Greyhound adoption

Greyhound adoption or Greyhound rescue programs focus on finding homes for Greyhounds who are no longer needed for racing. In some countries they live in kennels at the track.

Currently, most Greyhound adoption programs are based in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In Europe groups deal with dogs from a variety of sources; for example, in Spain, ex-hunting dogs are often in need of rescuing along with Greyhounds.

The Greyhound adoption movement grew out of a concern by a diverse community of people about the welfare among dogs in the commercial racing industry.

Greyhound adoption was started by the greyhound industry in the late 1970s. Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) was established in 1987 for the purpose of finding homes for ex-racing greyhounds, and educating the public on the suitability and availability of greyhounds as pets. GPA is the largest non-profit greyhound adoption group. Since its creation GPA has adopted out over 65,000 greyhounds. In 1989 David Wolf founded the National Greyhound Adoption Program (NGAP) mostly with his own resources. He has become the most controversial figure in the greyhound adoption community, and is one of the most outspoken critics of the greyhound racing industry. The Greyhound Project maintains a directory of hundreds of greyhound adoption agencies throughout the world.

Over time as the number of adoption groups has grown, a deep ideological division regarding Greyhound racing has developed. Some groups are generally opposed to any form of Greyhound racing for any purpose. Others are officially racing neutral, meaning they neither oppose nor endorse dog racing.

Historically Greyhounds have had a reputation for being gentle, people-centered dogs, and "par-excellence for persons wishing for a companion for themselves or their children." When Greyhound adoption first started in the United States, many people associated with racing argued that Greyhounds did not make suitable pets. However, as the number of greyhounds successfully transitioning from tracks to households has risen, many people have come to believe that greyhounds are good companions. They describe Greyhounds as gentle and affectionate dogs who adapt easily to household life because they have clean, short coats and require only moderate exercise.

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