Adopting a Greyhound

At any time we have at least 24 dogs waiting for good homes, including our Kennel Manager's Choice, currently Minnie. If you feel you can give one of them a happy and loving home, please read below how you can make a Greyhound part of your life.

As a responsible Greyhound charity, we try to 'matchmake' prospective owners and Greyhounds so that both parties are suited to each other and the dog's new home becomes a permanent and happy one.

We therefore advise that prospective new owners visit the sanctuary and meet the dogs that we think are most suitable for your family environment and lifestyle before adopting a Greyhound.

If you have children or any other dogs, it is advisable to bring them along too, so they all get to meet on 'neutral' ground.

Guinness shares dinner with her friend the cat

We have re-homed a number of Greyhounds with cats, sometimes several. If you do have cats, we will endeavour to find you a cat-friendly dog, but given time most Greyhounds will settle into their new homes with cats, providing you take sensible precautions in the early days. We will advise you on the best ways to introduce your new dog to the cat.

We always carry out a Home Check to ensure that your home is 'Greyhound-friendly', and to give you the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have before your new friend comes home with you.

Some of the things we look at to ensure a successful Greyhound adoption are:

If you have a garden, it should be fully-enclosed with fencing ideally a minimum of 5ft high, as Greyhounds can jump over anything less than this should they wish to do so!
Greyhounds do not like being left alone for long periods of time, so ideally there should be someone at home all day with the dog, or you can arrange for someone to call in and exercise the dog during your absence.
You should be able to provide a warm and draught free sleeping area within your home, with soft bedding, as Greyhounds feel extremes of temperature.

We sometimes have older dogs of 11 years and upwards looking for new homes and these can be financially supported by the charity in respect of vet bills.

As a charity, the only monies we receive are from donations, and we therefore ask for a minimum donation of £75 from a new owner. This goes towards the extremely high running costs of the Sanctuary.

All dogs are provided with 4 weeks insurance cover, and they will have been neutered or spayed, have had a dental check and been wormed prior to going to their new home.

Your new Greyhound will require a collar, a lead and a coat, and these these together with other items are all available for purchase from Fen Bank.

Your new dog will also come with an individual advice sheet regarding their particular needs, and new owners will be asked to sign an agreement that, amongst other things:

your new dog will be kept as a domestic pet and will not be raced or otherwise worked.
you agree to allow us access to check on the dog's progress and welfare from time to time.
in the event of you becoming unable to keep the dog for any reason you will return him / her to us as soon as practicable.