Thank you all for your positive response to our new website. Hello to Ken and Louis and to Carol and Angelise and a special hi to all the McHale family. Mark and I are so pleased that you are all enjoying reading our thrills and spills of life in racing kennels!

Training greyhounds is very hard work and requires a lot of dedication first from the trainer and from first class staff and of course good greyhounds to get good results. Plenty of TLC (tender loving care) has always been the top of the list here as well as a good work routine. Working in kennels is not an easy job - it's hard work - early mornings and late nights and it’s not all about making a fuss of the dogs. There is sweeping out in the mornings, and giving the dogs their breakfast and washing up etc, but I can tell you it’s the best job in the world for job satisfaction! When a greyhound you have been looking after, walking, grooming, until the dogs coat shines (you can almost see your face in the coat) feeding and all the other things, gallops etc - goes to a race meeting and wins its race - it's so exciting! So I would not put anyone off of being a kennel hand. That is where I started many moons ago now, but hand on heart I can say I have never regretted a moment working with these beautiful creatures, who give you their all on the race track, and their hearts full of love. When I wanted to work with greyhounds, there was no information at my school or the job centre, so I approached a vet and asked if he needed help at weekends and he said yes, but these days I believe that it is easier to get a job working with greyhounds. If any youngster is interested in working with greyhounds they should contact a greyhound track or the NGRC or look on the internet for a list of trainers in their area and ring them and ask if they are looking for a kennel hand or help in their kennel - in general trainers are always looking for helping hands!

On the welfare front, I am very pleased to be able to introduce you all to the latest member of The Greyhound Voice - Mr Ian Lavery. Ian is an owner with Harry Williams and has several top class dogs and puppies. Ian has owned greyhounds for most of his life - like most people on GV he caught the greyhound disease at an early age and as yet has still not found a cure as no one on GV has yet! I think most of us are not looking to be cured anyway! Ian is a very busy man he is President of The National Union of Mineworkers, but was very pleased to be involved with GV as greyhound welfare is very important to him, and of course his expertise in all matters is invaluable to us.

You probably are thinking Greyhounds Voice has been very quiet and that we might have gone away! I can assure you we have not. We are still working very hard behind the scenes on behalf of our wonderful greyhounds. We are still looking at alternatives to sand and have arranged a trip to STRI to look at Viscoride and to quiz the scientists about it. We have also sent the GV submission in to Lord Donoghue, whom we hope will first make the welfare of these wonderful dogs of paramount importance, and will be able to right the wrongs in our wonderful exciting sport.