Adopting a greyhound in Plymouth: rescues, costs and care

The count under the short answer is live: every greyhound listed with us within about 25 miles of Plymouth, each linked to its rescue on our Plymouth greyhound page. Lurchers and greyhound crosses have their own Plymouth lurcher page. Most of these dogs are at Gables, at Plympton, and Woodside, just east of the city.

Racing. About 8,000 greyhounds retire each year, the Greyhound Trust says, and it finds homes for around half; its breed profile puts the usual retirement age at three to five. The national charity homes them through volunteer branches, with each dog neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and four weeks' free insurance; search its site for a branch.

Lurchers turn up in rescue too. A lurcher, says Dogs Trust, is a sighthound such as a greyhound, whippet or saluki crossed with another breed, so the mix varies from dog to dog: ask the rescue about the individual dog rather than going by the label.

A rescue greyhound comes with its vet work started, and the rescue already knows how it behaves with people and other dogs. Woodside's £200 for a dog over 6 months covers vaccination, neutering, a microchip and flea and worm treatment; Gables' £150 for a crossbreed dog includes a behavioural assessment as well as the vet work.

Buy a puppy and those bills move to you. PDSA puts a large dog's set-up costs, vaccinations and neutering among them, at £560, then at least £116 a month. That comes after the £400 to £3,000 Blue Cross quotes for the puppy.

Teeth come first. In a Royal Veterinary College VetCompass study of 5,419 greyhounds seen by UK vets in 2016, dental disease affected 39.0 per cent, far more than any other problem; overgrown nails affected 11.1 per cent and osteoarthritis 4.6 per cent. The paper links some of this to their racing years. Ask about:

• Teeth and old injuries. What dental work has the rescue's vet done, and does the dog have any track injury or stiffness?
• Other conditions. PDSA lists bloat (a twisted stomach and an emergency), gum disease, progressive retinal atrophy (gradual sight loss), bone cancer and von Willebrand's disease, a bleeding disorder.
• Nerves. Greyhound neuropathy, a nerve disease, has a DNA test that The Royal Kennel Club wants breeders to use.

The rescues near Plymouth differ most on gardens. Woodside needs a fully enclosed garden with fencing on average 6ft and turns down homes with no garden or a communal one. Forever Hounds Trust considers homes without gardens and smaller properties case by case. Gables matches each dog to a home after a behaviourist's assessment and brings the dog for a home visit before it goes, so describe your home and garden fully on its form.

Whichever you choose, ask the rescue what fence height it needs for the dog, and check yours before the home visit.

Greyhounds need less exercise than people expect: PDSA suggests about an hour a day in all. A greyhound can live in a smaller home if those walks happen, which is why Forever Hounds Trust considers smaller properties; ask any rescue before you apply from a flat.

Cats are the bigger question: the Greyhound Trust says some greyhounds can be trained to live with them, so the rescues judge each dog. Mention any cat, rabbit or small pet on your application. On cold or wet winter walks a thin-coated greyhound will want a coat: PDSA says greyhounds need a warm one.

Rescue greyhounds are adopted, not sold: you apply, the rescue matches a dog to your home, and you pay its fee. Every greyhound on our Plymouth greyhound page comes that way, and most are retired racers.

If you want a puppy, The Royal Kennel Club lists litters on its "Find a puppy" service, and Dogs Trust's breed guides suggest a pre-purchase consultation with a vet to hear about likely conditions and rough costs. If an advert looks like a scam, tell Report Fraud, the service that replaced Action Fraud. Our guide to Plymouth dog rescues compares every rescue we list.