Adoption program

The Greyhound Supporters began its adoption program in 2009 in response to an increasing demand from interested individuals and families in the Ottawa area. 

If you are interested in adopting a retired racing greyhound and would like to work with the Greyhound Supporters, we recommend that you do some research about these retired athletes.  The more information you have, the more you will understand your greyhound once you bring it home, and be able to help it through its transition into your home.

Some recommended reading includes:

• Greyhound-specific reading:

  • Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Cynthia A. Branigan

  • Care of the Racing & Retired Greyhound

  • Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood

  • Running with the Big Dogs by Lee Livingood

• General reading material:

  • Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Aggressive Dog by Patricia B McConnell, Ph.D. and Karen B London, Ph.D.

  • I’ll Be Home Soon! How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety by Patricia B McConnell, Ph.D.

  • Mine! A Practical Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs by Jean Donaldson

  • The Cautious Canine: How to Help Cautious Canines Conquer Their Fears by Patricia B McConnell, Ph.D.

• Additional reading if you have young children:

  • "Childproofing Your Dog" by Brian Kilcommons

How Do I Adopt?

The Greyhound Supporters commits to every dog we place through adoption, and every family with whom we place a retired racer.  We work very hard to make sure that each hound goes into a loving home that understands the needs of the retired racing greyhound.

Outlined below is the process for adoption of a retired racing greyhound through the Greyhound Supporters.

• Complete the Adoption Application and forward it to ottawagreyhounds@gmail.com and transfer the non-refundable processing fee of $100.00 to ottawagreyhounds@gmail.com.

• Upon receipt of the completed application and processing fee, the references provided are contacted. 

• After the references are completed, the home visit is set up.

  • It is conducted by the Adoption Coordinator and a colleague, accompanied by one of their own greyhounds.

  • If we have a hound in our foster program that might be an appropriate fit, it will probably participate as the home visit hound.

  • The main purpose of the home visit is to chat about greyhounds and their unique characteristics as well as transitioning them to a home environment.

  • This visit provides the prospective adopters with an opportunity to ask questions and permits us to see how everyone interacts with the greyhound.

  • It also gives us a chance to offer suggestions about how potential situations may be addressed if a greyhound were to be adopted, such as sliding glass doors, hardwood floors, holes in fencing, etc.

  • Please note that the home visit is not a home inspection - if there are particular concerns that you wish to raise, the home visit gives you an opportunity to raise them. 

• We endeavour to establish a profile of a hound that best suits the adopters and their needs, such as whether or not there are cats, live in an apartment, higher energy, etc.

• If approved for a retired racing greyhound, we determine which is the best way to introduce you to some suitable hounds that meet the profile established.

  • We may have suitable hounds in our foster program for you to meet. If not, we identify a hound from the next set of new arrivals.

  • Currently, we are bringing in retired racing greyhounds from Australia so the process may take a little while, depending upon when we can fly hounds into Canada.

Our adoption fee is $650.00.

• The hounds have been spayed or neutered, have had a dental, have received their vaccinations and are microchipped.

• We send all of our hounds into their new homes with a muzzle, a matching martingale leash and collar set (1" nylon) as well as a braided leather tag collar.

Post-adoption

As part of our commitment to you and your greyhound, we are available to answer questions and try to help with any problems that may arise after the adoption.  We won’t always have the answers, but we work with an extensive network of experienced greyhound owners and veterinary professionals. 

One of the key features of our adoption program is the post-adoptive support program. In addition to the support provided by the Adoption Coordinator on essentially a 24/7 basis, all new adopters are connected with an “adoption buddy”.  Your adoption buddy is an individual or a family that has had experience with greyhound adoption and who can also provide support to you in the event that you have any questions or concerns. 

There is also a very active greyhound community in Ottawa – the Greyhound Supporters host drop-in socials at a local pet store/café, monthly playdates, an annual picnic and an active Facebook page. All of these provide great opportunities to chat with fellow greyhound adopters and build your own support network.

It is important to understand that when you adopt a greyhound, it is a serious commitment to give that hound the very best possible for the rest of its life, which could potentially be 8 to 12 years.  We will remain in contact with you to ensure that your new greyhound and your family are adjusting well.

Greyhounds are sensitive and loving dogs that are capable of developing a very strong attachment to the people surrounding them.  Being returned to the adoption group can be a painful experience for them and the rest of the family, but on occasion, it cannot be avoided.  We understand this and if the problem or situation cannot be resolved, we want to bring the greyhound back into our program and work to find another home for it. 

Given the unique characteristics and needs of retired racing greyhounds, it is best that the greyhound be re-homed by a greyhound adoption group to ensure that it is placed in a loving and appropriate home.

Your commitment to your greyhound

As part of your commitment to your new canine companion, you and your family:

• Agree to keep ID tags on your greyhound at ALL times.

• Agree to use only a martingale-type collar on your greyhound with the exception of a tag collar.

• Agree to keep your greyhound on-leash unless in a completely fenced area.

• Agree to keep your hound inside as a family pet and not keep it outside.

• Agree to maintain routine vaccinations, dental health and heart worm medication.

• Agree to provide contact information and allow the Greyhound Supporters to follow-up with you in regard to the greyhound, its whereabouts and its well-being.