Charity Appeals For More Greyhound Owners

A dog charity has issued an appeal to dog lovers to consider a retired greyhound rather than the cuddly puppy option when choosing a new pet.

-, UT (prHWY.com) August 30, 2011 - A dog charity has issued an appeal to dog lovers to consider a retired greyhound rather than the cuddly puppy option when choosing a new pet.

The call comes as the Retired Greyhound Trust, the charity which finds homes for greyhounds at the end of their racing careers, announces an improvement in its half yearly homing figures.

The Trust has seen homings up from 1,916 last year to 1,931 at the end of June this year - a 1% increase. But figures are still down on record homing levels at the six month marker in 2009, which stood at 2,230.

Peter Laurie, Chief Executive of Retired Greyhound Trust, said: "It is difficult to compete with the cuddly puppy option, but we would appeal to anyone considering a dog for a pet to consider a retired greyhound. They make fantastic pets. Greyhounds all have very different personalities - some like children and others prefer the peace and quiet of an elderly companion and others like to live with other animals. The great thing about taking on an adult greyhound is that we know what they like and how they behave, so we can match the right dog with the right family or owner.

"Thanks to the terrific work of our volunteers, the figures are going in the right direction, but there are still many dogs that need loving new homes at our 72 branches across the country.

"The dogs we have in kennels undergo a transformation when they leave the track. They turn from speed machines to docile couch potatoes who like nothing more than to loll around and get fussed. All they want is a loving family or owner to look after them," he added.

To find out how to adopt a retired greyhound, please contact the Retired Greyhound Trust Trust head office and they will put you in touch with your local branch, tel: 020 8335 3016 or log on to http://www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk.

For further media information, photographs or interviews please contact:

Helen Barklam in the Retired Greyhound Trust communications team, tel: 01772 785392 or 07917 148900.

Notes to editors

The charity has housed more than 50,000 dogs since it was set up in 1975. Around 9,000 greyhounds retire from racing each year.

The Retired Greyhound Trust has 72 branches across the country made up of volunteers who are dedicated to finding homes for the dogs in their areas. Many have websites, showing pictures of the dogs that need homes.

Media Contact Details

Name: Helen Barklam
Company Name: Retired Greyhound Trust
Telephone Number: 01772 785392 or 07917 148900
Email: N/A

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Tag Words: retired greyhound trust, greyhound

Categories: Business

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