'The most loving, laziest dogs': Greyhound-owner wants others to adopt as 1500 lose homes

An Upper Hutt mum who adopted two greyhounds in the past month is encouraging others to do the same, with almost 1500 race dogs set to lose their homes next week.

Greyhound racing will be banned on Saturday, and a massive rehoming project aims to find families for the ex-racers over the next five years.

Julia Gray called Sam her "gateway drug".

Her family adopted the dog from Nightrave Greyhounds last month.

"It was one of those things where we went and I said 'we're only looking', but I'm a very impulsive person and Sam ended up coming home with us a week later," she said.

Not long after adopting Sam, Gray said her family met Dream at the same agency.

"Next thing you know the car's getting packed up for two dogs to come home with us, and we're picking out collars and we're picking out jackets, and now we have Dream who has been with us for a week," Gray laughed.

"Life has just been amazing with them and I don't know why I've left it so long."

Rachel Rae, the co-director of Nightrave, said hundreds of dogs like Sam and Dream would be looking for new homes.

"We believe there's going to be about 1500 to rehome, they're all going to be out of a job so the lives they've had up to now will absolutely disappear," Rae said.

"The transition agency has a brief to last five years, so that's how long we've got to home the dogs. We think it will probably be done in a shorter time period than that, probably three years."

She said greyhounds remained a popular breed, and demand was high for the lazy and well behaved animals.

"They are very well suited to pet life, particularly in our modern busy lives, they're quite a calm and lazy dog, they very much enjoy laying around," she explained.

"If you're a time-poor family with children and lots of school activities, that could be a very good option to have as a family dog."

Gray said Dream was a former racing dog, while Sam lived a quiet life.

"Dream has raced over a hundred times and won 13 races, something like that," she said.

"Sam... I like to say he didn't think running was for him. He was too slow apparently, so he's never raced."

She said Dream was still adjusting to life as a family dog.

"Sam settled a lot faster than Dream has," she said.

"Sam walked into this household and commanded it as his own, he knows this is his home and that he's loved. Dream on the other hand is a lot more timid, a lot more wary, it's going to take a lot more time with her."

Wellingtonian Marcus Jackson adopted former racing greyhound Ben last week, and said he was easing him into life as a pet.

"Everything is new... There's this whole 3-3-3 rule, so for three days you keep their world quite small and then gradually introduce them to stuff," he said.

"He still gets a little startled by things, like buses. He still hasn't quite cottoned onto buses."

Jackson said styling Ben was another perk of adopting a greyhound.

"It's definitely not a reason to buy a greyhound, but it is a very fun aspect that you get to do a lot of shopping," he laughed.

"In our house he's pretty much in what I guess is essentially a t-shirt most of the time, and when he goes outside he's got a full-on coat. He doesn't have a raincoat yet but we're getting him a raincoat.

"You have to figure out his style, you know. We don't want to put him something he wouldn't put himself in."

Gray urged other families to consider adopting a greyhound.

"They are the most loving, laziest dogs you will ever take in in your entire life, they barely shed which has been amazing, they never bark, and all they do is sleep and they're happy with a 20 minute walk, I cannot find any negatives about having a greyhound," she said.

"If Upper Hutt City Council could let me have, like, two or three more, I would a hundred percent jump on the wagon and have an army of greyhounds."