A woman's BEST FRIEND

Corinne Douglas, 77, first fell in love with greyhounds six decades ago and now works to save them

- SERENA SHORES

Corinne Douglas remembers the exact moment she fell in love with a greyhound. It was back when she was a teenager, but it was an experience that left Corinne with a lasting impression of the breed, and one that would go on to have a huge influence on her life, eventually leading her towards a brand-new career.

‘It started back when my grandparents ran a cafe in Kent and a trainer brought in a beautiful blue greyhound with a broken leg,’ she says.

As soon as she saw him, Corinne, then 15, was smitten.

Little did she know that this fondness for the graceful, placid breed ran in her blood. ‘It was only later that I found out my grandparents had a big involvement with greyhounds, owning and training them,’ she says.

‘I was touched to discover photographs from after the war with hounds around my pram,’ she smiles.

Corinne went on to become a district nurse, then worked as a hospice manager towards the end of her career.

During this time, she took on an Ibizan hound called Sparky, from the Blue Cross. This is a tall, handsome breed that looks a lot like the dogs in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Greyhounds would come back into Corinne’s life when she lost her second Ibizan hound, Ross, in 2009.

She knew she needed to have a hound around, but wanted a less wilful breed.

Living in Norwich, it was then that she came across Yarmouth Greyhound Homefinders.

‘I got in touch with them and saw Marley on their website. I went to visit, and we bonded immediately,’ says Corinne. ‘He just felt like the right dog, and I can honestly say I have never looked back.’