Greyhounds as pets

Magenta

Just looking for some advice here.
I am considering getting 1 or 2 greyhounds as pets. I love them, my grandfather kept them when I was a child and they were always really gentle and much more laid back than they look
I would be going the rescue route for various reasons.

Anyway I have two main questions about getting a greyhound.

1. We do have family dogs at home but this would be my first dog that is solely mine, i.e. not a family pet. At the moment I would not need to leave the dog alone for more than a few hours but obviously, even with the best will in the world, circumstances can change. If I was to ever change job and had to leave a greyhound (or pair of them) alone for maybe 8 hours, would they pine much? I know some breeds are clingier than others.

2. I have heard reports from a couple of people that greyhounds (and lurchers etc) are very attractive to some minority groups and that they can be a target for theft. Is this a major issue or would they be about as much at risk as any other potentially valuable dog? If I stick to common sense should I be OK? The dogs would be indoors unless I was outside with them walking etc, like I'm not going to be leaving them unattended in the front garden, but obviously a thief could break in. I am probably being over-cautious but there seems to be a problem with dog theft in the past few years and it would break my heart to have my dog(s) stolen.

I am probably thinking waaayyy in advance (it could easily be a year before I get a greyhound or two) but I think it's important to research fully before getting an animal

babystrawberry

Hi Magenta

1. in relation to your query leaving greyhound/lurchers alone while at work. Generally speaking once they would get used to this it would not be an issue, especially if you chose to go with the option of getting two, obviously this would be great as they would have company while you are out. We always had greyhounds when i was younger and last year i rehomed a lurcher/small. Have nothing but praise for them, tend to be very docile and very easy to house train. Just make sure to leave a few toys for them to play with and amuse themselves, and that you leave nothing out that they might chew/might be harmful to them

2. I would definitley agree that these type dogs are noticed A LOT more by a certain minority of peole, I myelf have been asked a few times where i got him, would i sell him etc. However, i think dog owners in general must be careful these days as any dog (pedigere or cross breed) can be at danger of being snatched

You have mentioned that your dogs should you decide to go ahead with the option will be kept inside and would not be unsupervised if outside, obviously this would be a deterran for anyone to take the dogs. I could not see them coming on to your property and break into your house to take dogs ... i suppose if you were living in a very remote area i am not sure would this be the case?

As you said yourself, if you stick with commonsense you should be grand.;)

http://www.orchardgreyhoundsanctuary.com/
www.dogactionwelfaregroup.ie

I got my fella from the second link (DAWG) They have a huge amount of greyhounds and lurchers, was looking there myself this morning on their website and they have some lovely pictures up

The Orchard greyhound Sanctuary seems to be very good as well. I have never dealt with them myself though

babystrawberry

Also, I presume you know yourself, you would get tehm used to bein left alone first, do it gradually.

If you rehome a racing greyhound they will be used to a routine, as in they will be used to being walked early in teh morning, being left alone in their kennels until another walk in the evening so racing greyhounds would be nearly somewhat institutionalized!

Magenta

Thanks a mill for your advice Babystrawberry

Yeah obviously no one wants to have their dog stolen, I guess part of the reason I am being so super cautious about that-aside from the obvious- is because I plan to be living alone (I am female), and greyhounds are not known for their guarding abilities, so I'd naturally be a little more wary of break-ins.

babystrawberry

They are definitely not good guard dogs, too friendly for their own good. But what I would say, from what I have seen with our lurcher anyway, is that if they get a fright at night time, hear something outside, they will bark to alert you

However I can safely say they would probably greet any intruder with a wag of the tail lol!:D

Magenta

babystrawberry wrote: »

They are definitely not good guard dogs, too friendly for their own good. But what I would say, from what I have seen with our lurcher anyway, is that if they get a fright at night time, hear something outside, they will bark to alert you

However I can safely say they would probably greet any intruder with a wag of the tail lol!:D

Our dogs at home are the same, they'd go off with Jack the Ripper. They think everyone is their friend.

Edit: How do people react when they see you out with your greyhounds? Most people in Ireland only see greyhounds when they're racing, so they could be forgiven for seeing them as 40mph lean, mean, lure-chasing machines! The fact that they always wear a muzzle when they race probably doesn't help their case. Are people friendly to them or do you get hassle? I understand that they are legally required to wear a muzzle when out in public, that wouldn't really bother me.
Greyhounds probably associate a muzzle with "Oh yay I'm going for a run!" anyway

Vel

Hi Magenta,

Good to hear you are considering a greyhound. They make wonderful pets.

