We wanted to let you know, beginning this year, Hounds of the Heartland is changing some of our adoption guidelines.
Due to the national shortage of adoptable greyhounds with closings of tracks and farms, we will only work applications in the Oklahoma City metro areas to include: Bethany, Edmond, Moore, Norman, Mustang, Piedmont, Warr Acres and Yukon.
Because of this delay, we ask for your patience with the adoption application process. Please know, applications can take months to find the right dog for your home. Applications with cats, can take even longer.
Hounds of the Heartland will no longer adopt to families living in apartments, or without a fenced in yard.
Thank you for your continued support and love of these magnificent creatures!
Steps to adopting a greyhound from Hounds of the Heartland:
Once we receive your application, one of our board members will follow up with your veterinary reference and then give you a call to talk about your application within 3 days. After we have spoken with you we will follow up with the references you listed on your adoption application.
Selecting Your Greyhound:
If everything checks out with your veterinarian and references, we will decide together which greyhound may be right for you. Whether or not you have children, cats, small dogs, a fenced yard, etc. as well as the hours you are home during the week and what activity level you are looking for are important topics to cover. Your new companion will be spayed or neutered, current on vaccinations, free of intestinal parasites and heartworms and have clean teeth. They will also come with their very own martingale collar & leash for you to keep.
We will make an appointment to do a home check (we may or may not bring the greyhound with us at this time, depending on our schedule) We will look for any major areas of concern such as broken fences, unlocked gates, sharp objects in the home or yard, etc. This is for safety purposes only, and we appreciate you allowing us to give you suggestions as to how to make your home safer for your new family member. At this time we will also be able to see the interaction between you, your family, and your other pets (if you have them) and the greyhound.
If you plan on crating your dog (which, in most cases, we recommend) we ask that you purchase a 48″ crate before we leave the greyhound with you, as we don’t have enough crates to loan them out to all potential adopters. After the home check we will leave the greyhound with you and follow up with you about its progress. The $500 adoption fee is due at the time your greyhound comes to stay with you. We will not cash the check for two (2) weeks or until the adoption is finalized and the contract is signed. If during the trial period you feel a greyhound is not for you, the check will be returned to you when we come to pick up the dog.
The adoption is not finalized until you feel comfortable with the dog in your home and think it is the right match. If for some reason it is not working out, we can work to place a different dog in your home in order to create the best environment for the dog and your family. We do, however, expect you to be willing to put a reasonable amount of effort into your new family member’s adjustment to your home. Remember, it is just as important that the dog feel comfortable as it is for you and your family.
Finalizing the Adoption:
Once you have decided to adopt your greyhound, we will set up a day and time to finalize the adoption. At this time, you will sign adoption paperwork agreeing to all of our policies on greyhound ownership and receive their veterinary records and uniquely numbered ID tag. After the adoption we will deposit the adoption fee.