My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Pets

better be the last thread - greyhounds

17 replies

hercules · 15/02/2006 19:05

anyone who's read my many other pet threads will know what I am looking for.

how are they?

OP posts:
Report
parkj83 · 15/02/2006 19:11

Lovely. 90mph couch potato.

really soppy. Ex racing dogs are a good idea. Here is a good site to get in contact with - they have a current list of all dogs currently looking for a new home. Where possible, they all spend time in a foster home, and therefore, they have a half-way decent idea of the dog's character.

Report
hercules · 15/02/2006 19:43

thanks, bump for anymore advice or thought?

OP posts:
Report
hercules · 15/02/2006 19:57

just trying to make this thread look busy....

OP posts:
Report
parkj83 · 15/02/2006 20:10

Lol

Greyhounds are lovely. I was going to get one, but the only thing against me was that I work full time, and I can't drive, so I can't come home and take it for a run half way through the day.

They're really laid back, but they do have playful sessions.

They're the sort of dog that'll stretch out in the middle of the room, just to make you step over them

But they're happy plonking themselves on your feet - they like to know where you are.

Ex racing dogs are special - they're house-trained up to a point, as they're kept in kennels, and taken for training walks, so on the lead they're great!

I had a thread a little while ago, and Pixel popped up and gave me some advice. Apparently they have a friend who is a greyhound trainer, so she knows them really well

Report
Laura032004 · 15/02/2006 21:02

We've got one, and he is lovely. He's really laid back, will let kids do anything to him, and most of the time you hardly know he's there.

Ours is an ex-racer, so we've never had any accidents in the house, and he walks really well on a lead.

They're meant to form a loyalty to one person in particular, but ours just seems to be loyal to the last person that fed him

They don't need (contrary to the silly woman at the rescue centre!) hours of walks a day. 1 or 2 20 minute sprints is more than enough. If I can't get out with him, ours will just do super fast laps round the garden.

They look beautiful, and other greyhound / whippet owners will always stop and talk to you about them. I forget how gorgeous they are until I'm admiring somebody else's dog, and then realise that mine isn't much different!

Downsides - ours doesn't know how to play. Might be a one-off, but more likely because he wasn't taught as a puppy. Shame, because ds would love to throw sticks for him etc. Also, he is very unreliable off the lead, and would just run for miles if the mood took him. We only ever let him off the lead on long empty beaches. We were also told he should be muzzled at all times, and they wouldn't let us leave the rescue home without buying one. Half-way home he was hyper-ventilating, so I took it off, and he's never since worn it. OK, so he has tried to eat a few hedgehogs (won't learn), and would probably eat a cat if he caught one, but we don't let him off the lead usually, so it's not a real issue for us.

Ex-racers in particular have special dietary needs, ours can't tolerate rich food or dog meat, and is more than happy on the cheapest all-in-one dog food. Probably a benefit!

If the size of the dog worries you (we have a male, so they can be quite big, but ours is on the small size), whippets are a nice half-way house. My mum has one, and she is absolutely lovely, has all the great traits of our greyhound, and none of his disadvantages. I went looking for one when I got our dog, but there weren't any, hence we came home with him!

Report
allyco · 16/02/2006 09:45

I've heard good things about greyhounds too herc (but I still think you should go for a Wolfie )

Report
gscrym · 16/02/2006 09:54

I have a lurcher (kinda chubby whippet/collie cross). She's got a great temprement and is possibly the lasiest dog in the world. Friends of ours have a greyhound/wolf hound lurcher and rescue greyhound. They say the same. Although the dogs are huge, they are loveable and very easy to live with.

Report
hercules · 16/02/2006 15:57

off to see a rescue place tomorrow.

OP posts:
Report
Stylish · 17/02/2006 20:38

How did it go?

Report
Pixel · 17/02/2006 22:50

Hi parkj83, I went 'to the dogs' last night. Didn't win anything though...

Our local track (which is Hove) runs it's own rehoming scheme for retired greyhounds if anyone is interested.

Report
zippitippitoes · 17/02/2006 22:59

dp loves them
and Jack Russells
and English Bull Terriers

Report
wabbitintheheadlamps · 17/02/2006 23:59

I've had an ex racer as a pet - he was soooo lovely, the 90mph couch potato is a perfect description.

Ours even got so used to our cats he let them lie over his body so they could be as close to the fire as he was!

I had my newborn dd in the house when we first got him and there were never any issues that he might snap or maul her....

Can't recommend rescuing a grey-hound enough

They look beautiful too - when we got him a lurcher friend we used to say

'from the people who brought you Scatter-cats... now... Scatter-dogs!'

as they'd drape themselves over chairs and sofas...

Miss them

Report
CountessDracula · 18/02/2006 16:20

Great house dogs, easy to exercise

Have you considered a Ridgeback? Also hounds, have a lot of traits of greyhounds but not so Kate Moss on a diet IYKWIM

Report
CountessDracula · 18/02/2006 16:20

Also if not in a hurry go to Discover Dogs at Earls Court in November (they may have elsewhere at other times) about 200 breeds there you can talk to owners/breeders etc

Report
Joannie2 · 18/02/2006 17:15

Good idea Countess, Discover Dogs is also at Crufts Birmingham NEC 9-12 March - you can pay at the door. Discover Dogs is great, you get to meet the breeds and speak to experts within the breed for the pros and cons on each. If you can make it, Crufts is a great day out- but take lots of money with you as there is over 400 trade stands - as I found out last year when I came home considerably poorer

Report
CountessDracula · 18/02/2006 17:35

We went when umming and ahhing about dog breed, couldn't decide between a Flatcoat and a Ridgeback, also had Beagle hankering but after speaking to the breeders and owners it was quickly obvious that they were not for us!

We kept going back to the Ridgebacks, the 2yo dd of the friend we were with was lieing down cuddling them for ages and they were so sweet and docile it really tipped the balance!

Report
hercules · 18/02/2006 17:50

We've decided to go for an Irish wolfhound!

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.