A toast to Blue! In honour of Blue the Grey

Blue the Grey was my whole heart. He came into my life rather suddenly, after breaking his leg while being trained to race to make money for a syndicate. I was told he was 'breaking records' and that there were big hopes for him to be a 'winner' but when it became clear he would not race again, he was of no value to the racing industry and his future was grim. Thankfully I heard about him through word of mouth and had every intention of fostering him until I could find a permanent home, but one look into those beautiful big brown eyes and I was his. So began a lifetime of not being able to say no to this face (can you blame me?)

 

Blue passed away peacefully at home on the 31st of March 2022, the day before Greyhound Adoption Month and a week before his gotcha day. After a life jam-packed full of love, laughter and toast, it was discovered he had a tumour in his beautiful big heart and I had to make the devastating decision to guide him to the forever sleep. He left my life just as he had entered it... unexpectedly, and just as I had to figure out suddenly how to live my life with a giant pointy dog in it all those years ago, so now do I find myself having to navigate a world without him.

Blue touched millions of people throughout his life. Videos telling his story and depicting his hilarious antics reached just about every corner of the world, and he has an incredibly devoted global following of greyhound lovers and rescuers. He has been lucky to have been so loved... but the thing is, there are so many special dogs just like him that haven't been given the chance to be themselves -- and there is nothing more loving, gentle, and special than a happy greyhound. So, in Blue's name I'd like to help more greyhounds find their way into loving homes so that they can be the dogs they were born to be.

Greyhounds are naturally gentle, quiet and placid dogs, ruthlessly exploited and trained for the racing industry in the pursuit of gambling money. Those who don't win money for their owners are known to simply disappear -- thousands of puppies and dogs are simply killed every year in Australia for not being 'suitable for racing'. Those that are 'successful' often endure a life of deprivation, confined to concrete and wire kennels, and put at great risk of injury and death on racing tracks. Many thousands of dogs just like Blue are trapped within an industry that sees them as nothing more than commodities. They deserve so much better.

We wanted to share Blue with the world, not only because he was such a beautiful dog that we felt selfish keeping him all to ourselves... but because it was an opportunity to tell his story in the hopes of shining a spotlight on the cruelty of greyhound racing and to encourage the rescue and adoption of these gentle dogs. Throughout his life he inspired countless people to adopt greyhounds, and so many have fallen in love with greyhounds because of his posts. Now that he has passed, I'd like to honour him and everything he stood for by continuing to help as many dogs as we can escape the racing industry and become beloved companions just like Blue.

 

As anyone who loved Blue will know, he was quite partial to a piece of toast, and won hearts with his ridiculous #ToastFace expressions. It was the most magical thing to see the hundreds of '#Toast4Blue' posts that appeared on social media after his passing -- dogs (and a cat!) the world over enjoying a piece of toast to celebrate his life.

I'd like to further the real-world impact of this theme by offering an opportunity for those who wish to honour Blue, to throw in some toast money to support greyhound rescue. I figured that a nice piece of toast would cost... like $5? (ok you'd probably expect some vegemite or peanut butter with that) and if a whole bunch of people chucked in that amount (or therabouts) then we can give a whole lot of money to organisations that are helping greyhounds. I think that maths is right. 

 

Can you chuck in $5 to help more greyhounds like Blue?

Of course if you can't afford to donate, that's ok too. Maybe you can consider sharing this fundraiser with others? Or, in light of the fact that it's Adopt a Greyhound Month, please check out greyhound rescue organisations in your area and promote them in any way you can to help spread the word. Here's a list of groups from around the world.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of the people who have loved Blue as we have. He honestly was just the absolute luckiest dog, and we feel so honoured to have had him in our lives. Please hug your dogs (and animals... and each other for that matter) for us, and don't forget to have a piece of toast in his memory today. #Toast4Blue

 

Love, Kimberley ("The human")

 

Thanks to the outpouring of love from Blue's friends around the world, we were able to raise $129,500 for greyhounds. Every cent of this was distributed to greyhound advocacy and protection groups across Australia (please see updates for details). Blue's legacy has since been formalised and 'Blue the Grey' is now a registered charity in Australia, and any subsequent funds that are generously given through this GoFundMe page will go towards building up this new organisation and helping us on our mission to give every greyhound the chance at freedom, safety and unconditional love, just like Blue had. Please join us by signing up to 'Blue's News' at BluetheGrey.org.