Hector’s Greyhound Rescue is a registered charity made up of a dedicated group of volunteers who devote their time to saving and rehoming ex-racing Greyhounds and other sighthounds.
How it all began
It all started for Hayley at the end of 2002 when she was taking Ollie, her St Bernard, to the vet for a health check. She came across a retired couple who ran a greyhound rescue. They were holding an emaciated black greyhound who looked so sad. His coat was dull and dirty and he had cuts on his toes from urine burns. Hayley volunteered to help the couple with their rescue and was hooked.
After hours of research and travelling to dog pounds in Ireland and the UK, Hayley decided that she really wanted to make a difference, even if it was only to a few dogs. It was this quote that really inspired her:
While wandering a deserted beach at dawn, stagnant in my work, I saw a man in the distance bending and throwing as he walked the endless stretch toward me.
As he came near, I could see that he was throwing starfish, abandoned on the sand by the tide, back into the sea. When he was close enough I asked him why he was working so hard at this strange task.
He said that the sun would dry the starfish and they would die. I said to him that I thought he was foolish. There were thousands of starfish on miles and miles of beach. One man alone could never make a difference. He smiled as he picked up the next starfish. Hurling it far into the sea he said,
"It makes a difference for this one."
I abandoned my writing and spent the morning throwing starfish.
Loren Eiseley
Then one day, Hayley stumbled across a poor greyhound who had really been through the wars. He had a broken tail, was a bag of bones and scared of his own shadow. It was the dog that stayed, and will always stay, in Hayley’s heart. It was Hector.
Hector lived with Hayley until his last days and became the first of many that she went on to rescue and re-home. Hayley’s aim, together with her team of volunteers, is to save as many of these hounds from pain and suffering as she can.