We have a lurcher and a greyhound and they are both fine to be left for quite a long time although we don't leave them for too long very often. Once they have had a nice walk before we leave they are out for the count. They truely are couch potatoes!

Unfortunately we have had some unwanted interest in our lurcher. I have no doubt they would take him if they got the chance so we take obvious precautions like never leaving him unattended in the garden when we are out, never leaving him in a car or tied up while we pop into a shop and we always make sure we aren't being followed home just in case. I believe they are less interested in greyhounds and even less interested in any dog that is spayed/neutered/microchipped so if they ever stop you and ask you make sure you let them know that is the case and have tags on with this information too. It might even be a good idea to tell them that they have medical issues/problems with their legs/are failed racers to put them off;). We have no interest in our greyhound girl as she is 10.5 so it might be an idea to consider an oldie. I also think they may be less interested in boy dogs and once the boys are neutered it is very easy for them to see this and they may be turned off.

Actually greyhounds are not required by law to wear a muzzle in public, just to be on a strong leash. I think it does a disservice to them to muzzle them unless they really need to be i.e they are keen to chase, as it gives people the wrong impression of them. Just remember that some of them will need to run every day and it may be a problem for you to find somewhere for them to run without being in breach of the Dog Control Act so just bear that in mind when you are picking a dog.

We get lots of attention from people when we walk ours. Some people are negative and scoop their little dogs up even though our two our small dog friendly. Unfortunately lots of Irish people don't see them as pets and have a negative association with racing but that won't change unless people like us are willing to adopt them as pets and show how great they are. We also gets lots of really positive attention and people are always curious to hear about them and lots of people have heard how great they are as pets. There is nothing better than meeting a nice person who appreciates them. That balances out any negative comments from uneducated people.

They make really wonderful pets. Ours live with our 6 month old baby and another dog and we are one big happy family!

I can give you the contact details of two people who rehome greyhounds in this country. I think its a good idea to go to someone who knows their dogs well and can match a dog or dogs to your needs.

PM me if you would like anymore info;)

Magenta

Thanks for your advice guys!
As I say my grandfather kept and raced them when I was a child but he died when I was small so I don't remember much detail, other than the dogs were always really quiet and gentle. I just think they are great dogs. Going to a greyhound rescue would be ideal for me. I am really excited about the prospect of being a greyhound owner!

Ruby Soho

Heya OP, congrats on your choice of dog, you will NOT regret it!
I have two greyhounds at the moment, the male, I got about 5 years ago from PAWS and the bitch was 'donated' to me by her trainer when she was surplus to requirement (i.e. she broke her leg racing and never made up her times).
I have to say that I will never have another breed of dog, greyhounds, to me, are the PERFECT pet to have round the house. This will be backed up by any other greyhound owners out there too!
Mine are house dogs, they have a dog door so they have access to the garden to peeing, playing or sunbathing as they see fit, and they don't really seem to mind being left for a couple of hours, but 5 hours would be the very maximum time I'd leave them alone.
I do get some funny reactions when I'm out walking, everything from 'those dogs are vicious' to 'wow, what a beautiful dog'. They are very striking if in good shape. The most common remark you'll get when you're walking past a pub, someone ALWAYS asks 'are they winners?'
As another poster said, its not illegal to walk them unmuzzled, and once you know that, no one can do anything. It is however, illegal to have them off lead in a public place, and whether or not I agree with that is another matter. My dogs are always walked on lead, because I am acutely aware of their hunting instinct and would not trust them to return to me if they gave chase (be it a squirrel, cat or a yorkshire terrier...)
I have had interest from many 'undesirables' who will pull up alongside me on the road and ask about their hunting prowess, but as soon as they find out that the dogs are neutered, they quickly lose interest and move on.
A good idea is to state on the dog's collar tag that they are both neutered and microchipped to deter would-be thieves (ps, please have them neutered and microchipped!). Never EVER leave them tied up outside a shop or alone in the car for security reasons, they do commonly end up as the victims of theft.
Good luck, and we want pictures when you get them!!!
www.greyhound-data.com has links to all of the greyhound rehoming centres around the country (including Orchard Rescue and PAWS), with pictures and comments about most of the dogs available.

anniehoo

Fair play OP on picking such a GREAT breed of dog to have as a pet.I absolutely love greyhounds and you couldnt have a nicer breed of dog as a pet.

Ive been witness to so may horrendous stories involving their welfare pre and post-racing. Theyre such a gentle, kind natured, loving...and actually quitea lazy breed. If you were to compare them to horses i.e. sprinters and stayers theyre sprinters. They have short quick bursts of energy and the rest of the time they just laze. They rarely bark or are aggressive (unless theyve been bred to chase small animals) and i hate the reputation theyve "earned" in this country.

