Johanna Beumer, who has died aged 76 from Covid-19, following many years suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, was a pioneer of the movement to rescue racing greyhounds at the end of their careers. Over more than 40 years she found new homes for around 5,000 dogs. In her classic book on greyhound racing The Dogs (1994), Laura Thompson described Johanna as “fired by the courage and determination of the righteous”. Until very recently she could still be seen parading the track in a wheelchair with a homeless dog or two in tow, passing round collection boxes, demanding sponsorship, spreading the message.
Johanna was born in Southgate, north London, the daughter of Jan Beumer, a Dutch naval officer, and his wife, Rosa (nee Tippins). From the age of 11 Johanna would accompany her parents to the Walthamstow greyhound stadium track, soaking in the atmosphere.
For her 21st birthday she let it be known that rather than a car she would like a dog. This turned out to be SS Lisetta, named after the ship on which her parents had spent their honeymoon. He was later known as Sailor and would accompany his owner to classes at Whittingham school, the private school that her parents had set up in Muswell Hill, which Johanna had attended and where she taught English, art and drama for 30 years.
The life-changing moment came in 1965, soon after acquiring Sailor, when she discovered to her horror that once their racing days were over, the dogs would routinely be euthanised. Determined to do something about this, she began looking for potential adopters, initially renting space for retired dogs in kennels belonging to trainers. By the early 1990s she had her own premises not far from Waltham Abbey, Essex, which she named Whittingham Kennels. Here she presided over a small and dedicated staff and a larger group of volunteers. Routine was strict for both dogs and staff, potential adopters carefully matched with a suitable animal. Johanna’s decisions went unquestioned.
She wrote a book, Guide to Owning a Racing Greyhound (1990), and as her work became more widely recognised, she was appointed MBE in 2007.
For all her air of authority and the inconvenience of her medical condition Johanna remained naturally gregarious, a lover of social occasions of all kinds. Every Christmas and Easter there were parties at the kennels for supporters and adopters. These were meticulously planned long in advance, with a raffle, competitions, a table of bric-a-brac and plenty of toasts to the dogs. In the summer there would be an annual picnic in Epping Forest complete with a special “cake” made out of sausages for the most important participants.
Johanna had hundreds of friends. In later life she took in student lodgers from north London language schools; many of them stayed in touch for the rest of her life. She once described the dogs whose lives she had saved as her “family”. There was some truth in that but in addition she created around herself a community of diverse people equally in her debt, none of whom are likely to forget her resilience, her good humour and the strength of her humane concern.
