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.