Some years ago we did a gig in Shropshire to raise funds for an organization that rescued retired greyhounds.
We were told some horrific stories of dogs being thrown our of vans on motorways or having ears cut of and left to bleed to death on rubbish piles.
Not too sure how realistic some of these tales were, but I know of some friends who took on 2 retired dogs which had been abandoned which turned out to be great companions and spent their latter years in comfort.
I was also told that greyhounds which have retired tend to be a bit lazy and like to spend a lot of time "resting"