A shared love of greyhounds has inspired Heart of England Lodge No. 6549 to raise £1,000 for a local dog rescue charity, with a rather special four-legged friend at the heart of the story.

When Rain Bailey-Weston and his wife Kat moved house in January, they finally had the space to do something they had talked about for years – give a loving home to a retired racing greyhound.

After exploring several rehoming organisations, they discovered Home Run Hounds, a smaller, local charity dedicated to finding new homes for retired greyhounds.

With the guidance and support of Helen and her team, the couple met several dogs over a number of visits before finding their perfect match – Miso.

An older greyhound, Miso might ordinarily have faced a longer wait to find her forever home. But for Rain and Kat, she was exactly what they had been looking for.

Miso quickly settled into family life alongside their existing dogs, and Kat summed up her arrival beautifully, describing her as “the piece of the puzzle we didn’t know we were missing.”

There was also a rather fitting Masonic connection.

When Rain joined Heart of England Lodge No. 6549 several years ago, Kat immediately noticed the black greyhound featured on the Lodge banner. With Miso now part of the family, that connection provided the inspiration for a fundraising initiative.

Recognising the valuable work undertaken by Home Run Hounds, which relies entirely on donations and the dedication of volunteers, Rain and Kat set themselves a target of raising £1,000 to support the charity.

Their efforts paid off, and on Sunday 25 October, they had the pleasure of visiting Home Run Hounds to present the charity with a cheque for the full £1,000, complete with the obligatory photographs and oversized presentation cheque!

The donation will support the charity’s work in caring for retired racing greyhounds and finding them loving homes where they can enjoy a happy retirement.

For Rain and Kat, it was a particularly meaningful way to give something back to the organisation that had brought Miso into their lives.

And with a greyhound proudly displayed on the Lodge banner, it seems only fitting that Heart of England Lodge should be supporting such a worthy cause.

A wonderful example of Freemasonry making a difference – and proof that sometimes the best friendships come with four legs and a wagging tail!