Having worked at Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare for the past ten and a half years, writes Denise Dubarbier, I have countless times, struggled to get an excitable, boisterous, greyhound into their harness. Inevitably, it becomes a two-man task, as one holds on to the greyhound by its collar or slip lead, and the other lays out the harness ( right way up) and attempts to put the greyhound’s two front legs through the relevant loops. No easy task and one I would like to say has improved with practice. Maybe it has, marginally, but so much depends on which dog you are trying to get into the harness, and who’s helping you!
We don’t use harnesses on every greyhound, and the majority of our greyhounds are fine on the regular greyhound collar and lead. But for the very strong and boisterous, a harness is a very helpful aid in taking control of the dog; for the very timid or nervous greyhound who may slip their lead, it is an invaluable safety aid; and for those with a neck or spinal injury, it is a must.
I first saw a Snuggle Pets Harness probably a year or so ago at one of our greyhound gatherings. The first thing that struck me was how comfortable it looked, how much care and attention had been taken to prevent chaffing, especially important for our greyhounds, who have very fine coats and thin skins.
But it wasn’t until more recently that I looked more closely. I had a conversation with someone whose hound was wearing one, and I came to appreciate that here was a harness which would be so much easier to put on, was more secure than the harnesses that we were using, and more comfortable for the hound to wear. Time for me to try one out!
I have a small greyhound boy at home. Almost certainly the runt of the litter, he was born blind, and thus was never ear-marked, never raced, and came into my life at just 5 months old. Whilst I was anticipating the arrival of a quiet, withdrawn, little lad, Ray turned out to be anything but!
He’s quite a feisty lad, and believing that he’s in charge, it’s his mission to lead the pack on our walks to the park. Whilst he may not have noticed the effects of his pulling on the lead, I certainly did, and concerns for his wellbeing, and the fact that I would still very much like to have my arm in its socket for the remainder of my life, made him an ideal ‘guinea pig’ for a harness.
One was duly purchased, and fitted, and silly though it may sound, my first thought was what a grown up little man he looked in it. I must get a life! He quickly adapted to wearing it, and I only need add that our walks to the park have improved 100%. He no longer pulls, and I can actually enjoy the walk to the park instead of getting there as quickly as possible so that he can go off-lead.
Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare has a sanctuary at the kennels for our long term residents. Many of the greyhounds who live in The Sanctuary have behavioural or medical issues which mean, unlike the majority of our greyhounds, that they may never find a home. So, for now and for as long as they need it, the sanctuary is their home. They are no less loved and cared for than our own pets at home, and we find it is the little things that we do for them that make all the difference to their quality of life. Therefore, it was only right that the first harnesses that we ordered were for the sanctuary hounds, some of whom are available for sponsorship. Please visit our website www.hershamhounds.org if you would like to know more.
