Pointy hounds thread! For new, old and prospective owners!

[SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud]

Share stories, advice and ask for help if you need it! There are a few resident hound experts (myself not included) in the doghouse, so, feel free to share! :)

OK, I think I can cobble it together so that in order to slip his collar he'd have to slip his entire housecoat too as the housecoat has a hemmed slit in the neck through which a lead could attach to a collar iykwim. It's going to be a bit of a Heath Robinson affair but I think it'll fly. Walking tomorrow will be rather a lark in the snow anyway. He'll have his housecoat on under his outdoor coat too so double difficult. I'll have to use a strong scarf I think and just tie it tight to the house collar. Have ordered a horrible but cheap one (PVU, yuck) that should arrive with us on Monday from Amazon. Also ordered another nice one plus lead to arrive who knows when.

I could kick myself. ANYTHING left out in our garden just gets shredded by them. At least since we've had doggins they don't poo there anymore. What an affront for poor Billy though.

Oh no Betsy! I hope your invention works, sounds like it will, is he good to walk?

Just added a new picture of Sprocket hiding behind a cushion :o

99% fine. Has never tried to slip it yet. Has a little pull from time to time when he sees a cat and once we had full on flying squirrel target practice that nearly had me off my feet!

I sense that tomorrow, given the snow, most self respecting cats and small furries will be tucked up indoors or in a hole or whatever. Don't think my soft DSs will want to be out for long tomorrow either.

Hello everyone - I sort of left for a while (the thread fell off my list). We have a 2 year old whippet, rescued a year ago. However, I've just seen a picture of the most gorgeous lurcher puppy at a nearby rescue. Convince me that a second pointy dog would be a bad idea, please? DP is all for going over there this afternoon to see her.....

Go for it Mother

I haven't walked Sprocket yet today, going to brave it in a minute with the pushchair. Would leave DD with DP but he's in bed. Wish me luck!

This is probably a silly question, but do greys really need to wear tags? I mean, if they get lost and then found by someone couldn't the owner just be traced via the dogs ears? They could find out who the dog is, what rescue it was sent to, and who rehomed it, surely?

I'm certainly tempted - she has big eyes and is all legs . She is white, which would be a lovely contrast to our black whippetty too

Just taken Whippetty in the snow - surprisingly, the dog who hates water absolutely adores snow! He was running and bounding and is now stood at the window looking out at it longingly again.

Sorry Gritters, I can't help with the tag question - Whippetty (who isn't tattoo'd) wears one outside, but not in the house, after an awful incident of almost chocking when his house collar got caught on the bars of his crate. He is microchipped though.

She sounds gorgeous, just imagine how smart you would look strolling along with a white dog on your left, and a black dog on your right. . . .

You'd be famous! People would call you 'The old mother with a black whippet and white whippet' they would look on in awe and envy as you strode past them with your smart, contrasting dogs.

You are not helping! DP is also not helping - he's all for another dog that Whippetty boy could snuggle up with.

Some points about wearing ID. If your dog is lost while wearing ID, whoever finds them (dog warden or not) can call the number on the collar and get them back to you asap. If your dog is chipped, then a dog warden or a vet can ID them with a scanner. However, and this is where things get complicated, if your dog is lost out of hours, there is a very strong possibility that they will simply go straight to pound. OOH may not be under ANY contractual obligation to scan and many don't. Do not assume that either a dog warden or a pound will have the access to greyhound database to check ear tattoos,and also bear in mind that tats can often be difficult to read.

If you ever lose your dog, DO NOT assume that because they are tagged, chipped or tattooed they will automatically come home to you. You also have to be very proactive about phoning pounds around you etc. Personally I don't agree with the practice of some rescues that the dogs they chip maintain the rescue's contact details rather than the new owners. That is no help to anybody and simply means the dog will be spending longer in a pound environment while efforts are made to trace owners. Some of our local Councils kill one in three (Rhondda Cynon Taff for instance) of the dogs who have passed their seven days. I would want to do everything possible to help my hound home as fast as possible - seven days is not a long window before they could face the needle or be legally rehomed.

Mother, a gorgeous lurcher would undoubtedly complete your family. One other benefit would be that no outfit would be unmarked by dog hair! We have two black grunds and one blonde - I can guarantee that pretty much whatever I wear will be carrying a little reminder of their existence...

YY to the lurcher.

Link?

OldMother, as the proud owner of a Whippety Lurcher I can only say Go For It!!

I am at times so tempted to get another, but will stay strong for now...

