Greyhounds, anyone?

[cheltzey]

I'm very seriously considering adopting a greyhound. I've wanted a dog forever, but our life has been too crazy and DH is not wild about the idea. Now we've finally calmed down, and I REALLY want a dog. I've done a ton of research, and greyhounds seems as though they're the perfect dog for our family's lifestyle. Anyone have or know greyhounds? I'd love some advice!

[neenee]

Nathalie does. I am sure she will be on later and respond to ya.

[jessica31876]

I would suggest checking into greyhound rescue organizations in your area so you can rehome a greyhound that really needs a home. I know there are tons in the area I live in because there is a greyhound racing place here locally. (Maitland, Florida I think) anyhow alot of the rescue places get the greyhounds from the racers when they are retired which I do not think is very old. Otherwise they would likely be put down which is really sad. There are other reasons they would be rescued....maybe the owners were mean or they couldnt care for them anymore. Anyhow it is something to think about. Good luck with your decision. I hope you find the perfect puppy/doggy for your family!!

[**Holly**]

I rescued a greyhound a couple yrs ago and I loved her to death... her name was Fantasy... she was a quirky one though and we had some issues with her. I gave her to a lady who had a greyhound ranch. She is now happier... but I loved her to death and she was a great pet!!

[Julie Billingsley]

I use to work for a doc that had a greyhound rescued from a greyhound race track. Uh, the dog liked to run. The doc actually had to get a treadmill to run the dog on because otherwise he tore up the house. LOL.

[cheltzey]

I've looked into greyhound rescues, and I found one in our area that I really like. There was a track in Phoenix that closed this December, so there are a ton of misplaced dogs right now. We're a fairly active family (DH and I both run), so hopefully that will be enough. Julie, that sounds like an extreme dog! Most people that I have talked to have said that greyhounds actually tend to be quite lazy, which I wouldn't mind! I'm going to a "meet and greet" this Saturday so I can meet some of the people from the rescue and have a look at a few of the dogs. I am so incredibly excited!

[jessica31876]

that is great to hear!! Good luck!! I have so many favorite breeds of dogs Im not sure I would ever be able to narrow it down LOL

[Nathalie]

Yes, indeed we call a greyhound our own and we love him to bits!



I think greyhounds are THE perfect family dog Of course there are some "out of the norm" but usually, they are just great; loving, quiet (don't bark at all) couch potatoes. If you have a bigger property, ideal - they love a 5-10 minute run a day, if there is no room, at least 40 minutes walk a day are good too. They say they are not very obedient but we cannot complain, he even sits (something most unheard of with greyhounds) and he does tricks. But I went to obedience school for about a year and now train him at home everyday, even if it is for 10 minutes sometimes. If he has been a racing dog, you need to be careful around smaller dogs, cats and other small pets, some are ok some will go after them. Our dog hasn't been a racing dog ever and loves our cats and is gentle playing with small dogs. Greyhounds are sight hounds, so fast movements even in the distance will excite them.

Some greyhounds don't like loud noises and can get timid.

So even if you don't have a big house, greyhounds are great if you can walk them and go to the dog park. I don't know how regulations are in the US - here purebread and (ex)racing dogs have to wear a mussle which frightens most people (carefull, that dog bites!) and you have to explain a lot.

Because they are breed for racing they tend to be very healthy, no bone issues or common diseases/defects.

In short: quiet, nearly invisable inside, don't need heaps of exercise, don't eat a lot, very healthy = ideal family pet.

[pomi]

Oh Nathalie, he's gorgeous! He has so beautiful quiet eyes! Actually, I'm so looking forward when or dog is out of the puppy years (though they're cute) and becomes a real partner and friend to all the family members.

Cheltzey, good luck with your choice and let us know! We just got a hovawart puppy and I'm all excited about it. He's also going to be our counner.

[ColleenSwerb]

::sigh:: I love Greyhounds. One day, when I trick my husband into letting me have 2 dogs, I will have a greyhound (to add to the pit bull). My parents rescued 2 greyhounds from tracks and we had them for 10 years or so each.

Scooby raced for 6 months, if that (we got him at 2.5, in order to race they must reach maturity which is 2.0 years. He had minor health issues that the race trainers didn't feel like dealing with. He had no fur on his hide from the electric prods in the race box, he came to us with sores and patches of missing fur. A $20 bloodtest determined that he had a thyroid condition, and once on medication he was good to go. He left us in the summer of '08 after struggles with arthritis and a few other health conditions. I miss him terribly.


A few years after Scooby, we rescued Daphne. She raced for much longer, and it showed. She was always skittish of men (most of the people at hte track are men), even after living in our safe little home for 10 years. She had no health concerns, but came to us in even worse physical condition than Scooby. I don't have a LO of her (which I will need to remedy immediately), but she left us in June of this year.

Depending on how "fresh" off the track they are, the physical condition can be a BIG surprise. Both dogs had sores, bare patches of fur, etc. They INHALE their food, as normally at the tracks they are given 5 minutes to eat and do their business, before getting stuck back into a crate. It's helpful to get a standing food/water bowl for them, as since they are tall they can have digestive issues (lower bowls = more air in the tummy, which can be a bad thing). Some of them can no longer tolerate being crated, as it reminds them too much of the poor track conditions (but this is an individual personality type thing). Scooby was an absolute food hound and would eat ANYTHING left out within reach. It was as if he never ate enough in his first years, was always trying to make up for it (he figured out how to move the stool in the kitchen to in front of the fridge, and then how to climb it to get at the bread on TOP of the fridge - SMART!!). Things he ate included an entire corned beef, 5lbs of gummy bears, hershey kisses, a tub of potato salad, numerous loaves of bread, countless unattended sandwhiches, etc.

They are SUCH loving creatures. Super gentle, VERY laid back and relaxed, and very loving. Scooby used to purr (his teeth chattered and that's what it sounded like) when you pet him and he was very content. As sight hounds, most (Scooby did not, lol) have a very high prey drive. That means NEVER being outside without a leash. If they take off, they often can not find their way home. (And really, never without a leash. My father thought he had "trained" Scooby well enough to just run around our house, and we lost him in the neighborhood for several very long hours one day.) They really make incredible family pets, we loved ours.

[cheltzey]

I'm glad to hear of everyone's good experiences! We don't have any small pets (and don't want any), so the cat/small dog issue shouldn't be a problem. Now I just need to work on my husband...a full-fledged greyhound campaign is in force! Basically, I'm just going ahead unless he says no, which I don't think he will. I'm pretty spoiled that way.

[Nathalie]

Oh, how funny - our Max shatters his teeth too! I wondered why he was doing it and I thought of some sort of excitement.

And about food....well, he is like a garbage bin, he will eat whatever he finds. But he has been a street dog in his very young lfe (we got him at 6months!) At least he doesn;t scoff his food down.