Before the racing greyhound became scarce, our prison program helped to rehabilitate offenders before they were released into our community. From 2012 through 2021, Prison Greyhounds graduated 215 greyhounds in (41 classes) from Putnamville Correctional Facility. We worked with 125 different offender-handlers. The men learned a lot. Gained a lot. But so did we. Volunteering is like that. These offender-handlers are back home with family now. Living a different life. Making better decisions.

We found responsible families that adopted each greyhound upon graduation. Uniquely, we were both the adoption group as well as the organization that ran the prison program.

Our mission changed. Not because of a decision we made, but because the vote to end dog racing in Florida had a wider impact than intended. The prison element to our adoption program had to be officially stopped in the summer of 2021. Sadly, racing greyhounds, also known as NGA greyhounds, have become scarce nationwide. There are simply not enough to adequately run a prison program. We now utilize only volunteer foster homes to transition greyhounds and lurchers into family pets. But this explains how we came to be known as Prison Greyhounds. That is our history.

So where does Prison Greyhounds go from here? …. We fell in love with the greyhound lurcher! The field trial greyhound!

These racers are often overlooked, forgotten.  Not by their field trial trainers – but by greyhound adopters and volunteers.  We just never thought about them!?!

When the need changed, Prison Greyhounds found a way to rebrand ourselves without losing our original purpose. We stumbled upon a source of greyhound-mix dogs almost right in our own back yards. And they need our help to find a good home. We are honored to partner with the American Lurcher Project, who opened the door of this new extension to our mission.  Funds that would have been spent on long distance transport can be shifted to veterinary expenses. Especially as we pick up more special needs hounds.

Our name remains the same, even though we are not able to return the program to the prison. We keep the name “Prison Greyhounds” so that past adopters and volunteers will always know how to reach us. And our name has a good reputation among those who know us.

Thank you for coming along as part of our journey. We are still here for you, and for your greyhounds. Stick around and YOU will soon fall in love with these field trial greyhounds. Guaranteed.

Profile of Adoptables

THE  FUN  GIRLS! (“Girls just wanna have fun!”)…These 2 are a HOOT! A bonded pair of sister Hero Hounds living with our partners at The Veterinarian’s Blood Bank…. Heroes Bindy & Paige. Greyhound mix. Born 11/2/2015. At 10-years of age, they more energetic than you expect. They love to get crazy together, but they tire real fast! Yes, they are littermates that have never been separated. So we will only adopt them together. Both 57 pounds. Full of short bursts of energy. Love toys. Sometimes mischievous. Could live with other dogs also, as long as they are together … Full disclosure…They used to have a really nice cot, until they dug holes in it! They are not very respectful of things – but they can learn! And (I hate to be this honest) but they do sometimes make messes in their kennels…. Like they would poop even on that cot. So they will need lots of outside time and housetraining. A patient, committed adopter who has more than just an emotional response to their cuteness! Hero Hounds are cat tolerable. The adoption fee for The Fun Girls is the same as if you were only adopting one, just because we are feeling generous today! $200 for both Fun Girls. Fully vetted.

Biker (Turbo Biker) is a 3-year-old NGA (purebred) greyhound. Born 1/19/2023; Male. BIG NEWS – he tested Cats OK!  Biker takes a minute to warm up to strangers, but then is fine. He has some playfulness to him when he is with the other dogs, but not too much. He seems to follow their lead, and if they are playing, he will join in. If they are laying around, he will do that, too. It only took him a day to adjust to the new kennel workers. Now he likes to follow them around and will lean on legs for pets. He would probably do best with another dog in the house since he likes to follow the other dogs’ leads. Biker loves to eat and will ask for more sometimes by barking at his bowl! With the cat, he was pretty curious while the cat was in the crate, but when the volunteer opened the door to the crate, he decided the cat was actually VERY SCARY and he wouldn’t approach it. 

Ella retired early. Well, she never really had a career! She never went to a race. Her owner knew she was too shy and scared to compete like the other field trial hounds. She is a sweetheart once she gets comfortable. She is what we in the greyhound world call a “spook”. She runs from noises and sudden movements. Ella was born April 1st, 2025, no fooling, on April Fools Day! Only one year old. She will be cat safe. Her weight is 46 pounds. Ella is a very sweet girl, and will warm up to you after she knows you. But she will ALWAYS be a home-body. She is too nervous to go to a home with young children. This is not a hound to take with you to various events, she’d be too uneasy. She “spooks out”. She loves toys, and running off her youthful energy. See loves  doing outside zoomies! She refuses to let strangers near her! That’s a common spook trait, not good on letting a new person approach them. Never aggressive, just avoids us if she can! She trembles in the beginning when you are new to her or when she is in an uncomfortable (to her) environment inside. Outside she runs off her nervous energy! Mid-July is the first time she has been in a home, learning home life.  But she was never had an accident – potties only outside. Ellis is precious, but she needs a special home. (Ella is part greyhound, part coonhound. A lurcher.) She will do best with another confident dog in the house to show her the way and reassure her. But she is also “learning” not to overwhelm them with her puppy jumps. She is learning nonverbal dog to dog communications in her foster home. As far as we know, this is the first time she was allowed to play with other dogs off leash.

