We do all we can to make our walks relaxed and fun, but we do have a few rules in place to keep everyone safe and so we all know what’s what.
1. Keep your dog under control and on a short, fixed lead
We know that some dogs are fine off lead, but we have many members that can’t go off for whatever reason. Some are ok with other dogs off lead around them but others get wound up by it. Sighthounds are also prone to silliness in large groups and this can easily lead to injury or fisticuffs, even between the most docile dogs. So, for safety and simplicity, we all keep our dogs on short leads. If you have an extendable lead, this must be kept short and locked as if it were a fixed lead.
If your dog can be reactive, make sure you bring its muzzle. We will meet other breeds, some of which will be off and running about. The group members that walk up at the front will call back if we encounter any other dogs and, if they are off lead, will ask the owner to please put their dog on lead while we pass each other. Most will oblige, but there will always be some idiots that won’t. If your dog isn’t a fan of other breeds, walk nearer the back.
2. Deal with poop appropriately
Poop is horrible, there’s no doubt about it. We bag it and put it in bins – and if there are no bins, we take it home to dispose of it (TIP: Hang your poo bag from your rear windscreen wiper for the journey!)
Alternatively, if there is scrub or bushes lining the path, we can “stick’n’flick” poop, provided it’s possible to get it well out of the way.
3. Please make a donation
Technically, this isn’t a rule as it’s not mandatory at all, but we bring a pink collection bucket to every walk and ask that you drop some cash in for the two Surrey-based charities that SSWG supports: Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare (WGW) and Celia Cross Greyhound Trust (CCGT).
Alternatively, we have a SSWG PayPal account and you can ping over a donation online through that instead. Find out all about how to donate here.
At the end of each walk, we add up the cash in the bucket and the amount in the PayPal account and split it 50/50 between WGW and CCGT.
Walks with Rena 