Question:
Adopt a retired racing greyhound! For starters, you save a life, and that makes you feel good. Most of the greyhound rescue groups will have already taken care of spaying/neutering, all shots, and the dog will have spent some time in a foster home getting used to floors, stairs, backyards (FENCED!!), soft furniture, and hugs and kisses. These dogs make WONDERFUL housepets; their disposition is sweet, they are intelligent (one of mine is learning to talk), you will attract attention when you walk it through town ("Oh, did you adopt an ex-racer? Bless you!). Racing greyhounds are bred for strength, good disposition, intelligence, and health. It doesn’t matter which way their ears are pointed or where on their rear end the tail happens to be attached, or what color they are, as opposed to AKC dogs, which have to conform to a physical standard that has nothing to do with what kind of temperament the dog has. Greyhounds, because of their track training, have learned to not leap about out of control. They are extremely polite; when they meet other dogs, their inclination is to stand calmly because that’s the way they had to behave in the kennel. It’s easy to housebreak a greyhound. They are accustomed to being let outside at specific intervals. All you have to do for the first few days is take the dog out (into the FENCED yard) frequently until you figure out how long between pees. My largest dog is a 95-pound male. I have taken him into crowds of people and had tiny children approach him and hug him – one even said, "Look, Mommy, a deer!" (On the other hand, I don’t know what’s the matter with parents who let their children approach a strange dog – I know he wouldn’t do anything untoward, but they certainly don’t. That also applies to children in the home being taught respect for a fellow creature.) My small female came to me from another home where she "annoyed" their older dog, so they kept her in a crate. She was pretty pitiful when I got her, but she has turned into a lovable clown with a great sense of humor! Go to the library, go to a bookstore, go to a pet store, look at "Adopting the Racing Greyhound" by Cynthia Branagan. And if all this convinces you, be aware that your greyhound’s personality will develop over time – even the most initially bland dog turns into a charmer! After all, how would you react if you had lived in a wire box all your life and suddenly you were whisked to the Hilton? Be comforted by the fact that there is a lot of support out there from the rescue groups. Another thing: you don’t have to go through the puppy stage, and the fee you pay may even be tax deductible (depending on the organization). One drawback. If playing frisbee with your dog is more important than any other activity, don’t get a greyhound. They are not jumpers and I have known of a couple who have broken their legs "playing" frisbee. Do it! Barbara, mother of China and Jaxon, the biggest greyhound in the world (maybe)
Response:
Ex-racing Greyhounds make wonderful pets … especially for those of us who like avoiding the puppy phase of dog owning. They are clean, gentle, smart, dogs…not at all hyper like I had been told they were. A bit of advice…if you have special needs like a cat or children that will interact with the dog, please try to go through a rescue/adoption group that screens the dogs well. Most good groups will test all of the dogs for cat-safeness (or prey drive), and will also ask you to bring your family and current dog in to meet the prospective adoptees. If you want a dog that is good with children, then bring some children along and test the dogs comfort arounnd them. Lynda
Response:
> Do retired greyhounds make good house pets? Do they behave well around > young children? Thanks for any information provided.
Charles, A great place to start looking around is the WWW greyhound e-zine I put out (see URL below). It includes links most greyhound related sites, and should answer most of the questions you have. As for the questions posed here: 1) Fantastic house pets 2) Children: yes and no, like any dog it depends on the individual. In many cases the dogs aren’t sure what children are (they’ve never seen them before) but with proper supervision and training (again..like any other dog) they can/will adjust and learn. Please feel free to email me privately if you wish. Bruce Skinner , ~~~~ ,’ ) ^ Bruce Skinner & Saigon ‘T’ ,,’ ,’`', ,’ `, http://www2.pcix.com/~gryhnd ,’ )’`,`, `, ( ,’ `,`, `, ,’ ,,,’ ;; `~~,’ ,’` ” ( ,’ A Breed Apart `, , (WWW Greyhound Magazine) `, ,’ http://www.pcix.com/abap/index.html ),’ )) )) ); Wine Page `; http://www.pcix.com/wine/index.html
Response:
>Do retired greyhounds make good house pets? Do they behave well around >young children? Thanks for any information provided.
—- Did someone pay you to post this? We’ve got two retired greyhounds in our house and they make wonderful pets and are great with kids. My first dog, Rosie, is fantastic with kids. We don’t have kids, but Rosie loves them. All the neighborhood kids know her and she is infinitely patient with hand jabs in the eye, fists in the mouth, pulled ears, etc. I don’t encourage this behavior. In fact I keep an eagle eye to stop it, but sometimes kids do stuff like this. She is totally patient with it. In fact on our walks she pulls to the local Montesorri school because if the kids are out they all come up and make over her. My second dog, Katie, is a bit shy with kids. She was scared of them at first, but upon watching Rosie has grown accepting of them. I tell the kids they can pet Rosie but only to pet Katie is she approaches them, which she usually eventually does. These are fantastic, calm, well-behaved, loving dogs. Rosie came from a great kennel and she had been fostered longer. Katie I believe has been abused along the way. The adoption agency knew by the time we got Rosie that she was a very gentle, loving dog. Katie came only a few days off the track so we knew less about her at first. She has been with us a month and is starting to show real trust. I’d say if you have kids be sure to get one that came from a good agency and has been fostered at least 3 weeks. The dogs can be retrained from track behavior without being fostered, but it is a lot harder and would be tougher with kids. Most agencies do foster the dogs first. We got Katie after she’d only been fostered a couple of days because we were experienced greyhound owners and we had a dog already (which helps). But turning Katie into a pet has been some work. Far from impossible though because as I said, after a month she is starting to trust, and she is really a very sweet dog, very devoted to me. sherry katz
Response:
Greyhounds make wonderful, loving and very docile companions. They have special needs that can be explained by the Rescue Group, such as going up and down steps, looking in mirrors and various things that will not have been exposed to living in a cage at a track. These things are often adjusted to by the time you get them. All they ask is that you love them, give them a couple of walks a day, and not them ever run loose. They have been bred for centuries to ’sight’ and chase prey, and this has been heightened by track training, so they should not be let loose (other than in a fenced in yard). They are dogs that love to be with you, so be prepared to give (and get) a lot of love and attention. They are NOT ‘yard’ dogs and should be given special care in cold weather as they have a very thin coat. In my experience, they are good with children, but as with any new dog care should be taken to be patient and gentle. You will be doing something wonderful by giving a home to one of these dogs, but the love you receive in return will far exceed what you give out. Christy
Response:
Do retired greyhounds make good house pets? Do they behave well around young children? Thanks for any information provided.
Response:
Yes, ex-racers make great pets!! We have had one for four years and she is the best dog I have ever owned. She is very mellow and definitely retired. She would sleep all day on the couch if we were to allow her. She is very gentle around children too. The only worry we have with her is on hikes — she tends to want to chase rabbits and squirrels so we must always keep her on a leash. We know several greyhound owners who live in apartments and have no problems with their greyhounds being destructive or "wild" even in a small apartment. Of course they do need daily exercise (walks), but not as much as many other breeds.
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