End of the Road for Walthamstow Greyhounds

18 Aug 08

After 75 years of greyhound racing, the Walthamstow Dog Track has shut — despite a 15,000 strong petition against the closure. The last races were held on Saturday 16th August. Awoooo!

The East London stadium, first opened in 1933 by William Chandler, was sold to a housing trust (London and Quadrant Housing Trust). They plan to take ownership of the land on 1 September, and plan to use it to build affordable housing.

The dog track was once the haunt of celebrities, and was even the venue for a speech by Winston Churchill. Other notables to have enjoyed a night at the races include Lana Turner, Vinnie Jones, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Guy Ritchie.

The closure of the tracks has forced many racing greyhounds into early and unexpected retirement. Which means the folk at Walthamstow Homefinding Scheme have plenty of dogs that require new homes.

Please, please, please — if you have room in your life for a greyhound or two, please follow the link and get in touch with the good folk at Walthamstow greyhound rescue.

If you are not in the London area but are interested in adopting a greyhound, a good place to start looking is with the greyhound rescue community.

SuperWoof to Greyhounds! Archie