Id highly recommend Avalon Greyhound Sanctuary,Woodford,Co.Galway. I cant find a link to their website, im not sure they have one, but i know they do great work.

Good choice and the more people who own them as pets will do the breed rep a world of good

Toulouse

Myself and my siblings were reared with greyhounds, have been around them all our lives and they make the best pets!

I've been to http://www.orchardgreyhoundsanctuary.com/ many times and it's well worth a visit even if you're not ready to adopt yet. What I love about the place is it's a home environment so the dogs get used to living in the house, being called by a pet name, house-broken, lead trained, etc. The woman who runs it is very knowledgeable about the breed and she's happy for you to visit as many times as you like to get to know the dogs.

babystrawberry

Vel wrote: »

Hi Magenta,

Once they have had a nice walk before we leave they are out for the count. They truely are couch potatoes!

The couch potatoes comment is so true, our lurcher thinks he owns the couch! Once they have their walk and quick run they will just collapse on the couch/on carpet in front of fire!

Our fellas is a real sun worshipper aswel, he will be out sunbathing and would nearly move spots when he is left in shade!

bernard0368

Good choice Op, the best breed by a long shot imho.

lnolan

All your posts are such a joy to read, you have confirmed all my thoughts on greyhounds. I am a crazy animal lover but I am very new to this.

I drove home down a country road (August 19th) that I take the odd time because of traffic, I came round a corner and looked at what looked like a very sick fox, me being completely blind realised as I slowed the car down that this was a little dog, whippet I thought!

I went over and said hello expecting her to run off in fear. I gently said hello, she was very timid trying to sit down in nettles the poor pet. She looked like a little princess she held her head high even though she was so thin and dirty, I wrapped her in my cardigan and scooped her in my arms. I know from that moment what ever happened she would always know she would be loved.

I took to straight to my vets and they confirmed she was a greyhound pup about 3 months old. The vets reckon she was dumped because she was so sickly. I got them to worm her and flea her, they suggested Paws take her but I just could not let her go.

My partner works from home so we now have an addition to our family, a cat called Bobby and a beautiful brindle greyhound names “Bo”. She is skin and bone but is doing very well and after a bath and a few good meals her personality is shinning through. She gets on great with the cat but he still needs to be convinced, she is very clever and she has only had two accidents in the house which she apologised about!

Thank you all for all your advice, even though I had nothing to do with the initial post it is great to hear about what a wonderful baby I have got....and also how many caring owners there are out there. After finding her in the state she was in I felt there was no one out there who cared!

Vel

Well done for sstopping to help her. I believe greyhound puppies can be quite the livewires so rather you than me :D I prefer the oldies! As I am sure you have read in some of the other posts on this thread, they are sometimes at risk of being stolen by certain delighful members of our community so I would really recommend you get her spayed when she is old enough and make sure she is microchipped and that all that information is put on a tag for her collar. They aren't as keen on the spayed, microchipped dogs.

lnolan

Thank you very much have her microchipped already and have this on colllar, will get her spayed asap. Lady in Paws told me this as well. I am keeping her hidden away and am very sketchy with information I give to people.


thank you for advice!

Manic Moran

I live with a retired racer. Stays at home for a full workday, no particular trouble. Just throw her a few chompable toys and make sure she has water.

Not sure I see the issue with potential theft: You never want to let a greyhound off a leash in an unconfined area, you'll be chasing after it for days trying to find it after it took off after a rat or some other furry thing that caught its eye.

Dog all but never barks. Once or twice it'll bark at a possum that shows up in our back yard on top of the fence, where the dog can't reach it. That's it.

Stopped off at the Greyhound Museum in Abilene, Kansas, they have a 'greeter greyhound' at the door. Other than the colour, looked very familiar: Just lazing on the doggie bed, surrounded by chompable toys, and a slight wag of the tail when someone comes in and notices it.

NTM

Vel

Manic Moran wrote: »

I live with a retired racer. Stays at home for a full workday, no particular trouble. Just throw her a few chompable toys and make sure she has water.

Not sure I see the issue with potential theft: You never want to let a greyhound off a leash in an unconfined area, you'll be chasing after it for days trying to find it after it took off after a rat or some other furry thing that caught its eye.

Dog all but never barks. Once or twice it'll bark at a possum that shows up in our back yard on top of the fence, where the dog can't reach it. That's it.

