Greyt news from Kimberley Oxley of Blue the Grey
When a horse-sized dog landed in my lap all those years ago, I thought we’d probably have a few days… maybe weeks? together before he found his forever home. Little did I realise at the time, he had found it. And he knew it.
So began the journey of a clueless human figuring out the ways of a greyhound… and a clueless greyhound figuring out his new role as companion.
It’s a journey that changed both of our lives.
Blue — the bouncy, toast-obsessed, emotional, hilarious ‘sack of elbows’ — came into my life just as I was learning about the reality of greyhound racing in Australia. I realised just how lucky he was to not only have a loving home, but to be alive. I fell head over heels in love with him, and ever since that day my passion for his kind has grown exponentially.
When Blue tragically passed away, the outpouring of love and support from his dedicated online community was staggering – and healing. The kindness shown to me and my family helped us through that difficult period, and the generosity extended in his honour meant we were able to support the life-saving work of greyhound rescue and protection organisations across Australia. Who knew that one long dog’s love for toast would end up inspiring a fundraiser that would raise nearly $130,000!
The #Toast4Blue appeal and subsequent Grants for Grey’s project was both incredibly rewarding and challenging. As proud as I am of the amount that we raised, the reality is that it’s just a drop in the ocean given what we – and the dogs we love so much – are up against.
Blue’s adoring community – aka ‘Blue’s Crew’ – have inspired me to formalise his legacy in an effort to influence lasting change, and ultimately to end greyhound racing in Australia.
And so, I’m excited to announce that ‘Blue the Grey Ltd’ is now a registered charity.
I am fortunate to be working with Blue’s ‘other human’, my partner Anna, who you may recognise from the many various photos and videos that she appears in with Blue. I am also so grateful to have Founder and President of Friends of the Hound, Lisa White, join the Board of Directors as well as former Australian Director of GREY2K USA Worldwide Jerone van Kernebeek to further shape the future of Blue the Grey in the coming months and develop our strategy to help end greyhound racing in Australia.
As fellow longdog lovers, I wanted you to hear this news first. I am really looking forward to being able to launch publicly later this year, and working side by side with you and other greyhound advocates to create the future that these beautiful dogs so desperately need, and deserve.
For me, Blue’s passing signified the closing of a chapter, but we have many more yet to write. As they say, you can’t keep a good dog down – and I’m determined to keep his memory alive, and to honour him by making greyhound racing toast.