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Forever Hounds Trust Introduction
- 2. Today’s session • 1. Introduction to sighthounds • 2. Forever Hounds Trust’s history • 3. Our vision • 4. Homing • 5. Fundraising • Any questions?
- 5. Greyhounds • The only breed of dog mentioned by name in the Bible • Nearly became extinct during famine in the Middle Ages but saved by clergymen who protected them and bred them for the nobility> dogs of the aristocracy! • King Canute and his Forest Laws • Racing
- 6. The Lurcher • A cross between a sighthound and any other pedigree breed.
- 7. #sofadog
- 8. Further reading www.foreverhoundstrust.org www.facebook.com/ForeverHoundsTrust @Forever Hounds Trust UK
- 10. Forever Hounds Trust’s history • Originally known as Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE) • Founded by Angela Yardley in 1991 and registered as charity in 1996 • Remain largely volunteer-led with small staff team • Governed by board of trustees • Five different regions across UK • Nearly 800 volunteers in many different roles
- 11. Our Vision • …a day when every greyhound and lurcher is free from risk or need. • …to be recognised as the leading independent charity operating in the field of rescue, rehabilitation and homing of unwanted, abused or abandoned greyhounds and lurchers.
- 12. Last year we homed 365 dogs from across the UK and Ireland and we always want to home more…
- 13. The Homing Journey 1 Homing visit So that we can best match each dog with their ideal ‘forever home’, we visit every prospective home
- 14. The Homing Journey 2 Matching On the basis of home visits and dog assessments, our homing volunteers match hound to home!
- 15. The Homing Journey 3 Homing Hurrah- another hound has found their forever home! Happy ‘gotcha day’…
- 16. The Homing Journey 4 Behavioural Support All Forever Hounds Trust homes receive a four month post- homing visit, to check all is going well for hound and home
- 17. FUNDRAISING – Large regional events – Attending events organised by others – Street collections and meet and greets Challenge events and other fundraising streams
- 18. BIG HOUND CHILL OUT • August Bank Holiday weekend • Organise a way to chill out and raise money! • Contact fundraising@foreve rhoundstrust.org for your free fundraising pack!
- 19. Working for better welfare • Improving welfare best achieved by working with the parties that have a direct effect on their daily lives • Welfare members of the UK Greyhound Forum, chaired by Clarissa Baldwin CBE • November 2015: we were the only independent rescue organisation to be asked to give oral evidence at the Houses of Parliament for the EFRA (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) sub-committee inquiry in to the welfare of racing greyhounds. • Forever Hounds Trust want to see regulation of the greyhound industry with better welfare provision for all dogs, before they get to the track, when they are racing and when they are retired
- 20. One of the dogs had some of the most horrific wounds the charity has ever seen. When Flora was found she was close to death, seriously underweight and with enormous wounds that had been left untreated for weeks. Forever Hounds Trust worked to gather as much evidence as possible and reported everything to the RSPCA enabling them to prosecute the owner. Against the odds Flora pulled through & is now in a loving forever home. Man jailed in ‘One of the worst cases of animal cruelty we have seen’ | (14 April 2016) A man was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment, convicted of 5 counts of animal cruelty involving 9 dogs. CASE STUDY
- 21. The Forever Hounds Trust Family • ‘I love being a volunteer for GRWE and my favourite part is when our events lead to a dog finding their forever home, though there are many more perks too. I’ve made lots of friends since starting this role and it gives me a real sense of achievement knowing that what I do supports this great charity and helps to rehome many more of these amazing hounds.’ Katrin- Regional Events Co-ordinator My favourite thing about volunteering is seeing a healthy dog find a loving home. We meet many hounds that, when they arrive, are not in a very nice place and it’s a massive lift when we see them fully rejuvenated and go out to a home. The funny thing is these dogs will actually remember you when you meet them again.’ Dave- Volunteer Support Assistant
Editor's Notes
- Will need new branding
- Also refer people to timeline on website (could include screen shot)
- Small central staff team to support all regions and the charity as a whole
- Chief Executive Officer works with trustees for strategic guidance
- Director of Kennelling, Homing and Welfare, Homing Support Co-ordinator WE want to rehome more!! We have one of the lowest return rates amongst animal rescue organisations within the UK Petplan & ADCH Animal Charity Awards, nominations for Greyhound Rescue West of England (GRWE), winner of Animal Charity Team of the Year 2013
