On Sunday 19th June lots of sighthound owners let their dogs out to attend the Great Global Greyhound Walk and what an amazing worldwide turn-out there was! There were Greyhounds, Whippets, Salukis, Borzois, Lurchers, Podencos and Galgos alongside family companion dogs. There were 8 week old puppies and 15 year old seniors, together with their loving owners. There were dogs of every colour – brindles, blacks, snowflakes, fawns, blues, white with black markings and black with white markings, all walking in harmony to promote the breed as wonderful family pets.
There was a Carnival theme to the day but some owners took it one step further with whippet weddings in Brazil, red carpets in Slovenia, rainbow flags in Braintree, carnivals in Colchester and even a little local walk at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. There were walks in parks, along the river banks, through forests, at the beach and even in town centres.
There was a total of 5021 canine participants from 102 UK walks and 49 globally, so over 20,000 paws enjoyed their day in some spectacular locations and all in the name of finding loving family homes for retired racers once their track days are over.
This year was the 10th anniversary of Greyhound Walks, which started in Braintree with just 6 dogs and although not a specific fund raising event, many of the walks had collection buckets for local greyhound charities and to fund dogs needing special care.
For more information about the events and to get involved in future get togethers, visit www.greatglobalgreyhoundwalk.co.uk