Finding your new best friend

 

Is a Greyhound the right dog for me?

Greyhounds belong to the sighthound group of dogs and were historically valued hunting companions. They are a large breed of dog and with an average life expectancy of 10 to 12 years tend to live longer than many similar sized dogs. They are free from many common heritable diseases such as hip-dysplasia that affect other purebreds. You can find more information on their breed here. In spite of being considered the fastest of all dog breeds, they have a reputation for being couch potatoes. They tend to be gentle in how they interact with people and enjoy the finer things in life like a warm fleece and a soft bed.  

Even though they are adult dogs, ex-racing greyhounds have not had the same experiences as pet dogs. Most greyhounds will have only known racing and kennel life; the change in what their new family will expect from them is huge. We provide you in our training section with resources to guide you through the first settling in phase, to build a secure and strong attachment, and to integrate them slowly into their new surroundings.

Please take a moment to read through our most frequently asked questions asked questions to make sure that adopting a greyhound is the right choice for you. 

Adoption process

At GAP we either rehome hounds straight from the three GRNZ kennels (located in Cambridge, Levin, and Rangiora) or we rehome from our nationwide network of volunteer foster homes. Our foster carers gradually introduce the hounds to the big wide world one paw at a time and give them a head start learning what pet life is all about. Our Rehoming Team Leads personally know the greyhounds available for adoption and will have a conversation with you about your individual expectations of owning a pet greyhound, so we can make the best possible match. We will be with you every step of the adoption process and we are here with support and advice long after you adopted your new best friend.

To get you started, please go through the steps below and complete our adoption form. 

 

Step 1: Adoption form 

The first step to finding your furever friend is to complete our online adoption questionnaire. If you are unable to complete the online forms, please contact our National Applications Coordinator – details are on the Gap Crew Page. 

You should hear back from us within 48 hours to confirm we have received your enquiry.

 

Step 2: Meet or chat

We will have a chat with you so we can get to know each other. We will provide you with information on all things greyhound and answer any questions or concerns to ensure you’re prepared.  

If you’d like to meet a greyhound in person before you adopt, we can organize for a local volunteer and their own pet hound to visit you at your own home. You can see a greyhound who has already settled into life as a pet, get a feel for their size, hear anecdotes of life with a hound, and get an insight to the GAP community. While they will try and answer your questions, they may need to refer more complex queries to our rehoming team.  

 

Step 3: The hound hunt begins

Our rehoming team leads personally know the greyhounds for adoption at the 3 GreatMates kennel bases and in our network of foster homes nationwide. We’ll reach out to you to find out what’s most important to you in your new family member so we can match that information against the dogs currently in our care. When making a match, we consider the individual personalities of the greyhounds, your lifestyle and living arrangements and if the hound will need to be okay around children or any existing pets. We want to know how confident you are around dogs or any prior dog experience you have so we can find you the best fit. And of course we consider any personal preferences  

Finding the right greyhound for you is a two-way process. Our rehoming team leads will be looking for your ideal dog, but you’re welcome to contact them directly if you’ve seen a dog you like on the website. The icons next to each listing tell you if they are cat trainable, currently fostered, have a home lined up or prefer a quieter place. 

 

Step 4: Take your hound home

One of our rehoming team leads will be in touch to let you know when we’ve found a match; we will provide more information about the greyhound and organise a time and location to meet. When you have found your chosen companion, you can either pick up your greyhound from our kennels or if you live further away, we can help arrange their transport to a location in your area. If one of our volunteers has helped with transporting your greyhound to your home, we’d be grateful if you would help with their petrol costs. 

If you would like to take your new greyhound home the same day you are welcome to. We will provide an adoption booklet with all the necessary information, their pet passport which includes details of their vaccination and de-sexing, their registration tag and a free training muzzle. 

You can buy everything else you will need from our online shop Greyt Stuff. 

There is an adoption contract to sign and payment of the adoption fee. The adoption fee is currently $450.

Last but not least – when your greyhound has settled in please let us know what they think of their new home and send us a photograph of them with their new family!