Jane at Celia Cross did say a few weeks ago that if we wanted to we could short term foster houndies for a weekend / school holiday etc if we fancied having a friend for Sam to stay once in a while. May have to remind her of her offer at Easter time when we are not at school for two weeks

I have (hopefully) included a photo of desired puppy on my profile - along with an unfortunately small pic of whippetty. Isn't she gorgeous?

Gah - it's not worked. I'll try again.

Now it hopefully works!

Oh she's lovely. Those eyes...

Our temporary get up with the scarf, housecoat, house collar and outside coat seems to be working. He's got a lovely brown collar and lead coming eventually that won't honk like the old ones! The foxes have actually done us a favour!

Bill met a beautiful blue whippet with a very natty, buttoned over the tummy coat the other day. They got on well!

Mother how the heck you haven't marched over to that rescue and put your name down to adopt her is beyond me! She is a stunner! How can you resist those eyes?

We met another greyhound today for the first time! He was grey, and his name was (and probably still is) Brian. His idiot owner had let him off the lead, and he appeared to have no recall whatsoever and was running around all over the place. Poor Sprocket looked very that Brian was free and he was not.

Awww, she is beautiful!!!

I think we may have done if not for an altercation with an agressive idiot and his two overfed, aggressive labs this afternoon. Whippetty was on the lead, and said idiot comes along with two massive labs, off lead - he rather predictably was on the phone. Labs run up to whippetty who tried to run away (whilst still on lead), dp shoo'd the labs away as they were frightening whippetty. Owner then comes storming over shouting "don't you kick my dogs" (we didn't and would never dream of it) - then f'ing and blinding all over the place, threatening to punch dp's teeth in. I asked him not to behave like this in front of our dc's, so he started swearing and threatening me too. All during this he made no attempt to get his dogs under control, so two large labs circling whippetty, who was getting more wound up. Left off with him screaming at dp to "watch I don't knock your f'ing teeth out, mate" - all in front of the dc's, whilst we walked away and left him to it.

There are some very strange, angry people out there obviously .

Anyway, we didn't feel like going out again after that, but I think we will call tomorrow and see if she is still available .

Oh, how horrible for you all. Incidents like that are so upsetting and linger rather. I always comfort myself by wondering how much higher their blood pressure is than mine and how much more stressful their life must be. And how much sooner they'll die from a stroke or something.

Go for that lovely lady lurcher. I bet she'll still be waiting for you!

Our two recent new pointy dogs (rehomed August and October) are loving the snow today, pics on profile, looking very well behaved in their coats. Mesmersised by the kids on their sledges, both the movement, and the whooping and screaming! Belle hates labradors with a passion, I ll get her to bite their legs off if any more problems, OldMother! Just joking, Belle is going to naughty school to curb her angry faces at other dogs, and its working wonders.

Oh no OldMother, what a horrific end to a walk. I too agree with you that people like him will have much higher blood pressure and are probably living a quite miserable existance and will probably die soon too. That girl looks beautiful, she at least deserves a visit because you know once you've met her you won't be able to leave without her

Had a fantastic walk on the beach today with whippety pup and his brother (half sibling/dog that came from same relative area). The beach is huge and we had it to ourselves so we let them off and they had an amazing time. Running and chasing and tumbling and fighting and running and running. They both came back really well but I can't imagine letting them off the lead anywhere that isn't totally remote and free from other dogs. Still puppy school proper starts on Thursday so it's a good place to start.

Can't see your profile Dorothy, bet they are beautiful though. Met a beautiful rescue grey on the beach, jet black with the most expressive eyes.

Oh Lost, I am now feeling that I can't wait for our week in Pembrokeshire later this year. I am convinced that this place is sighthound heaven. Sigh. We get down as far as Pembrey quite often but Pembs is a bit far for a day trip. Still, I am sure Freshwater East and Newgale will be waiting for us.

OMD, what is it about mad Lab owners? Am so sorry you had such an unpleasant experience, and also particularly sorry your DC had to listen to this man being such an idiot.

Lostinwales - sorry, naughty dogs had run away on profile pic. I ve gathered them back in now! Beth was rescued from Swansea. Belle was from Cork.

Whippetty is not keen on dogs being full-on, so he tends to be nervous and/or over-excitable with labs and similar types - he likes nice calm dogs (basically, he only really likes other sighthounds). I therefore really dislike people with their big, full-on off lead boistrous dogs coming bounding up to our on-lead whippet. We can't let him off lead in an unenclosed area because he is likely to run, so I do expect others not to let their dogs come bounding up.