Weekly Spotlight on the Noble Greyhound: Embracing grace, tranquility, and intelligence, this week's highlighted canine breed is the noble Greyhound.
Model Twiggy Becomes a Greyhound Advocate
Model and actress Dame Lesley Lawson, better known as Twiggy, unexpectedly became a greyhound advocate over a decade ago. It all started when she took in greyhounds Gracie and Joe after seeing a notice at her local vet.
Twiggy, who did not know much about greyhounds before becoming an advocate, was immediately struck by their gentle and affectionate nature. She describes them as "gentle giants," making them great companions for families and therapeutic environments.
Similarly, Russell Watson, the operatic tenor, lost his first greyhound named Blaze and later adopted another greyhound named Axel. Today, Axel lives with Watson and his family on their farm in Cheshire, along with other animals.
Greyhounds are popular as pets and therapy animals due to their calm, gentle temperament and affectionate nature, combined with their modest exercise needs. They are emotionally sensitive, often bonding deeply with their owners, making them excellent emotional support or therapy dogs.
The Greyhound Trust, an organisation dedicated to the welfare of greyhounds, emphasizes the adaptability of greyhounds, making them suitable for a variety of homes. Steve Bennett of the Greyhound Trust points out that although greyhounds are capable of great bursts of speed, they generally require only moderate exercise and are content to rest most of the day. However, they do need to be walked on a lead if they don't have good recall.
Greyhounds are believed to descend from the desert dogs of pharaohs and Arabian sheiks. Today's greyhounds still retain a striking resemblance to ancient dogs with elongated heads, deep chests, muscular and powerful quarters, and long, straight legs.
Feather, another greyhound owned by Cooper, was a former racing dog who was rescued. Feather moved in with Cooper after she snuggled against him on a sunlit lawn. Both Bluebell and Feather have graves in Cooper's garden with inscriptions remembering them.
Hannah Freer owns three ex-racing greyhounds and participates in Canicross with one of them. Canicross is a dog sport combining canine running with cross-country running. Greyhounds' placid temperament makes them ideal for therapy work as well as sports activities.
Dame Jilly Cooper, the renowned author, also owns a greyhound named Bluebell. Bluebell was playful and assertive, often separating romantic encounters between people on Cooper's sofa.
Twiggy, now an ambassador for the Greyhound Trust, encourages everyone to consider adopting a greyhound. With their gentle, loving, and adaptable nature, greyhounds make wonderful companions and therapy animals.
Adopting greyhounds like Gracie and Joe, as Twiggy did, can make a significant improvement to one's home-and-garden lifestyle, due to their placid temperament and minimal exercise needs, making them suitable for various settings. Greyhounds, being affectionate and emotionally sensitive, can also serve as excellent pets and therapy animals due to their ability to bond deeply with their owners, thus improving one's lifestyle, particularly in therapeutic environments.
