Adopting a greyhound is a serious, lifelong commitment. If you have any concerns about meeting these guidelines, we encourage you to thoughtfully reconsider applying for adoption to ensure the best outcomes for our greyhounds.

Here’s what to know about adopting:

Household Harmony: We ask that all adults in the household be fully on board with bringing a greyhound into your home.

Pet Care: For homes with existing pets, they should be up-to-date on vaccinations, heartworm prevention, and spayed/neutered (medical exceptions considered). We’ll work with your veterinarian to ensure your pet’s health is ready for a new companion.

Financial Preparedness: Adopters should be ready to embrace the financial aspects of caring for a greyhound, from food to veterinary care.

Children in the Home: Families with young children or frequently visiting children (like neighbors, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews) will be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure the best environment for all.

Yard Safety: A fenced yard is preferred for many of our greys. Here’s what we look for:

• Direct access from the home to a securely fenced area with a minimum height of 4 feet (5 feet or more is even better).

• Fences should be in good condition with secure, lockable gates.

• Electric, underground, invisible, barbed wire, 3-4 horizontal board (livestock-style) fences, or portable kennel runs are not permitted for greyhounds.

Time Consideration: Greyhounds thrive on companionship. If you’re away for more than 8 hours at a time, you’ll need to arrange for daycare or in-home care.

Cat/Small Dog Compatibility: Our cat/small dog trainable greyhounds are limited in number, so patience may be needed as we match the perfect greyhound to your home.

Indoor Companionship: Your greyhound must be kept as an indoor pet in a climate-controlled environment. This means no extended unsupervised time outside, and they cannot be housed in garages, barns, outdoor kennels/pens, or left outside alone while no one is home.

Family Companion Only: Our greyhounds are placed solely as cherished family members. They cannot be used for business, medical, or experimental purposes, including racing, hunting, breeding, laboratory research, blood donation, or any other commercial activity.

Financial Commitment: Caring for a greyhound involves ongoing costs, estimated at a minimum of $1,500 per year. This covers high-quality food, routine vet visits, heartworm testing, monthly prevention for heartworms, vaccinations, flea/tick treatments, intestinal worm care, dental maintenance, a crate, toys, licensing, grooming, boarding, and emergency vet needs as necessary. Please ensure you are prepared for this lifelong responsibility.

Proper Equipment: Your greyhound should always wear a correctly-sized martingale collar with identification. Use a standard leash when walking them; retractable or flexi-leads are not permitted.

Legal Compliance: You agree to follow all state and local regulations for pet licensing and vaccinations.

Here’s what we ask of our adopters:

If you have reviewed and agree to the adoption eligibility and requirements, we invite you to complete and submit our online Adoption Application.

The questions in our application are designed to help our adoption counselors
identify the perfect greyhound match for your home.

We’re excited to help you find your next
greyt family member!

What happens after I submit my application?

• After submitting your application, you will receive an automated confirmation email – be sure to check your spam folder if it doesn’t appear right away. Our dedicated volunteers strive to review and process applications within one week.

• Once your application has been received, an adoption counselor will reach out to discuss your application and answer any questions you may have.

• Once your application is approved, our adoption coordinator will contact you to inform you of any foster greyhounds currently available that could be a great fit for your family.

• When a potential match is identified, we will arrange a meeting between you and the greyhound to ensure compatibility.

• If everyone agrees it’s a perfect match, you will complete an Adoption Contract Agreement, pay the adoption fee, and officially welcome a retired racing greyhound into your home!

• As part of the process, we will also contact your veterinarian to verify that your current pets are up-to-date on vaccinations and heartworm prevention. A home visit may be scheduled to help us ensure the best match between you and your new companion.

Our goal is to place each greyhound in a home where they can truly thrive, focusing on personality,
temperament, and activity level rather than just appearance.

Greyhound Care & Adoption of North Carolina reserves the right to approve or deny
any application at any stage of the process.