Who We Are
Forever Hounds Trust is a UK charity dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming of greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds in need. We have been a registered charity since 1996, changing our name from Greyhound Rescue West of England in 2016.

Our Mission is to rescue unwanted, abused, or abandoned greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds from all over the UK. We care for them in line with best practice at our Centre near Cullompton in Devon, and strive to find loving, permanent homes for them.
We aim to keep hounds in homes by providing free post homing behavioural support for the life of any dog adopted from us.
We are run by a small, dedicated team of staff and Trustees, covering all aspects of charity management and are supported by a team of passionate volunteers performing a variety of roles in various parts of the country.
We strive for and promote improved sighthound welfare by:
- Highlighting the plight of greyhounds and lurchers.
- Recording and reporting the mistreatment of dogs that arrive in our care.
- Showing our support for the phasing out of greyhound racing in the UK and
around the world. - Highlighting and gaining support against practices where sighthound welfare
is compromised.
Read more about why we support the phasing out of greyhound racing in the UK and worldwide here.

Assessing and Matching
When it comes to adopting one of our hounds, Forever Hounds Trust have very few blanket rules in place. We will place dogs in homes without gardens, with people who work full time, with young children, with elderly people, as only pets, with small breed dogs and even with cats. Our prime concern is that the home is suitable for the dog, and we ascertain that through our assessing and matching process.

When we take a dog in from a pet home, we have the opportunity to get a wealth of information about the dog from their previous family. Sadly, this is a luxury we don’t have for the majority of our dogs. We receive many strays with an unknown history, and almost all of our greyhounds come directly from the racing industry, so they have had extremely limited experience of the ‘real’ world.
Alongside any information we receive, we undertake a thorough assessment of each dog. This assessment is done both on and off-site to see how they cope in different situations so we can understand what sort of home they would thrive in.
Supported by our experienced team the dogs are carefully exposed to things they may never have encountered before, such as different environments, types of people, dogs of all sizes, and other animals. Their reactions are closely monitored and recorded to allow us to see how comfortable or uncomfortable they are with everything they encounter. We can then establish what sort of home environment would suit them best.

Once we understand the dog’s needs, we look at the applications we have received to see if we can match a home offer to the dog in question. If an individuals circumstances match the needs of the dog, then the route to adoption can commence.
We are very proud of our assessing and matching process as we know we have done everything we can to set the homing up to succeed. That, combined with our free post homing behavioural support ensures we can keep as many dogs in their new homes as possible.
Afterall, a forever home should be just that…forever.
Quality vs Quantity
We want to help as many hounds as we can to get into forever homes, however, the dog has to be ready to start their new life, and the home has to be right for them.
The very nature of the plight of greyhounds and lurchers means that we take in physically and psychologically damaged hounds and in many cases we cannot put a time on how long it will take to rehabilitate them. The following points are just some of the factors which determine how long a dog may stay in our care:
- How long it takes them to settle into our kennel environment.
- How long it takes them to trust our team; their new carers.
- Any veterinary care required.
- Any behavioural support or guidance they may need.
- The number of specific homing requirements they have.

Some dogs that don’t need too much input and are very flexible with their needs may be ready to home in a matter of weeks once their assessment is complete. Other dogs sadly may take months, even years due to the toll their previous life has taken on them.
The current and future welfare of our dogs is our prime concern and we focus on quality of care and rehabilitation creating an individual plan for every hound we take in to get them to their forever home.
We also run a Home from Home scheme which enables a dog to stay in the comfort of their own home whilst we seek to match them with a new family. This scheme aims to minimise any upheaval for the dog in question. As with all our dogs, only suitable homes will be considered and we cannot put a timeframe on how long the process will take.
We don’t focus on the quantity of dogs we will home each month, or year. We focus on the quality of our rehabilitation process and successfully getting them into their forever homes.
How You Can Help
We rely on our supporters, donations from the public, Charitable Trusts and legacies, to cover the substantial costs of caring for, healing and homing these beautiful hounds. Legacy gifts are hugely valuable to us, significantly increasing the support we are able to give to dogs in need.
Regular Giving

A regular, monthly donation helps us to plan long-term and ensure that we can help more hounds in the months and years to come.
Giving £5, £10, £20 or more each month is a budget friendly way to support us and can provide life changing care to hounds who need our help.
One Off Donation
Every single penny counts, so if you don’t want to set up a regular donation, you can donate a one off donation which will make a difference to our hounds.
In Memory Giving
In memory giving is the act of paying tribute to someone dear to you by donating to a charity that they supported during their lifetime, in their memory.
You may wish to ask your friends and family to make a charitable donation instead of buying flowers. You can send your gift to Forever Hounds Trust by cheque or bank transfer, either directly or through a funeral director, or you may prefer to include a request for donations in funeral announcements or at the funeral service. The choice of in memory giving is a reflection of a loved one’s life, interests and values. It is a very special, personal way of remembering a relative or friend and is a meaningful tribute to a loved one and a valued contribution to the work of our charity; rescuing, caring for and homing sighthounds.
Leaving a Gift in Your Will

After you have made provisions in your will for family, friends and companion animals, you may wish to leave a gift to Forever Hounds Trust. We have set out some suggested wording for different types of legacies which can be found on our website, or can be requested by email. We recommend that you always seek professional advice when drawing up or amending your will.
More details here
Frequently Asked Questions
How many dogs do you have in your care at any one time?
We usually care for around 16 dogs at our Centre. We also have dogs in foster homes, and dogs who are staying in their homes whilst we match them with their new families.
Where do you receive dogs from?
We take dogs in from a variety of sources from around the country – owners who can no longer care for their dogs, greyhounds who are no longer wanted in the racing industry, dog wardens, other rescues etc.
What is your stance on the greyhound racing industry?
We see first-hand the emotional and physical scars ex-racing greyhounds suffer. Therefore, we are calling for a phasing out of greyhound racing.
What dogs do you currently have available?
The dogs that we currently have available can be found on our website.
Can I visit your dogs in kennels?
Unfortunately, we do not operate an open kennel policy. Any meetings with our dogs is by appointment only, as part of the homing process.
I want to adopt a dog, what should I do?
You can register your interest to home a dog on our website.
What if I can’t keep a dog I’ve adopted from you?
We provide post homing support for the life of the dog to try and keep them in their home. If for any reason you are no longer able to provide the care they need, we commit to taking them back into our care.
Can I volunteer for Forever Hounds Trust?
Yes! We welcome applications for volunteers who are both local to our Centre in Devon, and from around the country – we always have remote roles available. Please visit the volunteering page on our website.
How can I help the hounds?
You can donate here and find out other ways you can help here. You can help us raise
awareness by following us on social media and sharing our posts.

There are various ways you can keep up to date with everything Forever Hounds Trust.
Follow us on social media
Sign up to Hound Highlights our email newsletter
Keep an eye on our website.
Do you want all this information in a handy downloadable PDF? Please see below.