Rehomings greyhounds pass 1,000 mark for 2018

The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT), established by the Irish Greyhound Board, has celebrated the milestone of over 1,000 greyhounds being rehomed with IRGT assistance in 2018.

 

The IRGT, with the support of the Irish Greyhound Board, has helped to rehome over 5,600 racing greyhounds since 2008, with 1,021 rehomed between January and December last year. A number of volunteers and trustees gathered at Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium to mark the achievement – a first for the IRGT. The Irish Greyhound Board contributed €106,000 to the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust’s total income of €242,000 in 2018.

 

The main source of funding for the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust continues to come from greyhound racing owners, through a 2% deduction of all winning prize money which is then matched by the Irish Greyhound Board. Retired Irish greyhounds have been rehomed as pets in Ireland, the UK, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovenia, France, Sweden, Canada and the US.

The trust provides financial assistance to private rehoming agencies in Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Kerry and Belfast.

 

111 retired Irish greyhounds were rehomed with IRGT assistance in January 2019. A further 85 greyhounds on the IRGT rehoming list have been reserved for rehoming by private agencies.