Dog rescue charity shop targeted by till thief

Stephen Price

Volunteers at a charity shop in a Welsh market town that helps raise funds for the rehabilitation and rehoming of greyhounds have been left in shock after a man entered the store and stole from their till.

Greyhound Rescue Wales’ Abergavenny shop was targeted by a shoplifter dressed in camouflage gear shortly after midday on Thursday 7 November, using a device to open the till before leaving with £20 notes.

Sharing the news on Facebook, a staff member at the store said: “We have just had over till broken into! At 1:40pm a man leaned over the counter and broke into our till and stole all the £20 notes, he was asked to return them and refused.

“We think he may have a tool to pop open till drawers as ours is now sticking, other businesses please be aware!! He dressed in all camouflage with a black hat.”

“Devastated”

The post continued: “We are devastated that someone would take advantage of us like this, we work incredibly hard to raise funds for our charity and for someone to just take it for themselves is disgusting.

“We rely on this money to help rehome, feed and care for greyhounds, many who have come from terrible places.”

“Please be alert as we don’t want this to happen to others, we have logged it with the police so we are hoping that it may be returned.”

A retail assistant in a nearby shop told Nation.Cymru, “We’re all so shocked and sad for the shop – to target a charity is really cruel.

“We are seeing a massive increase in shoplifters lately, and they’re becoming more brazen.

“We’ve had police in checking the CCTV later, but it’s a bit late then. Not what you expect in one of Wales’ most exclusive locations.”

Update

In an update shared to the Abergavenny Voice Facebook page, the charity shared: “Thanks to everyone that shared their support and disgust at what happened yesterday with the robbery at Greyhound Rescue Wales –  Greyhound Rescue Wales, Abergavenny Shop.

“Obviously it’s very upsetting for them, they all work so hard to raise money for the greyhounds especially when times have been really hard financially this year, and this is really disheartening for them.

“If anyone could be so kind as to spare a few pennies to help the Abergavenny shop make up their losses and give them a boost in morale, this would be very much appreciated.

You can donate here and just write a little comment saying “For Abergavenny” and i’ll make sure it goes in “Abergavenny donations” Much love.”

Vision and Mission

Greyhound Rescue Wales’ vision is a Wales without greyhound racing, where every greyhound and lurcher has a home and receives the best possible care.

Their mission is to improve the lives of greyhounds and lurchers by:

• • Rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming greyhounds and lurchers
  • Supporting the movement to end greyhound racing in Wales
  • Raising awareness of the issues facing greyhounds and lurchers
  • Promoting greyhounds and lurchers as pets

The charity has to raise all its money themselves and make sure it goes a long way.

They pride themselves on their cost-effectiveness and this is only possible because of the dedication of our trustees, staff, volunteers and members. They receive no funding from government or the greyhound racing industry.

Writing on their website they say: “Although many owners of racing hounds take their responsibility towards the breed seriously, some are not so thoughtful, and see dogs as commodities, discarding them once they are no longer profitable.

“This could be after a racing career, but it can also be young greyhounds that simply don’t have the temperament for racing, ending up ‘surplus to requirements’ or as the industry calls them, ‘wastage.’

“There are similar issues with lurchers in that they are often bred and/or used for hunting activity, but can be discarded once their usefulness runs out.”

Support

With an unprecedented number of dogs in homes in Wales, times couldn’t be tougher for the small charity.

One way to relieve pressure on the charity is to consider adopting a rescue greyhound or lurcher – with the dogs featured above and many more currently awaiting homes.

Find out more about rescuing from Greyhound Rescue Wales here.

If you are able to support them with a donation, you can find out how to do so here, or drop off donations to the store on Cross Street in Abergavenny or others across Wales.

The charity also has an online store filled with Christmas gift ideas which also helps support their fundraising.

Anyone with information about the theft has been encouraged to call 101.