Read our strategy document in this attractive document, or as detailed below.
Recovery, Stability, Visibility
The Trustees are pleased to present the 2024-2027 strategic plan “Recovery, Stability and Visibility”. This plan is developed in the context of increasing pressure on the rescue community, a challenging economic environment for funders and donors, increasing surrenders of cherished pets due to a cost-of-living crisis and growing costs for the charity. But we are optimistic for the years ahead, Forever Hounds Trust has a strong presence in the greyhound and lurcher rescue community, a good reputation for our standards of care and rehabilitation and we remain committed to our strong anti-racing stance.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to rescue unwanted, abused, or abandoned greyhounds, lurchers and other sighthounds in any part of the country. We care for them in line with best practice at our Centre in Devon, finding loving, permanent homes for them all, resources allowing. We strive for and promote improved sighthound welfare.
Our Vision
Our Vision is a day when every greyhound and lurcher is free from risk or need.
Strategic Direction
Our 3-year strategy is based on the themes of recovery, stability, and visibility
Recovery
- To build a stronger and more stable base of income source.
- To establish our kennel operations at the Centre in Devon.
- To build on our volunteer base.
Stability
- To establish regular and stable sources of income.
- To make long term investment decisions that allow us to support the needs of those hounds coming into our care now and in the future.
Visibility
- To be visible in the sighthound rescue community, with a reputation for high standards of care and rehabilitation, a model of excellence in the Centre.
- A visible and valuable presence supporting organisations for a phasing out of greyhound racing.
Our Approach
Our approach is to deliver our work through a small number of paid staff supported by a large group of volunteers. We respect all the time that people freely give and must support them to give their best efforts for the work of the charity.
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 do not focus on numbers – the very nature of the plight of greyhounds and lurchers means that we take in physically and psychologically damaged hounds in many cases and cannot put a time on how long it will take to rehabilitate them.
We will be transparent and share our knowledge with our stakeholders to achieve our mission. We will ensure volunteers and supporters have the knowledge and materials they need to promote the work of the charity, raise funds and promote greyhounds and lurchers as wonderful companions in the home.
Passionate
Every dog should be protected from abuse and have a permanent loving home.
Compassionate
Acting in the best interest of our dogs to give the best possible care; we will not euthanise a healthy, rehomable dog.
Professional
Working to the highest standards to match our dogs to the right forever home for the dog and adopter.
This strategy will focus on high level ambitions. The Forever Hounds Trust Board will have oversight and will be accountable for the delivery of the strategy. Delivery will be supported by sub-committees of the Board, with lead Trustees in each area. Annual operational plans will be developed, and the Trustees will report on progress through the Strategic Report in the Annual Accounts each year. Those ambitions are:
Securing our financial footing
We will put the charity funding on a secure footing – building funds for rescue, rehabilitation, and care of greyhounds and lurchers, have a sufficient reserve to deal with unexpected events and create an investment fund for the development of the Centre.
Attracting and retaining the very best staff and volunteers
We will develop and support staff, volunteers, supporters, donors, adopters, and wider community to advocate for greyhounds and lurchers. People are important for the success in delivering this strategy and we will attract and retain the right people to help deliver our work.
Working to a high standard for welfare and homing
We will focus on the rehabilitation of hounds; each having an individual care plan and finding the right forever home for them. We will aim to have very low return rates due to effective matching and dedicated post homing support for the whole life of the dog. This means the focus is on quality not quantity.
Delivering engaging communications and proactively showing our support for the phasing out of greyhound racing
We will develop and implement a communications plan to share updates on our work, good news, developments in the campaign to phase out greyhound racing and how we are doing against this strategy. Our communications plan will support all our goals in enhancing our reach, income, finding new homes for dogs, providing homing advice, campaigning, and support for volunteers.
Further info
How we are funded
We are independent from the Greyhound Racing industry and receive no funding from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. We rely on funds from individual supporters, voluntary fundraisers, legacies, and grants from Trusts and Foundations.
People homing dogs from Forever Hounds Trust contribute towards our funds, and we ask for a donation from people handing in their dogs to us, except in cases of genuine personal hardship.
Our policy on euthanasia
Forever Hounds Trust will never to put a healthy dog to sleep. Euthanasia is only ever considered in cases of physical ill-health (under vet advice), on welfare grounds or if the dog poses a significant danger to humans or other dogs.