93 percent of greyhounds retiring from the sport in the UK are homed
The annual retirement data report from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain shows that in 2023 93% of retired greyhounds found a loving home at the end of their racing careers. That's a 5% increase from 2018.
As a sport we are proud to know that such a high percentage of greyhounds are homed when they retire from racing. The close tracking of greyhounds means that we know this number and, although we of course wish it was 100%, people can only guess what percentage of other breeds aren’t kept until their old age or can’t be rehomed if their early home doesn’t work out.
It is noticeable that the number of greyhounds retained by their owners or trainers has increased significantly. Greyhound racing, like anything else is not immune to the economic crisis. Homing centres for all breeds are struggling to find homes as people can’t afford pets so homing centre spaces for greyhounds are at a premium. Trainers are therefore keeping the dogs upon retirement until spaces can be found. Homing figures have been improved in recent years due to the GBGB’s Greyhound Retirement Scheme whereby a greyhound goes to a homing centre carrying a £420 bond to help cover some of the costs of finding his or her forever family.
