The hounds start preparing for their retirement haul about two weeks before the actual trip. When their trainers and owners decide they need to retire they get to meet Chris Makepeace, who temperament tests them and assesses their personalities. Then they are given an extra flea-bath and are moved into the REGAP adoption kennel where they meet some dogs of other breeds and Trixie, the mean, nasty cat-test kitty. They are also scheduled for their spay/neuter surgeries and get their shots. After their visit to the vet, they get to recover in the smaller adoption kennel and await their trip to an adoption group.

Once they are assigned to an adoption group and their haul date is set, the real fun begins. Hauls leave south from Seabrook every other Saturday; the dogs will get an extra flea bath on Thursday or Friday afternoon so they are prepared. On Saturday, the air is charged as the volunteers start swooping in at 6:00 pm. All of the dogs that are leaving on the haul are brought to the main REGAP building and prepared for loading. The Track security guard checks their ear tattoo numbers against the haul sheet and then the volunteers start loading the dogs into the dog hauler.

The REGAP dog haul trailer is designed for hot and cold weather. It has an air conditioner and louvered doors that can be opened for ventilation or shut with insulation to keep things warm. Usually two dogs are loaded per “hole” and other dogs are loaded into the SUV that pulls the trailer. The Haul Truck pulls out of the REGAP parking lot at 7:00 pm to begin it’s nearly 24 hour journey south and back. With stops in New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore areas, about 30 dogs find their way into up to seven different adoption agencies up and down the northeast coast on these hauls.

GEGR volunteers travel throughout the night to the haul stop in Aberdeen, MD from all over our adoption area including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, & Virginia, to assist these new retirees in their first steps to their new lifestyle. Some volunteers travel nearly 2.5 hours to meet the truck (it’s well worth the trip!). The truck normally arrives in Aberdeen at about 4:00 am. The dogs are all very excited and come out of the hauler bouncing and very happy. The care and attention of the Seabrook workers driving the haul trucks is an indicator of the pride that Seabrook and the associated Kennels take in maintaining these wonderful animals.

One of the more intense moments for both the REGAP and GEGR Volunteers is the physical transfer of the pup. As you can tell from the photos, a good grip is maintained until the transfer is complete. The transfer is more than just physical it signifies the transition from working dog to pet. GEGR volunteers fit the new arrivals with distinctive day-glow orange collars to help distinguish their new status as a retired racer.

Once the transfer is complete, the volunteers let the dogs stretch their legs and do their "business." It's an unoffical rule that all dogs must take care of all their "business" before they are loaded up for the rest of their journey. Because the dogs are excited and happy, sometimes this can take awhile; but it just gives our volunteers from the north plenty of time to catch up with the southerners.

The trip for GEGR retirees continues an additional two hours south in minivans, trucks and SUVs to GEGR “Greyhound Central” in Southern Maryland. It is rare for these Greys to sleep at this point, after all there is a whole new world out there for them to explore. Once they arrive at Greyhound Central, they are put into a pseudo-kennel environment to eat, drink and rest before the next phase of their journey begins.

At about 8:00am more GEGR volunteers of all ages swoop in to get the dogs ready. For about an hour there is a flurry of activity as each dog is put through stations to have their tattoos checked, ears cleaned, teeth checked, nails cut, bodies bathed, photos taken, receive their wormers, and have their adoption paperwork put together.

At about 9:00am, potential adopters start to arrive. They get to meet all of the volunteers and all of the hounds suitable for their families. They are welcome to introduce their current dogs to their potential matches and take nice walks around the farm to make sure everyone gets along. Once a family chooses a hound, the final phase of their journey to a home begins.

After a family chooses a hound, we put together their adoption kit together and let them choose a new toy and collar and lead for their dog. We go through the adoption paperwork and legal forms and make sure the family is comfortable with the steps needed to transition the hound to their home, and make sure they have all of our contact numbers in case any post-adoption questions come up. We show them how to adjust and use a martingale collar and lead, and how to adjust and use their dog’s basket muzzle. When everyone is comfortable and ready, we take a family photograph for the website and help the family load their new dog into their vehicle for the journey to their forever home.

Not all of the pups are adopted their retirement day, but they’re always on the lookout for their forever home. So, when all of the activity of haul day dies down and the adopters are on their way home, we help the remaining hounds by assigning them to their foster homes. Fostering these new dogs is one of the hardest and yet most fun jobs our volunteers do. Transitioning them to a home environment and then letting them go is a little like watching your children graduate from high school; you are happy they are starting a new phase of life, but you want to continue to hold their hand as they encounter new things. If you think you might be interested in fostering greyhounds, check out the details on our Fostering Program .