The welfare, as it is today, first opened kennels for retired racing greyhounds in February 1995. At that time the idea of opening a homing kennel was much 'frowned upon' by the establishment and those people supposedly in the know. But Pat knew what she wanted, and knew that this was the way forward in the effort to re-home more retired greyhounds, Suffice to say, Pat had to fight more than one battle to overcome the objections, and it is a testimony to her determination that others have now followed her lead.

In case you were wondering what happed prior to the opening of these kennels, this is how it worked. Pat Bannister had been re-homing retired greyhounds since about 1980, almost solely by word of mouth. Dogs were kept at  kennels dotted about the country side and were largely 'selected' on behalf of potential new owners based on their circumstances etc. The dogs were then delivered to their new homes by one of the Welfare's volunteer home-finders. Pat's knowledge of dogs and people meant that very few Greyhounds had to be returned to the kennels to wait for their special person.. Then, as now, it was a question of finding the right dog  for a particular home, and the right home for a particular dog.

In 1995, these kennels were located in Godstone, Surrey and on start up there were only six dogs. However, this very quickly changed, and at one time there were seventy three dogs in the kennels with more waiting to come in. At present we have kennels in Hersham, Surrey, and at any one time we have between fifty and sixty dogs for homing

When a greyhound retires from racing it's future lies in the hands of it's owner. As you are probably aware, many are simply put to sleep, or meet much worse fates. Here at our kennels we offer a place of safety for retired greyhounds whilst they wait for their special home. These are not 'rescue dogs' in the accepted sense as most are handed over by the trainer, on behalf of their owners, with the express intention of finding them a good retirement homes. We actively promote the fact that Greyhounds make wonderful pets and adapt to life outside of the kennels very well. We operate a 'No Destruction' policy, which means that no dog will be put to sleep except on health grounds where there is no other option

Fundraising events take place throughout the year, and these include sponsored race meetings, bucket collections, a sponsored walk once a year, and our annual retired Greyhound show. Smaller fundraising ventures include charity box collections, and social events at the kennels. our wonderful body of volunteers and supporters also fundraise and promote our charity at numerous shows and fetes through out the year, as well as organizing their own fundraisings events. We receive no government funding, or funding from any other organization

If you would like to know more about us, or could offer a home to one of our retired greyhounds, please contact us. All contact information is available from the link on the left hand side.