- 8. Dogs – our rehoming process FOREVER HOUNDS TRUST takes in greyhounds and lurchers from members of the public, veterinary surgeries, and pounds. We also help trainers and owners re-home their racing greyhounds and some dogs come to us from general rescue centres. We also take in dogs from Southern Ireland, which is the main breeding ground for racing greyhounds and where conditions are especially tough for sighthounds. Important: Forever Hounds Trust has a neutral stance on the greyhound racing industry. We often work directly with trainers to take in ex-racing greyhounds, and are not a campaigning organisation. Please remember this when you are representing Forever Hounds Trust. Intake of dogs is co-ordinated by re-homing volunteers in the regions, with support from the Trustees responsible for Kennelling & Welfare. FOREVER HOUNDS TRUST rescue hounds of all ages, from puppies to golden oldies! Left: April, greyhound puppy born in GRWE care in 2013 Right: Jaspa and Bazil, 10 year old gentlemen taken in by GRWE in 2013 . When in our care, most dogs stay in kennels. FOREVER HOUNDS TRUST does not own any kennels – we rent spaces in commercial boarding kennels. There are an allocated number of kennel spaces per region, based on that region’s size and level of re-homing activity. These allocations are reviewed regularly by the Trustees for Kennelling & Welfare. In cases where dogs are in desperate need, and if our budget allows, Trustees may allocate additional kennel spaces. Important: kennel names and locations are not to be publically disclosed (e.g. on our website or on social media, or discussed with members of the public at events).This is for security reasons: dog theft is increasingly widespread, and we have a responsibility to protect our dogs and the kennels we use. (Only prospective homes, following a home visit, will be specifically invited to kennels by re-homing volunteers.) Kennel costs are one of the charity’s biggest areas of expenditure. In some cases dogs will stay in foster homes – for example, if they are ill, recovering from a vet treatment, elderly, young or need additional behaviour assessment or support, which cannot be provided in kennels. Forever Hounds Trust has a limited number of these spaces and they are tightly managed. Our annual financial budgets for kennelling and veterinary fees are based upon a fixed number of kennel spaces per year and the relative veterinary costs associated with treating this number of dogs. Dogs in foster cost additional vet fees, as they increase the overall number of dogs being cared for across the charity at any one time. We will never deny a dog a foster space but it is our policy to use these for the neediest dogs only. Our income is finite and keeping a careful watch on our resources ensures we can meet our annual financial commitments and continue to rescue needy hounds in the future. All dogs in Forever Hounds Trust care are neutered, fully vaccinated, wormed, flea-treated and micro-chipped, and receive dental treatment if required, as well as any other treatment and care as needed. They are also rehomed with 4 weeks free pet insurance from Pet Plan, including dogs over the age of 8 years. We work with specific vet practices in each region and negotiate charity rates wherever possible. This is a large area of expenditure for the charity. There is a fixed £20 administration fee to re-home a Forever Hounds Trust dog. In addition we ask for a donation to help us meet the charity’s costs of rescuing and preparing a dog for rehoming. On average it costs the charity around £600 before a dog is rehomed. This includes neutering, vaccinations, wormings, kennel costs, any dental or other medical treatment. Often there will have been considerable medical expenditure as the state of the incoming dogs can be very poor. We do ask for a donation in the region of £150 or more to help us meet these costs, but it is a voluntary donation and we will accept less and welcome more. The homing team will discuss this further with prospective homes. Some dogs arrive scarred and damaged, both physically and emotionally. We nurse them back to health and help them learn to trust humans again. Some are so scarred by their ordeal they need a long period of care before rehoming. Others have never lived in a home before and need an introduction to the world beyond the racing track or their previous life, including to other dogs and animals. Left: Andy on arrival with GRWE. Right: Andy after GRWE care . Tripod greyhound Freddie, one of GRWE’s Sponsor Dogs, enjoys a run on the beach . In some cases, where an ongoing medical condition and its associated costs would otherwise prohibit a dog from being re-homed, Forever Hounds Trust will cover a dog’s ongoing costs under a supported homing agreement. Some of our supported homing dogs feature in our fundraising work through the Sponsor a Dog scheme. Each and every dog has their own story and their own unique experience of life, and therefore their needs are varied. We carefully assess each and every dog to ensure we can prepare them and their potential owners to face the future confidently together. As well as assessing dogs, every prospective home receives a home visit to assess the home’s suitability to re-home a sighthound, and answer any questions the prospective owner has. Regional homing teams then undertake the careful process of matching the correct hound to the right home, and set up meetings accordingly. We also conduct a four- month post-homing visit to check all is going well for hound and home, and offer any support that is needed. Our focus is always on matching the right dog to the right forever home, which we do through: Careful assessment of both dogs and homes, and matching of the two Regular communication about home offers and dogs between regions, to ensure that good matches of dogs and homes are made irrespective of geography Provision of ongoing, expert support through our Post Homing Support Team of qualified behaviourists, who ensure that Forever Hounds Trust re-homers can always access advice and support to address any issues that might arise. In combination, this has helped us to achieve an impressively low return rate (the number of dogs returned to kennels after re-homing). In financial year 2012/13, this was just 5.8% across regions.
- And we do record and report animal cruelty, as this case study shows.