How we discovered the charm of the pointy-faced hound

Meet Sally — the wonderful greyhound who opened our hearts to the joy of rescued hounds. When we adopted her in 1999, we knew only that greyhounds were retired racing dogs looking for a fresh start. Sally soon showed us they were so much more: affectionate, clever, funny, gentle and surprisingly good at making themselves at home. In Sal’s case, she also introduced us rather thoroughly to the local vet! Back then, greyhound rescue was still finding its feet, and people often asked how much exercise they needed, whether they could live with cats and why they wore muzzles. We loved being able to reassure them, share what we had learned and help turn old assumptions on their head.

That adventure inspired me to write “A Hound in the House”, a celebration of life with our own hounds and foster dogs, full of the moments that made us laugh, melt and occasionally shake our heads in disbelief. It also helped us spread the word about greyhound rescue. Before long, we were giving talks to local groups, giving people the chance to meet a real ex-racer in person. You might be surprised how many had never come face to pointy face with one before.

I wanted children to share that sense of wonder too, which led to “The Largest Rabbit”. It follows an abandoned greyhound as he discovers who he really is, what it means to belong and how powerful it can be when someone believes in you. One of my favourite parts was writing about the little hound who thinks his name is “Rubbish”, simply because that is what people called him. There is something wonderfully satisfying about seeing the underdog win — literally, in his case.

But don’t just take my word for it — come and discover these remarkable hounds for yourself. The books are available through your local Amazon store, or you can order signed and dedicated copies from our web shop or PM me. And if your local group would love to meet a rescued greyhound, hear their stories and find out just how much joy they can bring, PM us to arrange one of our greyhound talks. Go on — let a pointy-faced hound win you over!