Renaissance Festival gets boost from Greyhound Guild: Dogs play royal role, get noticed
I thought this story about Greyhounds at the Arizona Renaissance Festival was nice. The dogs probably have a good time, too, and it may give some of them a chance to find new homes.
It's true what it says in the article about Greyhounds being favored by royalty. Henry VIII and his wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, were great fans of hunting with Greyhounds and falcons. They followed the dogs on horseback. Anne Boleyn was a devoted dog lover in general, having not just Greyhounds but also several small dogs. She was so attached to her small dog Pourquoy that when he was accidentally killed her servants were afraid to tell her and made Henry tell her. She was distraught.
Renaissance Festival gets boost from Greyhound Guild: Dogs play royal role, get noticed
By Dana Cole
Herald/Review
APACHE JUNCTION — The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a step back into time and a celebration with food, drink, music and dogs — some from Sierra Vista.
Sprawled over 30 acres, the festival’s setting is punctuated by the Superstition Mountains, creating a majestic backdrop under clear skies and pleasant spring weather. The two-month long festival, now enjoying its 20th anniversary, started on Feb. 9 and continues through the end of March.
Ken Brown and his greyhound Dublin, along with Dave Thacker and his dog Wilt and wife, Colleen, stand in front of the Greyhound Guild booth at the Renaissance Festival on Feb. 15. Guild members dress in Renaissance attire and man the booth every year during the festival, an effort to raise public awareness about greyhounds and promote adoption opportunities. (Dana Cole•Herald/Review)
Every weekend guests are entertained with a number of shows and sights, along with great Old World feasts, merriment and, of course, those elegant dogs.
The Greyhound Guild participates in the festival and has some show-stopping greyhounds. These elegant animals, with a history that can be traced back to early cave drawings and decorative artifacts, are as much a part of the Renaissance festivities as the king’s court and flouncing ladies.
The Greyhound Guild, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the adoption of retired racing greyhounds, has its own booth. Manned by volunteers in Renaissance attire, the Guild serves as an information resource for the breed, educating the public about greyhounds, adoption opportunities and the breed’s history.
Every year, the greyhounds bring a local presence to the festival.
AZgreyhounds, a Sierra Vista based nonprofit greyhound rescue organization, will be at the festival, manning the Guild’s booth the weekend of March 15 and 16.
“We will be there in our Renaissance garb, and we’ll have two or three of our greyhounds with us,” said Dave Breen, founder of AZgreyhounds.
Breen will be answering questions at the booth and roaming the festival’s 16th century village with his wife, Wendy, and daughter, Colleen Breen.
“The three of us look forward to the festival every year,” he said.
Along with enlightening the public on the breed’s history, members of the Guild are responsible for escorting the festival’s Queen Mum throughout the event.
There are usually between 10 and 12 people participating at the Greyhound Guild booth at any given time.
“That allows us to rotate the dogs in and out of a rest area throughout the day,” Breen explained. “Some of our dogs will be greeting visitors in front of the booth, while others are relaxing in the back. Everyone gets breaks.”
Breen says that participating in the festival has been an interesting, fun experience for his family.
“From the time the gate opens until it closes, we are expected to have a stage presence,” he said. “We go to an actual cast call and our clothing is expected to be an authentic representation of the Renaissance era. Our costumes are required to be clean and presentable.”
Even the dogs have a Renaissance role, looking much like royalty in their wide cloth brocade collars as they lounge on thick comfortable pillows at the booth. Throughout the Renaissance period, greyhounds were a favorite among Europe’s royalty, Breen said. They were the most common dog used for heraldry and are seen on the coats of arms of Charles V of France and of Henry VIII of England. Old paintings and tapestries showing hunting feasts often include greyhounds in the scenes.
“We literally meet hundreds and hundreds of people while we’re participating in the festival,” Breen said. “It’s not only a fun experience for all of us, but allows us to promote the dogs.”
Money raised at the Guild’s booth — through a donation jar — is shared between the different greyhound rescue organizations throughout the state. The money primarily goes toward veterinary expenses, to include spaying and neutering.
AZgreyhounds is one of the few rescue programs that will accept sick and injured greyhounds and rehabilitate them.
“I deal with racing kennels throughout the Southwest,” Breen said. “They know they can contact me, and I will take the dog in and do whatever is necessary to get that dog ready for adoption.”
The Greyhound Guild is an information arm for the different adoption groups, promoting adoption of retired racing greyhounds through fundraising and historical re-enactments.
On the Net:
azgreyhounds.com
greyhoundguild.com
Herald/Review reporter Dana Cole can be reached at 515-4618 or by e-mail at dana.cole@svherald.com.