Stopped off at the Greyhound Museum in Abilene, Kansas, they have a 'greeter greyhound' at the door. Other than the colour, looked very familiar: Just lazing on the doggie bed, surrounded by chompable toys, and a slight wag of the tail when someone comes in and notices it.

NTM

Hi Manic,

I take it you don't live in Ireland . Here there is an increased risk of greyhounds/lurchers being stolen by a certain sector of society. Dogs are often stolen from people's gardens and I have heard of two cases in the UK where the thieves broke into a person's house to get their dogs. You can never be too careful with these types of dogs in this country. I also know of many people who can let their greyhounds off lead in unconfined areas. I'm not talking about walking them along the pavement off lead, but some can be let off in parks, woods etc where again they could be taken. There is a park here in Dublin where over 70 off lead dogs have been stolen apparently.

MsFifers

I've always wondered about greyhounds and cats. I have 2 little bossy-boots cats but one day, if my circumstances allow, I'd love to adopt an ex-racing greyhound. Would that ever work? Or are racing greyhounds too programmed to chase small furry things!:D

babystrawberry

MsFifers wrote: »

I've always wondered about greyhounds and cats. I have 2 little bossy-boots cats but one day, if my circumstances allow, I'd love to adopt an ex-racing greyhound. Would that ever work? Or are racing greyhounds too programmed to chase small furry things!:D

MsFifers, when going to rehome an ex-racer, the rescue company will have checked to see if they are 'cat friendly'.
The likes of Orchard Greyhound Sanctuary and Dawg in Cork will always have this checked.

DePurpereWolf

Sorry for joining this thread so late. I have two greyhounds myself for 8 months now and I don't think I want any other breed anymore. I volunteer for Kerry Greyhound Connection which rescues greyhounds.
Last weekend I drove a bus with 9 rescued Greyhounds to England.

We have homed 500 greyhounds since 2002, of which 30 in Ireland :eek:

I happen to be fostering a beautiful Grehound girl at the moment which I believe is cat friendly, she will be up for adoption in two weeks (after being spayed) I'm in Cork, if you are near than maybe we can meet and have a chat.

The 19 month old girl was going to be put down because the owner said she 'doesn't want to chase hares'. Very said.

But there are loads of nice greyhounds up for adoption, check the website above for candidates.

Vel

MsFifers wrote: »

I've always wondered about greyhounds and cats. I have 2 little bossy-boots cats but one day, if my circumstances allow, I'd love to adopt an ex-racing greyhound. Would that ever work? Or are racing greyhounds too programmed to chase small furry things!:D

I know of many ex-racers who live hapily with cats. They can definetely be 'de-programmed', although some might still chase cats outside the home. I know quite a few rescues who have rehomed greyhounds to homes with cats, including a huge ex-coursing dog. I am a member of quite a few sighthound forums and there are often photos of ex racers cuddling up with the family cat!

I think it also helps if the cats are confident, like your bossy two!

This article explains how it can be done
http://www.greyhounds4u.co.uk/cats_and_dogs.html

lnolan

I live in Ireland so defiantly know the risks, the vets said Travellers will try take her for coursing or she will be stolen for breeding, this is why they advise to spay her. I called round to a lady who runs Paws animal rescue www.paws.ie and they deal with a lot of greyhounds and she advised the same. All ourgreyhounds over here in Irealnd are not appricated, only a few people out there realise what a gem they are to have as pets!

I have just invested in a 8m long extendable lead as I know she will be hard to catch when she gets her strength back! I arrived home from work last night to a beautiful welcome, everyday she is getting more confidence, she is a funny little girl, complete joy!

Jinxi

I have volunteered in the past for a dog rescue service to walk their(mostly greyhound) dogs.
As soon as I have the space I will take as many of these animal home with me that I can afford.
i have never come accross such wonderfully affectionate and grateful animals.
As long as you bring them for a walk(or even better a run)every dan and if you get two they won't pine. They love indoors if they have something soft to lie on.
Everyone should adopt at least 1 greyhound:D

lnolan

http://www.greyhounds4u.co.uk/cats_and_dogs.html[/quote]

Just looked ino this website excellant advice on feeding and cats. Really loving all the adivce as I badly need it!.

My little girl is lying down on the floor at my feet as I type, passed out from run around the garden!

Manic Moran

Vel wrote: »

Hi Manic,

I take it you don't live in Ireland . Here there is an increased risk of greyhounds/lurchers being stolen by a certain sector of society.

Bizzare.

No, I don't, I'm in California. Well, actually, I'm in Afghanistan, but the dog's in California.

NTM