Happy Howlidays 2025
2025 In Review
2025: What a Pawsome Year it Has Been!
As we step out of 2025, GGA is getting ready for another full year. Our retired racers continue to settle into their new homes with their usual mix of calm confidence, silliness, and charm. Every dog brings something different to the table, and this past year we were happy to see 15 greyhounds find their way into loving adoptive homes.
Our work is only possible because of the people involved at every stage — breeders, trainers, kennel staff, haulers, foster homes, and adopters. It truly takes all of you, and we’re grateful for the support.
A fun moment from the year was GGA Heads East, a simple vacation trip with stops in Ottawa and Nova Scotia. It was a great opportunity to meet fellow GGAers, share stories, see our adoptees, and enjoy some time together.
Our GGA–GPA team also grew this year, welcoming Jeff, Noah, Chesky and Galgo friend Junco. GGA-GPA continues to be a small but mighty group!
We’re also proud of GGA’s continued growth as an official Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) chapter, helping us stay connected with a wider community of adopters and supporters.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of the GGA–GPA family.
We’re looking forward to another great year!
The GGA-GPA Team
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GGA Alberta
Albert (Alberta) and Brette (Miss Brette)
GGA Ajax
Peppermint (Cbj Peppermint) and Noah (Bold Noah)
GGA North Bay
Jeff (Jeff Mc Intosh)
GGA Orillia GHQ
Sugar (Barts Sugarsnack), Elsa (Final Approval), Faulty (Clonlost Faulty), Minnie (UCME Ss Minnow) Clark (Amf Odd Doctor) and Tux Kitty
GGA Out and About
As 2025 winds down, we’re reflecting on a year defined by community, collaboration, and the ongoing pride we take in showcasing retired racing greyhounds. These professional athletes, whose drive and determination once carried them around the oval, continue to leave their mark in the homes and lives of GGA-GPA adopters across North America.
Our year began at the National Greyhound Association Spring Meet in Abilene, Kansas. The event remains a cornerstone of the sport, offering a first look at up-and-coming maidens-to-be and bringing together breeders, raisers, trainers, and adoption. We also enjoyed the National Oval Track Racing Association’s third annual Sunflower Stakes Derby, where an enthusiastic mix of whippets and impeccably fit retired greyhounds delivered a lively weekend of racing.
Back home, GGA-GPA participated in Orillia’s Christmas in June and the Scottish Festival, two community favourites that allowed us to engage directly with the public and provide accurate, firsthand information about the temperament and lifestyle of retired racers. These events continue to be important avenues for outreach, education, and visibility.
A major milestone this year was GGA being welcomed into Greyhound Pets of America as its only Canadian chapter. This affiliation strengthens our connection to GPA groups across the United States and reinforces our shared commitment to responsible placement practices and consistent standards of care. It also enhances collaboration across North America, offering every dog placed through GGA-GPA the benefit of a broad, experienced, and supportive network.
GGA-GPA also continued its educational partnerships this year with Georgian College to support their Veterinary Assistant and Veterinary Technician programs. Through hands-on learning opportunities, demonstrations, and in-class discussions, we’ve been able to showcase the unique medical and behavioural needs of greyhounds while helping train the next generation of veterinary professionals. This partnership remains an important part of our mission to promote informed, breed-specific care.
Summer brought one of the year’s most memorable experiences: GGA Heads East. From Ontario through Quebec and into the Maritimes, we visited adoptive families in Ottawa and Nova Scotia, catching up with familiar faces and meeting several GGA greyhounds now thriving in their retirement. It was a powerful reminder of the dedicated and welcoming community that surrounds these dogs long after they leave the track.
Our Fall Tour began in Massachusetts at the GPA-MA Annual Reunion, where our newest staffer, galgo Junco, made quick work of charming the crowd from the mobile Kissing Booth. We then headed south to Rehoboth Beach for Greyhound Pet Adoptions of Delaware’s renowned Greyhounds Reach the Beach (GRtB), a week filled with beach walks, vending, presentations, and meaningful conversations with adopters and industry partners. Gillian and fellow co-owners delivered a presentation titled So You Want to Buy a Racing Greyhound, sharing their experiences with the different ways to purchase a racer, complete with a few memorable stories and plenty of laughs along the way.
From there, the tour moved west to the NGA Fall Meet in Abilene. The week delivered everything we’ve come to expect—great racing, spirited auctions, reconnecting with friends, and a little shopping on the side. GGA-GPA and Wilkens Acres were proud to sponsor the Senior Three Final, won by WW Navy. To cap things off, we made a quick stop in Wheeling, West Virginia for a whirlwind weekend of racing, puppy visits, and catching up with trainers and owners.
As we look back on 2025, we are profoundly grateful for the adopters, volunteers, supporters, educational partners, and industry professionals who make GGA-GPA’s work possible. Your commitment ensures that every retired racer continues their journey with dignity, respect, and the community they deserve.
The GGA Family
From the west coast to the east coast, from 53.5461° N to 26.6406° N latitudes, the GGA family has expanded well beyond General Headquarters in Orillia, Ontario!
Whether you are a new adopter, moving, on vacation, want to meet up for walks, or plan for dog sitting, there may be somepaw just around the corner from you. Let us know if you would like to join a ‘GGA geographical family, and we will put the contacts in motion!
We love how far and wide our GGA family has grown!
GGA in 2026
Pawcations, Vacations and Black Out Dates
We always try to keep our calendars open for pawcations. Please note GGA will be closed during the following periods:
- March 2026 - GGA Heads South
- April 2026 - National Oval Track Racing Association Sunflower Stakes and the National Greyhound Association Spring National Meet
- October 2026 - Greyhound Pets of America - Massachusetts Reunion, Greyhound Pet Adoptions of Delaware Greyhounds Reach the Beach and National Greyhound Association Fall National Meet
Looking for a greyhond friendly and fun vacation? Join GGA at these events! If you have any questions, please let us know. We will make sure you don’t stick out like a Dachshund at a greyhound party!
