Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare/Meet and Greet FAQ

Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare carries out many "Meet and Greet" and similar events.

What, Where, Why?
These are when WGW volunteers bring their own hounds and hounds from the kennels to a public place where they have permission to collect funds, for the purpose of raising the public's awareness of the charity and collecting donations.

I have so far only helped at one meet and greet, which was in Staines. Hopefully more to come!

Why are they all lying down?
(A child actually asked me this in Staines)

They're mostly lazy dogs and do this most of the time! Greyhounds in general have a calm temperament and are happy to spend many hours lazing about punctuatued by the occasional couple of minutes of frantic silliness.

Are all of the hounds former Wimbledon racers?
Currently (May 2014) around 90% of dogs at WGW were former Wimbledon racers, as WGW are the affiliated re-homing kennel for this track. Most of the bitches however come from elsewhere, such as Tia Greyhound Rescue in Yorkshire and DAWG in Ireland.

Additionally a few places are sometimes found for hounds who have never raced, are referred by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, or otherwise suddenly find themselves homeless.

A specific dog's racing history and pedigree can often be looked up on The Greyhound Breeding and Racing Database from the ear tattoos.

Can I rehome a greyhound if I'm out at work all day?
Provided they are fed and walked, most settled hounds can cope with being alone for 4 hours or so at a time. They are pack animals, have always had other dogs around them, and don't cope well with loneliness. WGW will not rehome to a household that is empty for 8 hours a day.

Do they need a lot of exercise?
A common misconception! Apart from the occasional few minutes of frantic activity, greyhounds are characteristically lazy. Two 20-30 minute walks per day are ample.

How many hounds are at WGW?
Usually around 80 though (in the year to May 2014) the number has sometimes approached 90.