How to List a Greyhound for Adoption in the United States

Who should you contact before listing a greyhound for adoption?

• The group you adopted from. NGAP's terms say a dog that cannot be kept must come back to NGAP, which finds it a new home. Other groups offer to take dogs back even when the contract does not require it.
• A greyhound group near you, if the original group no longer operates. Chapters of Greyhound Pets of America, such as Southeastern Greyhound Adoption in Georgia, and regional groups such as MoKan Greyhound Adoption near Kansas City place greyhounds through an application process.
• Your local shelter, which may offer a courtesy listing while the dog stays with you.
• Your own listing, if none of these can help.

Call early: a group usually needs a foster home or kennel space before it can take a dog.

What adopter criteria make sense for a greyhound?

• Leash and fencing. VCA says most greyhounds should not be off leash unless the area is securely fenced. Some groups require a fenced yard; MoKan instead accepts adopters who commit to leashed walks. Decide which you will accept and say so in the ad.
• Cats and small pets. Place the dog with cats only if it has lived safely with cats or passed a cat test, and say which. PetMD notes the breed's very strong prey drive.
• Children. A retired racer may never have lived with children. MoKan asks families with children 13 or under to read an extra book on kids and dogs before adopting; you can ask the same.
• Indoor living. Greyhounds carry little body fat and a short coat, so require that the dog lives indoors and wears a coat in cold weather, as VCA suggests.
• Alone time and routine. Ask how many hours the dog will be alone and where it will sleep.
• Vet care. Ask for the name of the applicant's vet and confirm current pets are vaccinated.

How much should you charge to adopt out a greyhound?

Group fees are higher because they include spay or neuter, a dental cleaning, vaccines, heartworm testing, a microchip, and a collar, lead and muzzle. A modest private fee discourages people looking for a free dog to resell or breed. At least one greyhound group's contract requires adopters to keep the dog as a pet and never use it for breeding, racing or laboratory research; put similar terms in yours. If your dog is not spayed or neutered, do it first or make it a dated condition of the contract.

What should you disclose about a greyhound's health and behavior?

• History. Racing name, the age it retired if known, and its ear tattoos: in NGA-registered dogs the left ear carries the litter registration number and the right ear the birth month, last digit of the birth year and litter order.
• Cats, small dogs and children. What the dog has lived with, how it reacts to a running cat or a small dog, and whether it wears a muzzle for introductions.
• Recall and escapes. Any bolting, door dashing, slipped collars or chasing on walks.
• Anesthesia. Past procedures, the drugs your vet used and how recovery went. PetMD calls the greyhound the only documented breed with a sensitivity to some anesthetic drugs.
• Bloodwork. Copies of past results, because greyhounds normally have a higher packed cell volume and lower albumin than mixed breeds, according to a Clinician's Brief review.
• Other health. Any bloat episode, which PetMD says the breed is predisposed to, dental work, lameness and current medications.
• Home behavior. Crate use, house-training, stairs, time alone and any growl or bite.

How do you write a greyhound adoption listing?

• Say Greyhound (not Italian Greyhound), age, sex, color, weight and spay or neuter status.
• Say whether the dog is a retired racer, raced abroad or AKC-bred.
• State your requirements, such as leash-or-fence or a cat-free home, and the fee and what it covers.
• Describe a normal day: walks, sprints in a fenced area, naps, meals and crate time.
• Use recent photos and a short video of the dog at home and on a walk.

When you are ready, post your greyhound adoption listing under the adoption listing type, and look at other greyhounds listed for adoption to see how they are described. Applicants can message you through PetzLover, so keep your phone number and address out of the ad text.

How do you screen applicants and check their home?

1. Send each applicant the same questions on household, children's ages, other pets, yard, work hours and past dogs.
2. Ask how they would walk the dog, and what they would do if it slipped its collar.
3. Call their vet about current pets.
4. Visit the home with everyone present: check fences, gates and doors, and where the dog would sleep. MoKan does a home visit for every adoption to check for dangers to the dog.
5. Let them walk the dog on its martingale collar and watch how the dog responds.
6. Turn down anyone who wants the dog shipped unseen or who asks about racing or breeding it.

What should the adoption contract and handover include?

• Both names and addresses, the date, the fee, the dog's microchip number and ear tattoos.
• Leash-or-fence terms, indoor living, and no breeding, racing or resale.
• A return clause and, if the dog came from a group, the group's name so it can go back there.
• Agreed check-ins after one week and one month.
• A handover kit: vet and bloodwork records, an anesthesia note for the next vet, medications, a few days of food, a muzzle, a martingale collar with ID tag and a coat.

Transfer the microchip registration the same day; the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup shows which registry holds the chip. If something about an applicant feels wrong, stop and use the Report Scam button on the listing.