A POOCH which brings a smile and comfort to people in all parts of Teesdale will be leading the way at an annual celebration of greyhounds, lurchers and all other sight hounds.
Amber, a lurcher, is a therapy dog who, accompanied by owner Carroll Trevor, visits nursing, residential and dementia homes.
A member of the charity Therapy Dogs Nationwide, Amber brings a little joy to residents during her weekly visits.
On Sunday, June 9, Amber and Mrs Trevor will have another important role to fulfill – leading off the Hutton Magna Great Global Greyhound Walk.
The walk will set off from Hutton Magna Village Hall at 10.30am and last about an hour, following the local footpath network. After returning to the village hall, there will be a light buffet and refreshments available for a small donation plus a tombola to raise cash for greyhound charities.
The Great Global Greyhound Walk is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year after a small group of volunteers decided to unite sight hound owners across the UK with a national event.
In 2014, the walk went international and last year with events taking place as far afield as New Zealand, the USA, Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
Mrs Trevor said she was delighted to be part of a global event.
“The idea of the walk is to celebrate greyhounds, to raise awareness and promote them as wonderful pets once their racing days are over.
“Greyhounds make great companions. They love human company, walk nicely on the lead and contrary to popular belief, greyhounds don’t require much exercise. They really are 40mph couch potatoes.”
She said she was hoping for a big turnout of greyhounds, lurchers and other sight hounds at the Hutton Magna walk. As well as promoting the pooches, money raised from the event will go to greyhound rehoming charities.
For more information or to register for this year’s Hutton Magna walk, contact Mrs Trevor on 01833 627489 or email [email protected].
For more details about Therapy Dogs Nationwide, go to www.tdn.org.uk.
