Please open your home & heart to a senior grey

Fosters and Forever Families Needed For Senior Greyhounds

As our situation with COVID continues and grows, and people are having a hard time financially and physically, we are finding that some people are having a hard time keeping their beloved  4-legged family members.  Many of these fur babies are “Seniors”(ages 8+ years old) that have been in their home for many years.  When we get the calls from shelters or families that have/or are relinquishing these babies we have to act fast and try to get them into a loving and stable foster home so they can transition as easily as possible.  They come to us stressed, not eating, underweight and depressed.  It is so wonderful when we have families who are ready to take these precious ones into their homes.  If you have ever considered fostering and would like to start with a Grey that is easily transitioned, I highly recommend the Seniors.  The ones that have been in homes are house savvy, house broken, very “chilled,” and just want a comfortable, calm place to hang out and be loved. The down side to fostering the Seniors is that you may have them in your home for longer because they typically take longer to place.  Which brings me to my next request/appeal:

REGAP and hundreds of shelters and rescue groups find that they often have Seniors that need to be adopted.  There are times when we have many of them in our adoption programs. We have heard for years that people are hesitant to adopt a Senior dog because they won’t live as long as a young one.  Our response and our knowledge from years of experience is that there is no guarantee, no matter what age you adopt, that they have a given number of years to live.  My first Greyhound I adopted (who, by the way, was the reason and inspiration for myself and my late husband to establish KCREGAP) was 2 years old.  She lived for only 1 year before she passed away of pancreatitis.  Yet I have adopted Seniors that have lived until 14 and 15 years old!!! They have lived such hard lives and so deserve to spend the rest of their lives in a comfortable, loving home where they are treasured and treated with respect and care. I have found they are so easy to train, are very calm, and incredibly thankful to have a home.  Those sweet Seniors that have been relinquished desperately need to get into a home because they stress out so much with the change in their lives.  The Seniors lucky enough to have somehow ended up in shelters because the racing industry is through with them, are willing and perfectly capable to learn and do so very quickly.  They are sweet and gentle, and relish a soft spot and your affection.

Personally, I would always choose a Senior over a young dog because of the ease of their transitions , their calm and easy demeanor, and their desire to be loved.  So, if you are thinking of adopting your first Greyhound or adding to your existing 4-legged family, I ask you to please consider a Senior.  They are such a joy and so rewarding to live with…I know you won’t be sorry! They still have so much love and life to give you!!!!

Thank you for your care and consideration,

Cher Oliver