Karen and her team of volunteers at Dunrunnin are dedicated to the welfare and happiness of every greyhound that they help on their journey from retirement to finding a forever home, and the rehoming team are committed to doing the very best job they can when matching the needs of individual hounds to the individual circumstances of prospective families and adopters. It is our aim to ensure that every visitor to the kennels has a positive experience, and it is incredibly rewarding for us each time we receive positive feedback from visitors and adopters alike.
Many of the families that we have helped with the home-matching process have been first time dog owners and so we hope that this page will help other ‘first-timers’, who may be feeling a little apprehensive about taking the plunge and rehoming a hound. Our goal is to support every adopter, whether a first time owner or seasoned rehomer, to feel confident enough to embark on the wonderful journey of greyhound-ownership!
"It’s 7 months since we adopted Elf and we can honestly say that our family is now complete.
She is such a placid, adorable dog who makes us happy every day. She has settled into family life extremely well and everyone who meets her comments on how calm and loving she is. In the working week, we walk her for 20 minutes before school/work and she sleeps all day. In the afternoon, we walk her for 20 minutes again and she sleeps all night. What a perfect pet she is! At the weekends, we have fun visiting new places with Elf on some longer country walks.
She enjoys spending time with other dogs, including my brother’s labrador and my friend’s greyhound. Elf absolutely loves car rides, sometimes even more so than the walks (especially when it’s raining). She is a very affectionate dog, who loves her belly being tickled and is great with children. We cannot thank Dunrunnin enough for bringing Elf into our lives. Karen has been amazing, providing care and advice every step of the way.
We would strongly recommend a greyhound as a family pet."
Johannah and her family adopted Elf in April 2017
Chris and Kat adopted Roo in February 2017. Read about their experience of greyhound parenthood here.
Kath adopted Murphy in May 2017
"Sandy came to us in Summer 2015. While she was always beautiful, she was so nervous and jumpy, and took a bit of settling in. She was petrified of men with deep voices, any other dogs and worst of all, wheely suitcases! However, fast forward 3 years, and she is the most chilled out, affectionate, good natured dog who has fitted into our family brilliantly. She is confident with new people, so loving and patient with our children, and enjoys snuggling up with her doggy cousin on holidays. We are very lucky to have her- in our eyes she is the perfect dog. Thank you everyone at Dunrunnin.
Here she is winning “Best Looking Greyhound in Brockley” this summer."
The Woodward family adopted Sandy in Summer 2015
"It's 5 months now since we adopted Speedy and our lives have changed immeasurably (in a good way)! He is super cheeky, loving and loves a cuddle. He just loves human company. He is happy with about 2 twenty minute walks per day so he can then curl up on the sofa and if the odd treat is thrown in he is even happier.
Our training is going really well ... he's allowed on the sofa, he now sleeps upstairs and we're allowed to give him a biscuit after his walk!
Karen's help and advice has been invaluable. A huge thank you from our home xx"
Kerry adopted Speedy in June 2017
"We had a tall order when we first spoke to Karen about adopting a dog - as a couple who both work full time and already have a cat we were afraid we might never be able to have a greyhound of our own. But Karen and her lovely team assured us it was possible - all we needed to do was wait for the right dog and sure enough she was right!
We adopted Saffy two months ago and can't imagine our lives without her. We can't say enough good things about Dunrunnin! Karen has been absolutely invaluable providing guidance as we have navigated Saffy's introduction to our cat and her first few weeks in a home.
Saffy is fun, loving and just about the best decision we have ever made! If you are thinking about adopting definitely come down and meet the greyhounds at Dunrunnin. It’s a really friendly group (of dogs and people) and there is literally always a cup of tea waiting for you!"
Elizabeth & Christian adopted Saffy in September 2017
“All at Dunrunnin do such a great service to the rehoming process of ‘Ex Racing Greyhounds’, from taking them in after their racing days are over, caring for all their individual needs to finally handing them over to their new owners. On arriving at the kennels you will be warmly welcomed, shown all the dogs available for adoption, told about each individual dogs nature and personality and suitability for your home. You will be encouraged to walk any of the dogs in the lovely surrounding countryside, but you will not feel pressurised into making a snap decision. I would recommend several visits, walking a variety of dogs/bitches/sizes/colours before one will pick YOU! If you are considering giving a home to a Grey, then Dunrunnin at Brands Hatch is the place to start your search. One note of caution, owning a Greyhound is addictive.”
