Dogs Trust has revealed that greyhounds and lurchers are two breeds of dog more likely to spend a longer period of time waiting to be rehomed. The average length of stay at Dogs Trust for these two breeds is around two months, compared with smaller breeds such as Shih Tzu’s spending less than half that time in a centre before finding new owners. But why is this the case? Here’s what you need to know. ‘Misconceptions about the care involved if giving them a home’ Dogs Trust Rehoming Centre Manager at Leeds, Amanda Sands, said that from “smaller lurcher types to taller greyhounds, these loveable pooches very often find their way into our care through no fault of their own, and in some cases can stay with us for more than six months.” Addressing why this may be the case, Ms Sands added: “We are unsure why these breeds tend to stay with us a bit longer than others, however we find there are sometimes misconceptions about the care involved if giving them a home; coupled with more common factors that can cause them to become overlooked, such as their age, background or the colour of their coat.” Alongside this, some potential owners have been found to worry about how much greyhounds and lurchers might need exercising, due to them being fast in nature. Ms Sands said: “Given how fast they are, we occasionally find potential owners think greyhounds and lurchers need more exercise than the average dog, which isn’t necessarily true.” Alongside this, some of them may also need to wear a muzzle when out for walks because they can get overly excited around small animals. However, Dogs Trust said that it often finds that once “we've been able to have a chat with potential owners about this, it can help them keep an open mind about having a greyhound or lurcher in their life.” Ms Sands added: “We really hope we can find amazing new homes for our long-legged friends at the centre and continue to change perceptions about these fantastic breeds.” Rehoming a greyhound or lurcher However, despite these two breeds sometimes taking longer to rehome, the charity was able to find new homes for more than 1,000 greyhounds and lurchers at its 20 rehoming centres across the UK last year. If you would like to rehome a lurcher or greyhound, or are thinking about it, there are numerous currently looking for their forever home that can be viewed on the Dogs Trust website. Although the rehoming centres are currently still closed to the public, due to current lockdown restrictions, Dogs Trust can still rehome some dogs through their handover at home service. For dogs who need to meet potential owners a few times before going home, the team can take interest from members of the public and arrange visits for when lockdown restrictions ease.