I want to home a dog, how do I get started?

We are so pleased you want to join the thousands of other people who’ve fallen in love with our greyhounds and lurchers!

Step 1: Get in Touch

Click the button below to complete an adoption request form. The form will ask you lots of questions about your current home and your plans for adopting a dog. It may take up to 20 minutes to complete. You will also need to provide proof of address such as a utility bill or official document*. 

If you are unable to complete parts of the form or you have any questions, please contact rehoming@greyhoundrescuewales.co.uk and one of the team will get back to you shortly.

If you are looking to surrender a dog you already have, please click here.

*This is a standard part of our homecheck to comply with rules set by the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes.

Step 2: Let’s Have a Chat

Our rehoming team will contact you to go through your form and discuss all of your circumstances i.e. small children in your home, cats and other pets present, your working hours, your garden etc. All of these will be taken into account so we can then try to match a dog to suit your needs. We will discuss potential matches with you and invite you to the centre to meet them.

Please Note: We will not home dogs to anyone who wants to use the dog for either racing or working. All GRW dogs are spayed/neutered before adoption. We also ask that your current dog is spayed/neutered if you have one.

Step 3: Meet the Dogs

Once you’ve decided, we will arrange a time for you to meet the dog of your choice. If you have a dog already, it’s important to bring your dog along so that we can ensure they become friends. You will have the opportunity to go for a short walk with both dogs. If you have children, it’s also important to bring the children along so they can feel comfortable in the dog’s presence before you take him/her home.

Step 4: Adoption

The best part! If you and your family feel the dog you’ve met is the right one for you, you will be able to take the dog home with you. You will be asked to fill in some paperwork to say you’ve adopted the dog. You will also need to pay a £300 adoption fee* towards the costs of neutering, microchipping, vaccinating, provision of collar, lead, muzzle and re-homing.

If you haven’t met your perfect match then don’t worry, we are sure they are out there and we will contact you when the next suitable dog becomes available.

*Please note: adoption fees must be paid in full before you can take your new dog home. We take both cash and card payments at our rehoming centre.

Step 5: Follow Up

When you return home with your dog, our post-adoption support service is on hand to help with any queries or problems you might have. We will send you a few emails with helpful resources and contact details to help you in those early stages.

Dogs can take a little time to settle into home life so do allow for this. Adoption is naturally an exciting time for your family, but remember that your new furry friend won’t understand any of this. From their perspective, they have suddenly moved to an unfamiliar environment with a group of strangers.

It will take some time for your dog to learn that your home is now their home, and that they can trust you to take care of them. Dogs cannot think forward in time, they can only learn trust by establishing a routine. You might feel like you want to show off your new dog to friends and family right away, or take them on a trip to see new things, but you should take at least the first couple of weeks to build up their new routine in a calm, controlled environment. Doing too much, too soon will stress your dog and may cause them to become agitated.

If in doubt, our team are always on hand to help with any queries no matter how big or small. Trust us, we’ve heard them all before!

Other Considerations

Families with young children

Because we understand how difficult it is to watch toddlers and small children, we prefer adoptive families to check with us before setting their hearts on adopting one of our dogs. Greyhounds are very special and sweet-natured dogs, but the fact remains they are still animals and from time to time can be unpredictable. If startled or hurt by a falling child or quick movement it is possible for them to become distressed and lash out, which is true of any breed. Thus, as a general rule, children should be over pre-school age, as they have the understanding and ability to learn how to become best friends with your new dog.

Cat & small “furry” owners

Families who own cats or furry animals and wish to adopt greyhounds must understand that there are never any guarantees regarding the animal’s future safety, regardless of how disinterested the greyhound seems to be. We cannot promise that the greyhound will never chase or injure the cat, rabbit etc. We do our best to determine the greyhound’s level of interest, and can give lots of advice during the introduction phases and around control and management in the early days. Despite this, several thousand years of genetic programming and a full racing history of chasing a small thing that moves away can be hard to overcome. Sighthounds should always be supervised when interacting with small animals and should never be left alone or unsupervised with them.

Time the dog is left alone

We understand that people have to work, so if you do work full time we will still consider homing a dog with you, as long as you can provide a dog walker or someone to pop around in the day to take your dog out for a walk or to spend some time with them to break up the day. If you do work full time and you have someone in mind to help keep your dog stimulated during the time you’re out of the house it would be helpful for them to be present when meeting the dog. Dogs are pets that need companionship but some dogs can adjust to being left for a few hours well; we can advise on the individual dogs’ needs and do our best to match a dog to your requirements.