Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption (NLGA) is a nonprofit group of volunteers dedicated to finding responsible homes for retired racing greyhounds and educating the public about greyhounds as pets. NLGA has been placing these faithful, loving, and wonderful companions for over 27 years. In that time, we have found homes for over 1,600 dogs. Our experienced adoption coordinators will work closely with you to find out if a greyhound is the right breed for you, your family, and your lifestyle.
Adoption Policy
HOW TO ADOPT
PLEASE NOTE: If you are interested in adopting a greyhound, please read through the requirements outlined below and complete and submit an application. Unfortunately, due to the process and timing of how dogs are adopted and matched with their potential families, we are not able to allow individuals to meet dogs prior to an application being received, reviewed and approved.
Steps to Initiate the Adoption Process:
• Begin your own research to see if a greyhound is right for you. Read Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Cynthia Branigan or Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood. Please note – reading one of the two materials referenced in this step is a required part in the adoption process for all applicants. I In addition, please remember that it is the policy of Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption not to adopt to families with children under the age of six.
• Meet a greyhound! Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption sponsors regularly scheduled events where you will have an opportunity to spend some time with these beautiful dogs. Call us and we will be happy to let you know where our next scheduled event will take place.
• After your research, if you feel a greyhound is right for you, please click here for our adoption application. After you have filled it out, send it back to us. You can mail the application to NLGA (11247 Foley Boulevard, Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448), or email the scanned application to
[email protected] or [email protected]
• One of our adoption coordinators will call you to review your application. During this interview we will help you determine if a greyhound is right for your lifestyle and answer any questions you may have. Your application will then be assigned to one of our adoption coordinators. Once we review of your application to ensure that it is complete and everything is approved, our coordinators will set up an appointment for you to meet your potential new Greyhound!
o Before you come to your adoption appointment, please make sure you have everything in place for your new dog. Basic necessities are a crate (NLGA recommends plastic crates over the wire variety), food dish and water dish, and a dog bed. Contrary to what you may have read or heard elsewhere, please DO NOT use raised feeders and water bowls. NLGA will send you home with a small bag of the kibble that your greyhound has been eating.
o Please be patient during this phase of the adoption. We know how anxious and excited you are. We are excited for you too! We take all of the applications in the order that we receive them and everyone at Northern Lights Greyhound Adoption is a volunteer.
o If you have any questions at any time during the adoption process, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
• Come to the adoption appointment. This meeting usually takes about two hours and should be attended by everyone who will be living with the greyhound. If you have another dog, please bring him/her with you, too. If you decide to adopt one the hound that you meet, the adoption fee of $428.50 (effective February 1, 2020) will be payable at this time. Note: We can only accept cash or a check for adoption fees.
Please call us if you have any questions or concerns about your new pet. Our adoption representative will call you within a few days to see how you and your greyhound are doing. We maintain an ongoing system of support for all our greyhound adopters, staffed by knowledgeable greyhound owners and veterinarians.
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