(Joel & Family adopted Ben in February 2014)
"A wonderful greyhound trust kennel. The manager obviously loves her work running the kennel and has a great team supporting her. The individual kennels for 1 to 2 dogs were clean and spacious. She was very knowledgable about each dog and appeared to love them all! She had a great sense of humour too. There was a constant stream of volunteer walkers arriving and leaving whilst we were there. We took 3 dogs for a walk and had difficulty choosing between them, but decided on “King” in the end. He has been with us for 2 months now and is such a lovely dog. He settled quickly and gives us pleasure every day.”
(Terri Arnold, adopted King in September 2014)
"I had a fantastic experience adopting from Dunrunnin and cannot recommend them highly enough. [Karen] was very welcoming and knowledgeable, helpful, and her love for the dogs was obvious. The place was warm and welcoming, I was given as much time as I needed to get to know the available dogs with no pressure, and plenty of advice and information was given. [Karen] made the whole adopting process thoroughly enjoyable and I can’t thank her and Dunrunnin enough for my lovely bitch. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to others or to use them again in the future.”
(Katie adopted Pebbles in October 2014)
“Karen (Farley) and her team of volunteers were very warm and welcoming. A friendly, knowledgable, calm and obviously very caring group of volunteers who knew the personalities of all their charges. We were given information in a practical, honest and informative way. Karen seems to have a 6th sense when pairing her dogs with prospective families. Our family life is now overwhelmingly enhanced with Mario in his forever home. Never having known much about retired greyhounds, we are now very enthusiastic about spreading the word of these beautiful dogs! Thank you so very much Dunrunnin.”
(Adopters of Mario, August 2014)
“We re-homed Merty from Dunrunnin about 8 weeks ago. As this was our very first dog ever we were quite nervous about taking on such a big commitment but could not commend enough the way in which Karen handled the process for us from beginning to end. Karen is obviously a very caring and committed dog lover who loves to see her dogs end up in the right homes with suitable owners. The whole team offered us valuable advice and made us feel comfortable and reassured. Merty has settled in fabulously, she’s enjoying all the comforts of retirement and has become a very valuable member of the family.”
(Keith and Jackie adopted Merty in November 2014)
“We had a really fantastic experience when we adopted our greyhound from Dunrunnin. We were welcomed back for several visits to walk different dogs before choosing, and were given all the advice we needed about their different personalities, needs etc. In the end, [Karen] helped us choose a dog who fits perfectly into our family – we all adore him. In fact we are such greyhound converts thanks to this wonderful rehoming kennels that we are shortly returning to choose a second one, and already have been sent a list of suggested suitable candidates from the website. Thank you for bringing Reilly into our lives.”
(Karin Cook, adopted Reilly in June 2014)
“I cannot praise Dunrunnin Kennels enough. [Karen] and her helpers are a dedicated, knowledgeable and loving group of people who truly care about the dogs. Time is taken to get to know the dogs in her care to ensure they go to the right home. Plenty of advice is given on the care and retraining of the Greyhounds (the majority of whom are ex racers). I would have no hesitation in returning there should I decide to get another dog.”
(The Ramsden Family adopted Nelda in July 2014
We recently rehomed a beautiful grey to writer Anna Meakin and her husband Pat. Anna & Pat have been blogging about their greyhound experiences and adventures, and so we really hope their blog will help other families considering taking one of our fantastic hounds into their hearts, and their homes!
You can read all about Poppy’s adventures with the Meakins here.
Why not share your own success story?
If you have visited our kennels or are already a member of the DunRunnin family and wish to leave feedback of your experience, why not use the links below and add a review to our Facebook Page, or add a review to the independent Rescue Review website? Hopefully your feedback will help other families considering rehoming a hound, and may help another fantastic DunRunnin dog to find its forever home!
Liking and sharing our Facebook page is one of the most effective ways to help spread the word about the wonderful characteristics of this amazing breed, and the work of this terrific charity! Your kind help really can and will make a difference to the lives of each one of our hounds!