for "test-tube puppies" or put into another breed as a Surrogate. It's just not physically possible. The only thing keeping greyhounds and their future alive ... is racing. But the anti lot haven't thought of this of course. They're too busy focusing on their own money making agenda's to get funding and a rise out of the public by selling lies and sob stories that are simply untrue. If you love Greyhounds, support UK racing. Otherwise you will be a part of their ultimate demise and extinction.

24/02/2025

OMG! I've been told from someone on the inside that I (Sara Mortimer) have been nominated for being an Inspiring Person for "My love of Greyhounds, organising walks in the community, doing research and educating others". Honestly, even if this doesn't go any further, I feel like I've won an Oscar just by being nominated! So thank you, whoever you are. It means more than you'll ever know.