A MELTHAM dog lover has raised more than £10,000 in just a year as part of a mission to stop cruelty to greyhounds.

Susan Dawson set up The Blue Greyhound in 2008 to raise vital cash for dog charities Greyhounds Galore, Greyhound Action, and Whitehall Dog Rescue.

Now she hopes a new website selling dog treats, cakes, jewellery and T-shirts will boost the cause even further.

Susan, 49, has devoted the past decade to raising awareness about greyhound cruelty after she rescued her first greyhound Bessie in 1998.

Former racing dog Bessie was found abandoned and emaciated living on the streets.

District nurse Susan has since gone on to offer homes to three more greyhounds – Peggy, Alfie and most recently puppy Dillon.

She said: “So many dogs are destroyed in this country. They are just seen as a throw-away commodity, it is disgusting.

“Greyhounds are bred for racing in puppy farms and three-quarters of them can be destroyed because they just don’t make the grade as racing dogs.

“It is such a horrible industry. A lot of people just don’t realise the true horror of it all.

“My aim is to support the rescue of greyhounds and also raise awareness about greyhound racing.”

For the past year, Susan has dedicated her free time to her Blue Greyhound cause, raising thousands to share between the three charities.

She regularly teams up with her greyhound pets to hold town centre collections and stalls at fundraising events.

She also runs a shop on the internet auction site eBay selling various items including homemade cakes, homemade dog snacks, dog birthday cakes, greyhound jewellery and Greyhound Action T-shirts, as well as donated items.

Now she hopes to raise even more cash by launching her own website – www.bluegreyhound.org.uk – on June 1.

Susan added: “I am setting up a website with information about the charities we support and events we are holding.

“I’ll also be selling goods through the website which will mean more money goes to the charities because there will be less charges than eBay.

“Greyhounds are such gentle, wonderful dogs. You can really trust them with children. They make great pets.

“They really don’t deserve the treatment they get, especially when they have made their owners a lot of money.

“They just don’t care. It is absolutely disgraceful.”

Susan will be collecting for the cause with Dillon on King Street, Huddersfield, on Saturday.