Whether you contact H.O.T. initially by telephone, or if you call after e-mail contact, your call will be answered by a knowledgeable adoption counselor. What we have come to realize is that most individuals who contact H.O.T. have done their homework, and have already done quite a bit of research on their own prior to contacting H.O.T. Most of our adopters know someone who has a Greyhound and have talked with them about their hound, or they have already visited at a Show 'n Tail.

Through this initial screening, which includes asking specific questions regarding your family, your living environment, your family's activity level, and other pertinent points, we learn more about you and your family. We are also able to determine whether proper consideration has been made by your family in its decision to add a Greyhound companion to your family. Although you may feel some of the questions are intrusive, please realize that they are asked for very important reasons -  first, to make sure that your family is making an intelligent and knowledgeable decision regarding adopting a Greyhound, and second, to make sure a H.O.T. Hound will be placed into a loving and caring environment. Although we firmly believe that there is a Greyhound for every family, we do realize that not every family makes a good candidate for Greyhound adoption.

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During this initial conversation, general information about Greyhounds is discussed, and you are encouraged to become more educated about the breed through internet research, reading the Greyhound Guide, and obtaining and reading books with information specific to Greyhounds; i.e. Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood and Adopting the Retired Racing Greyhound by Cynthia Branigan. Lee Livingood's web site Running With The Big Dogs is also an invaluable source of information on the breed. Also during this conversation, specific Greyhounds may be discussed with you. During this first step in H.O.T.'s adoption process, you will be asked to download, complete and mail in an Adoption Application and Return Policy to provide our adoption counselors with more concrete information on your family. The Application can either be mailed or faxed to us (210/621-0360). Remember, if you are a renter, either house or apartment, you must send in written verification from your landlord that you are permitted under your lease to own a dog over 60#.

After your completed Adoption Application is received and reviewed, you will be contacted by another member of H.O.T. This adoption counselor will address much of the same information which was covered previously, with one important addition: you may be speaking with the foster parent of one of the H.O.T. Hounds which we feel would fit best within your home situation! This gives you first-hand knowledge of that particular Greyhound's behavior, and gives the adoption counselor a chance to talk to the potential adoptive family of a H.O.T. Hound they have grown to love and care for!

After this second conversation, both H.O.T. and your family has a pretty good idea if an adoption is going to take place. But, it's not over yet!

When your family comes to the next scheduled Show 'n Tail, they will get the chance to meet several H.O.T. Hounds up close and personal. H.O.T. will assist in directing your family to only those H.O.T. Hounds which we feel would do best within your home situation. During that visit, an on-the-floor interview is conducted by one or more H.O.T. members and arrangements to make a home visit may be made. Sometimes, H.O.T. feels a home visit may be beneficial to see how the family and Greyhound interact. Sometimes an adoptive family requests a home visit so that the Greyhound can be observed in a particular setting. After this very important third step, and after observing your family with the H.O.T. Hounds, a final determination on adoption is made by both H.O.T. and your family. In most cases, once the family and H.O.T. Hound have been matched up, the adoption will take place.

Through adopting a H.O.T. Hound, you have become a part of H.O.T.'s extended family. H.O.T.'s commitment to your family and that H.O.T. Hound does end at the adoption; this is ONLY the beginning. H.O.T. has made a lifetime commitment to caring for that H.O.T. Hound, and if anything ever comes up which you have a question or concern about, don't wait until the situation gets out of control. No matter how trivial or insignificant the problem may seem, we encourage you to contact us.

Informed Family + H.O.T.'s Knowledgeable Members and Our Continued Support =  Successful Adoption and Happy Family and H.O.T. Hound!