Irish Greyhounds head Stateside amid drop in European demand

Numbers sent to American surges despite plug being pulled on funding, writes Conor Capplis

Residents of Orlando, Florida, with the greyhounds they adopted from Ireland.

There has been a significant drop in numbers of Irish greyhounds being rehomed in Europe this year. However, the shortfall in demand has been countered by a surge in numbers being rehomed in North America, despite Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) pulling the plug on funding dog transports to the US earlier this year.

Figures released by GRI to the Irish Examiner show a steep decline in dogs rehomed in Britain, Italy, Germany and Belgium. The largest decrease has been observed in the UK, where about 10% have been rehomed compared to the same period last year. The GRI said fewer people are seeking to rehome greyhounds than in recent years.

In 2019, an RTÉ Investigates programme claimed about 6,000 greyhounds are killed in Ireland each year for not being fast enough for racing or coursing, and the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT), which is part of GRI, has led efforts to rehome unwanted dogs.

Numbers rehomed between January and July this year are marginally down from the same period last year, dropping from 585 to 541. The decrease in greyhounds rehomed in Europe has been largely picked up by increasing demand in the US.

The Davidson family from Hyattsville, Maryland,with their greyhound, Rosie, adopted through the Greyhound Pets of America programme.

Rehoming in the US and Canada has surged from just 35 greyhounds in 2019 to more than 300 so far this year.

Irish greyhounds rehomed in Europe have steadily increased up to this year, with 314 in 2019, 531 in 2020, 751 in 2021 and just 141 up to July 31 this year.

So far, just 45 have been privately adopted in Ireland through the IRGT this year.

A hot summer in Europe and North America has “prevented transports from taking place in the interest of greyhound welfare”, a spokesperson for GRI said, which has affected numbers.

“Costs associated with transporting greyhounds have risen significantly and are currently double what they were in March 2020,” the spokesperson said. 

“There is considerable activity with all welfare groups across Europe in rehoming cats and dogs from war-torn Ukraine. 

This activity has significantly and unfortunately, adversely affected the domestic activities of such organisations across Europe whilst the immediate rehoming needs for cats and dogs in Ukraine are endeavoured to be addressed.” 

 ‘We can take as many as you can send’ 

A greyhound rehoming programme sending rescued racing dogs to the US is saving hundreds of animals each year as Ireland grapples with an ongoing issue of overbreeding.

The exporting of greyhounds across Europe is an established practice, but with growing appeal in the American market, it is an opportunity for dogs to find new homes, said John Parker, American coordinator of the Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) Irish Greyhounds to America programme.

The GPA is a network of greyhound adoptions groups in the US.

Since 2019, unwanted greyhounds have been flown to the US to be given a new home and family, taking the pressure off Ireland, which remains saturated with unwanted greyhounds.

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“We’ve got much more capacity here,” said Mr Parker. “Most adoption groups in the US have a huge backlog of approved applications.” 

In recent years, greyhounds have grown in popularity in the US after campaigners sought to increase demand for rehoming dogs after a racing career. 

However, since laws were introduced in 2018 to ban the wagering on greyhound racing in Florida, where the sport was popular, just three greyhound tracks remain in the US. This will soon reduce to two, following the planned closure of one track later this year.

Irish greyhounds arriving in Atlanta, Georgia.

There is now a huge demand for greyhounds, but far fewer available after the closing of the tracks, Mr Parker said.

Between September 2019 and March 2020, 55 greyhounds were rehomed in the US under a scheme with the GPA which split transport fees between American adoption groups and GRI.

The pandemic reduced cargo plane frequency and the prices shot up from $900 (€780) per dog to about $2,600 (€2,260), he said. The programme was paused until September 2021 when Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) agreed to foot half of the transport costs.

It was recently reported that the GRI ceased funding the programme for the remainder of the year due to budgetary constraints, but Mr Parker said this has not stopped the scheme. 

The GPA surveyed its member organisations on whether they would like to pay 100% of the transport costs, and “almost every group decided to continue”, Mr Parker said.

“Like any other dog, but we like to say particularly for greyhounds, it really enriches the lives of the people they go to,” he said.

These greyhounds are at “the extreme end of that companion ability”, he said. 

Everybody that gets them loves them and very few people once they have one, stop at one. We call it the potato chip syndrome: you can’t stop at just one.” 

He said many families take up to five or six greyhounds under the scheme, with a usual cost of $700 to $1,200 per dog, with the GPA’s volunteer member organisations footing additional costs through fundraisers.

So far this year, 299 greyhounds have been rehomed in the US, Mr Parker said, but there continues to be waiting lists for American families.

Greyhounds are transported by ferry in a van to Heathrow Airport, before heading across the Atlantic. Transportation has been paused since July due to hot temperatures in the US and concerns for the animals' welfare, but things should resume in September, he said.