Greyhound Adoption California is a chapter of Greyhound Pets of America (1-800-366-1472).

Greyhound Fostering and Profile After the transport has arrived, we place our dogs with a foster family prior to adption. All of our foster families are experienced greyhound adopters. A new greyhound will spend at least two weeks in it’s foster home. This foster home time gives each greyhound time to unwind from the track/kennel mentality and begin to adjust to life in a home. For each of these greyhounds, this will be their first exposure to life as a pet. Such things as carpet, doors, soft pillows to sleep on, the freedom to wander from room to room and the ability to go “outside” to do their business when they want, are all new concepts to each greyhound. While most greyhounds “get it” pretty quickly, it is still an adjustment. While in it’s foster home, the foster family will expose their foster greyhound to everyday life: going out in public, being exposed to children, cats and small dogs. Each greyhound is “Crate Trained” at the track, in that they know not to soil the crate that they live in. The foster family will work with the foster greyhound to expand the concept of their crate, to encompass the entire house, in essence “house breaking” the greyhound. The foster family also writes up a profile of their foster greyhound. Such items as a greyhound’s activity level, sleeping patterns, play level, indoor/outdoor preferences, bathroom habits, behavior on a leash, separation anxiety and their reaction to being in public, around cats, small dogs and small children are all documented. Greyhound / Adopter Matching When a family is ready to adopt a greyhound, we match the profile of the family to a greyhound with an appropriate temperament. We look at all those elements that make each family and each greyhound unique. For example, a family that is active will typically want a greyhound with a high activity level, and enjoys going for lots of “rides”. This matching has proven to be key in increasing the likelihood that the greyhound will fit into its new family lifestyle, becoming a member of the family with minimal stress on the part of the family or the greyhound. Whenever possible, we will put the adoptive family in touch with the foster family. This way the adoptive family can hear first hand about their new greyhound and make arrangements to meet. There are times that when a family is ready, we do not have an appropriate greyhound available. While disappointing, it is important that we wait to get a greyhound that will be a fit with the family. Placing a greyhound that doesn’t match up with the family, can lead to frustration on the part of the family and a greyhound that acts up, because it is not happy. Despite everyone’s best efforts, there are times that a placement simply doesn’t work out. In some cases, we didn’t get the match quite right, or in others, there is a significant change in lifestyle on the part of the adoptive family, and the greyhound is not able to make the adjustment. Greyhound Adoption California will always take back a greyhound we have placed. That greyhound is always taken care of. Follow-up Care After a new family has received their greyhound, the Placement Rep will stay in touch with the family to address any problems and symptoms, before they develop into bigger problems. Your Placement Rep has the resources of Greyhound Adoption California at their disposal. With over 425 greyhounds placed into permanent homes, Greyhound Adoption California has amassed quite a knowledge base on greyhound behavior. We also have access to the knowledge base of Greyhound Pets of America which has been adopting greyhounds for over 25 years. The Placement Rep will introduce a new family to other adoptive families in the neighborhood or area, so that the families can get together for “play dates”, or to swap or share dog-sitting when needed. When a family needs to have a dog sitter for their greyhound, we will put out the word around the Greyhound Adoption California family to try to help find someone who can help out. We publish a newsletter in e-mail 4 times a year to keep in touch with our adopters and to encourage our adopters to keep in touch with each other. We hold a picnic each year, in the Bay Area. This picnic has gotten bigger each year, being attended by nearly 100 greyhounds and their adopters. The picnic is a wonderful environment for greyhound adopters to gather to share experiences and tips with other adopters.