As we are now halfway through the year (where has that time gone?!), we wanted to give you a little six-month update on what’s been happening at JR between the start of January and the end of June.
During this time, we have been asked to help with the rehoming of 69 Whippets.
We are delighted to say that during the same period, 59 Whippets have gone to their new homes and are all settling in brilliantly. (Some of these are dogs that came into our care during 2025.)
We currently have 15 Whippets either in our foster care or remaining with their owners while they wait for the right homes. Of these, 11 are males and 4 are females.
The majority of these 15 Whippets are reactive in some way, most commonly with severe lead reactivity. Sadly, we receive very few adoption applications from people who feel able to support a reactive Whippet. As a result, many of these dogs remain with us for months and, in some cases, even years before finding the right home.
It can be quite soul-destroying for us because we know what wonderful companions these dogs can become, yet so many are overlooked simply because they need a little extra understanding, patience and training. We also have so many people wanting to adopt. Some understandably become disappointed, and occasionally even frustrated with us, when we don’t have the perfect little “unicorn” Whippet available for them to adopt straight away. The reality is that dogs come into rescue for a reason, and that reason is often because they need extra understanding, patience and training.
We work closely with the wonderful Becca at Behaviour by Becca and are always happy to support our adopters with professional behavioural guidance. However, adopters do need to be willing to put the time and commitment into helping their Whippet overcome their fears, anxieties and behavioural gremlins, rather than expecting them to arrive as a perfectly ready-made pet.
Every single Whippet that comes through our care has the potential to become an incredible companion in the right home, with the support of a patient and committed adopter. Finding those special people is sadly becoming more and more difficult.
Alongside rehoming, we have also continued to support Whippet owners in need through advice, guidance and contributions towards emergency veterinary treatment from our welfare fund.
It has been an incredibly busy six months, but we are proud to have been there for every Whippet that has needed us.
As always, we would like to say a huge thank you to our foster carers, volunteers, transporters and supporters for everything you do. We simply couldn’t do this without you.
Lisa, Katie, Alayna and the JR team x
