Re-homing a greyhound - advice needed.

[Miggs28]

We are in the process of moving from a flat to a house with a garden and we have been mulling over getting a pet.

I go walking every day with my best friend and her Beagle on a local common and have been bumping into a fellow dog walker who has 3 greyhounds who are absolutely beautiful and I must admit I have fallen a little bit in love with them!

Abit of context, we have a DS who is 8 months old, I am a SAHM with a DH who works long hours but is home in the week and over weekends. I grew up with a dog (tibetan terrier) but DH has never had dogs and suffers with a cat allergy.

I would be doing the bulk of the dog care and all of the walking a part from maybe the weekend walks, I don't see this being a problem however.

I was hoping to get some insight from mumsnetters that own greyhounds on how they are with children and also things we would need to consider if we were to rehome.

I do like the idea of being able to provide a loving home for a dog that needs one but don't want to potentially put my DS at risk with a dog who has a difficult temperament.

Any advice you all have would be really appreciated!

[Scuttlebutter]

Come over to the thread for greyhounds, lurchers etc. There are lots of people there who have taken on greyhounds with very young DC. Most ex racing greyhounds have gentle, calm temperaments. For a "gold standard" adoption, choose a rescue that places dogs in to a foster home before adoption - they'll then be able to give a very detailed account of the dog's relationship with children, other dogs, cats etc. Obviously, this still means that as a a parent, you will need to exercise responsibility and make sure dog and child are kept separate.

One of the reasons why we have greys is that DH is asthmatic and has allergies to cats and long haired dogs. Greys have very short, fine coats so are less likely to trigger allergies. Many greyhound rescues allow you to meet the dogs at social events, walks etc - see how your DH reacts to handling,stroking them.

Good luck!

[MrsJoeHart]

Don't rule out Lurchers too, my Grey/whippet cross is lovely with the dc's a big lazy bag of sticks at home so long as he gets a good walk to run about every day.