Coffee (FGF Black Coffee) – black male NGA greyhound, purebred. Very happy, outgoing, playful, curious! Born 3/15/2023; age 3. Tattoos 33B-75524. Weighs 74#. Coffee had 92 races all at Wheeling. Coffee does fine with other hounds his size. And he also has a rather distinguished naked booty! He will chitter and does sometimes sneak in a lkiss! Cat tolerable with slow introductions. Adoption fee: $1200

Hero Sammie – a female, greyhound mix, 52-pound retired blood donor. Her birthday is June 8, 2015. Ten years old! Sammie is sweet and reserved. She is very clean. She keeps things very neat – no potty messes. So she can be housebroken pretty easily we think. Some Hero Hounds are potty trained almost as soon as they adopt, and we think this will be Sammie’s story. She loves to please people! That is her goal in retirement! Which also helps with her training. As a Hero Hound, she is living with our partners at The Veterinarian’s Blood Bank. Hero Hounds are cat tolerable. They get along well with other dogs as well. The adoption fee is $200. Fully vetted.

Vibes (JS Chill Like That) is a purebred NGA greyhound. Vibes was born 1/06/2023; Male, red fawn; Cats okay . Just like his name suggests, Vibe is pretty “chill.” Though he will run around and play with the other dogs outside, he doesn’t do much other than that! He likes to check out his surroundings, likes to follow the humans around. He does need some leash manners, though, as he really likes to go on walks but he is all over the place/pulling. So far, he hasn’t played at all with toys, but will chase or be chased by the other dogs outside. Once he gets that out of his system, he will lay in the shade and just hang out. He hasn’t been pushy about receiving attention but won’t walk away when you try to pet him, either. He is pretty indifferent towards strangers when he first meets them. When Vibes met the cat, he gave it a brief check, both with the door open and closed, and then decided it wasn’t interesting and walked away on his own. (Read special requirements, explanation for adopting an NGA greyhound.)

Lady Hawk – Small female, red and mostly white cowgirl. Confidant, tail wagging girl. Turns 2-years-old on Christmas Day. Outgoing. Gets along well with other dogs! She is even small dog tolerable, cat okay also! (Lady Hawk is a 42 pound field trial greyhound. A greyhound mix; a lurcher. Born 12/25/2024. Adopt this girl and you can have Christmas every day!

Ginny (Someone Else)- nga greyhound (purebred) born 1/12/2024, so she is 2½ . Weighs 76#. Ebony black. Ginny is sweet, and playful with the other greyhounds. Ginny is a repaired fracture dog. She boasts of 28 races, 3 wins and 3 second places. But in her final race on April 16 she never finished, she broke her leg. It is all better now, but that’s what retired her from racing. She runs like it was never broken. Like all repaired fracture dogs that we have adopted out, it looks a little strange. When a fractured bone heals, there is new fresh bone that grows (encompasses) around it. The bone repairs itself. But it always looks thicker, oddly lumpy, because of the layers of new bone. Don’t worry about letting her run on it – because the bones is actually STRONGER in that spot than it was before the break! Ginny still needs her fenced yard for off leash zoomies and greyhound running! Sometimes, she will limp, not out of pain, but just a learned habit. She will be cat tested soon, then she is coming to Prison Greyhounds. She didn’t seem prey driven when the geese were on the other side of the fence. The repaired leg is rounder thicker than it would be otherwise – typical of repaired / healed fracture.

Henry (Gameday) is very calm, very sweet. Laid back, happy!  He loves toys! It’s so cute! But everyone overlooks him. Because he is male. Because he is 8. Henry was born 7/12/2018. A greyhound mix, a lurcher. 71 pounds. He does not like thunder – he seeks a safe place to hide (like a crate or bathtub!) He is good on the leash. Being the only dog in the home would be heaven to Henry! He is a lover of people, but a loner dog by nature. For his last 6 years (Henry is 8 now) he lived with his field trial guy who had 10-20 dogs at all times, with plenty of good canine interaction. But Henry gets anxious around other dogs. Even his own kind. So in his retirement, that’s the type of forever home we hope to find for Henry. One in which Henry can be the only hound. No cats. Fully vetted, microchipped.