Ms Jessica Reid:

In our experience, an Irish rescue organisation that is sending dogs abroad works with a partner rescue organisation in another country that would carry out home checks and assess people's suitability for adopting greyhounds as pets. It is done on an individual basis to ensure every dog sent abroad is brought to a home and not sold on for other purposes. It is a requirement for the Irish rescues of which we are aware that all dogs are spayed or neutered before they leave the country so that there is no possibility of breeding in other countries. Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine regulations on microchipping, vaccinations, pet passports, Balai certificates and all other paperwork for every dog that leaves the country must be sorted with the rescue organisation before a dog is allowed to be sent abroad. These dogs are not being exported to be sold but to be homed as pets. This is done on an individual basis. Each rescue sends six dogs and knows all of their names, histories and personalities so that they can be matched with appropriate homes.