764 snoods made by a Cardiff team have made their way around the world to help dogs in need
A TEAM of knitters has handcrafted 764 snoods to bring warmth and comfort to rescue dogs known to feel the cold.
All About the Snoods was founded on Facebook by Karen Wall, who developed a love for sighthounds, a category of breeds including greyhounds and whippets, after volunteering as a dog walker at Cardiff Dogs’ Home.
“In 2013, my husband and I adopted a whippet called Bella, who was found in a terrible condition, very underweight, and in need of some TLC,” said the 57-year-old from north Cardiff.
“We bought her jumpers and coats to keep her warm, and I decided to knit her a snood. They have little body fat and really feel the cold, so they are great additions to keep their long necks warm.”
Sadly, Bella passed away in 2019 after being diagnosed with cancer but following her loss, Ms Hall chose to adopt two greyhounds, Ernie and Frank.
“Sadly, many racing greyhounds are let down when they can no longer compete, and the lucky ones will find themselves in rescue shelters. It was when we got Frank and Ernie that I decided I wanted to do something to help.
“When you see the terrible conditions some of the dogs are in upon rescue, both in the UK and abroad, it makes me determined to get as many snoods out to them as I can.
“I hope to keep their dogs a little more comfortable, or the shelters can sell them to raise extra funds which are desperately needed.”
Ernie showing off his snood. Credit: Karen Wall
Snoods, tube-like scarfs, are simple to make and involve knitting in a rib style to the required length using double-knit yarn, folding them in half, and sewing them up.
“I have some lovely supporters who knit snoods for me, donate wool, and some have kindly made donations to help with postage costs. They have been amazing, and without them, I would not be able to get so many sent out.”
One of the rescue centres that received a generous donation of snoods is Candy’s Hound Rescue, based in England.
Established in 2018, the charity is dedicated to stopping sighthounds and other dog breeds from finding their way to the Chinese meat trade, by giving them a chance to find loving homes in the UK.
Founder of the charity, Kerry Hill, 46, said: “We receive no government support, so it’s amazing individuals like Karen that help us tick over, and it really supports the work that we do.
“I recently took some snoods out to China, where it was -27 degrees, so they provided much-needed warmth to the kennel dogs over there.
“We also use them for fundraising. We sell them on auction pages, on our website, or they can be used in raffles when we host events.”
Rio Pulis, manager at Newport City Dogs’ Home, said: “All the staff and I are really appreciative of Karen, and the snoods that she sends out to us.
“We get so many sighthounds coming into our centres, so we love having a supply of them to use, and they also stay with the dogs when they leave the centre and find their new homes.”
- If you would like to help support Karen by donating wool, or by knitting your own snoods, contact her at allaboutthesnoods@hotmail.com
