950 Lives Saved in 2016!

Forever Hounds Trust is celebrating after saving the lives of 950 greyhounds and lurchers in 2016, its 20^th birthday year.

The Trust has been dedicated to rescuing and homing these dogs for the last two decades, but has seen finding homes for them increasingly difficult in recent years. However, thanks to the total dedication and determination of their volunteers and staff, 2016 saw an increase in the number of dogs they were able to help.

Emily Burns-Sweeney, Director of Homing, Kennelling and Welfare for Forever Hounds Trust says: “Every dog successfully homed frees up a space for another to be rescued, meaning that 475 dogs homed in 2016 resulted in 950 lives being saved, which is an amazing achievement in the current homing climate.”

Sadly there are always more dogs needing rescuing than there are spaces available, and this is a problem that has increased in recent years.

Financial difficulties, people returning to full time employment and a reduction in home ownership, meaning more people are in rented accommodation and unable to keep pets, are all having an effect on the number of people that are able to offer a rescue dog a home.

Emily adds: “Despite all this 2016 proved a positive one for Forever Hounds Trust and we were able to rescue and find homes for more dogs than in the previous four years. Greyhounds and lurchers make wonderful pets and we are grateful that we have found so many loving families who will now be enjoying life with their new pets.”

2017 has brought with it more dogs in need of forever homes and the charity are still appealing for people to get in touch if they are considering adopting a dog. These dogs are excellent companion animals.

Greyhounds are affectionately known as the ‘40mph couch potato’ because although they do like a couple of short walks a day, they are then happy to spend the rest of the time relaxing on the sofa. Although they can be quite large dogs, they don’t need a huge amount of space, so can be suitable for people with small homes, and their calm nature also makes them a great choice of pet for older and retired people.

Lurchers can be a little more energetic than greyhounds, and make wonderful family pets. A lurcher is a sighthound crossed with any other type of dog, which means that they come in all shapes and sizes, and so are suitable for most people.

For more information on the dogs currently in need of a new home, please visit www.foreverhoundstrust.org, call 03000 111 100 or email enquiries@foreverhoundstrust.org.