Since GAGR is a new group, I thought it might be of interest to know what the process is for educating our applicants, obtaining our ex-racers and providing life long support for our new adopters.

We strive to provide potential adopters with as much information on greyhounds as possible. Everyone who owns a greyhound knows what wonderful pets they make. Some adjust to retirement without any problems at all. Some have a harder time adjusting to home life. We want to inform potential adopters of the wonderful qualities greyhounds have but we also want to prepare them for some of the other behaviors they may encounter. We will discuss dominance issues, separation anxiety and fear aggression with potential adopters. Knowing that these behaviors can occur in a small percentage of dogs will better prepare the adopter in the event their dog suffers from one of these behavioral problems. Our volunteers who help at meet and greets and do home visits are all trained to discuss these issues when talking to prospective adopters. We feel strongly that the better informed our adopters are the more successful the adoption will be.

Once a potential adopter has been approved, we send a complete profile of the family to one of several race tracks that we deal with. Our greyhounds will be coming from the Melbourne track in Florida, the Orlando track in Florida and from the Dubuque Iowa track. All of these tracks do an excellent job of matching dogs to the profile we send them. They are able to live cat test and to test the greyhounds with children of various ages. They also know the temperament and energy level of the dogs they send us. This ensures that the right greyhound will be going to the right family.

A few days after the greyhound arrives home the adoptive family will receive a call from their adoption representative. The adoption representative will answer any questions that the new owner has. After this initial contact, a Greyhound Buddy will be assigned to the new adopter. They will call or e-mail the new adopter on a regular basis and will be able to help with any questions or problems the adopter has. GAGR pledges its support to the adopter and their greyhound for the life of the greyhound.