Can you give a dog a home?
5:58pm Tuesday 8th July 2008
Johanna Beumer has been finding homes for former racing greyhounds for 43 years and has 48 dogs in her Waltham Abbey kennels in Essex.
However, the August closure of the popular and iconic Walthamstow Stadium in East London will force more dogs into her care and cut the amount of funding her greyhound charity receives.
When the last race is run next month, the older greyhounds will be given to Ms Beumer and her team of volunteers at Whittingham Kennels.
Ms Beumer, 64, who lives in Muswell Hill and was awarded an MBE for her work with the canines last year, is speaking out now to alert people to the number of greyhounds needing a loving home.
She said: "The closure of the track is a terrible shame and a terrific loss to dog racing.
"It's a problem for the dogs at the end of their racing days - the elderly ones who will need to be found homes for.
"At the moment we have a steady flow of dogs coming in all the time but we will have more than usual when the stadium closes."
Louise Clark, who has been volunteering at the charity for three years, agreed.
She said: "The waiting list for dogs to come into the kennels will increase with Walthamstow's closure and therefore it is hoped that more people will realise greyhounds make wonderful pets and be willing to come and offer a home to these 40mph couch potatoes.
"With more than 13,478 greyhounds leaving the racing industry nationally, centres such as Whittingham Kennels are essential for the welfare of these elegant creatures.
"Every home found guarantees another dog access to the homing kennels, meaning when you offer one dog a home, you are actually also helping another."
Ms Beumer's love of dog racing started when her parents took her to the tracks as a child.
She said: "I started dog racing with my parents when I was 11, and my 21st birthday present was a racing greyhound.
"It was only when I had been visiting kennels I realised owners didn't take their dogs home."
This inspired her to start her own kennels to ensure the dogs had a proper home.
She said: "The idea is when they've finished racing they come to us and get ready to go home.
"I went from rehoming six or seven a year to two or three a week. I've housed more than 4,500 of them over the years.
"I would definitely encourage people to adopt them. Most people who take home a retired greyhound don't go back to any other breed of dog."
Ms Beumer is keen to dispel the myth that greyhounds are an antisocial breed needing lots of exercise.
"People can't envisage them being at home like the couch potatoes they really are," she added.
"You don't have to hike for miles with them, just a couple of 20-minute walks a day will do.
"They are very adaptable, they're suited to elderly people, single or disabled people, and they're ideal in a family.
"They are the most wonderful pets. They love children, which is the most amazing thing, because they're not used to being around them.
"If somebody wants a dog we suggest they come up to the kennels and take them out for a walk."
When the Walthamstow track closes in August, Ms Beumer's charity will lose out on the funding received from the stadium.
She said: "It all comes down to money. It's a very large stadium, it is very expensive to run and it's been making a loss.
"Obviously it's going to leave a bit of a gap when it closes.
"I will be joining another track for home-finding and we will have to do fundraising on our own. Donations wouldn't go amiss."
To find out more, click on the link below or call Ms Beumer on 020 8444 9649.