advice: pets for free

[oldgreyknickertest]

We are going to get a dog and want a rescue dog. I have never been down this road before, although my husband's family always had rescue dogs but we are not near the rescue place they used.

I have obviously been looking on the websites before we go visiting: does anyone have any experience of that particular one?

Another vote for sighthounds (whips, lurchers, grunds, salukis) as they really are the most low maintenance, laid back dogs you could wish to meet. They are quiet, don't shed much and spend much of their days asleep - a bit like big cats, they have a short sharp run around for half an hour or so then retire to the nearest Soft Comfy Thing to sleep it off.

About the only bad point about them is their dreadful habit of stealing food; my mother was introduced to her lurcher when he stole a loaf of bread from the open boot of her car in Tescos car park as she was unloading her trolley. She loaded both the bread and the horrendously skinny, scabby stray dog into the car and thus began a lovely friendship, six years long and still going strong.

Another vote for the pointy dog here. I've had an assortment of whippets/greyhounds and crosses thereof. My pointer/greyhound who died earlier this year was a dog of a lifetime. My gorgeous fawn little greyhound is such a darling and people cannot believe how sweet and quiet she is as some folk still think greyhounds are going to be massively high energy dogs.

If you like 'robust' dogs then maybe make space for a staffy or staffy cross as welfare centres and pounds are overflowing with this type through no fault of their own, just over bred. Many of these types make great family pets and with a slightly older dog, rather than a pup, you know a little more about what you are getting, and good rescues will do a full assessment, as far as possible. Staffies were once called 'nanny dogs' due to their fun and friendly character.

Sure cats and little ones in the famly mean you'll have to be extra careful with your choice, but as others have said, they need not be a barrier to you finding the perfect pal through a rescue. Good advice given on this thread so far. Let us know who comes to join your family.

(And its great you are adopting 'cos when you rescue a pet, you save two lives - the one of the dog you bring to your home and the one of the dog that can come into the rescue because you've made a space)

Name changed but what the hell, we haven't heard about the cairn so assuming it goes to another lovely home.

When I was little someone I knew had three entrancing tiny grey pointies. I always assumed they were whippets, but the only whippets I have seen are much bigger. Any advice?

And does anyone know if salukis cause allergies? I ADORE salukis. Brought up in middle east and they are so meltingly beautiful. So a saluki or saluki cross would be my idea if heaven.

And do sighthounds need chicken wire put down all round the garden as the cairn would have? Are they serial diggers?

will keep you in touch. The whistler family is still seeking whistler hound.

Salukis are mind bendingly gorgeous, but they are notorious (even among sighthounds, so that's some stiff competition) for being virtually untrainable. - Commands are treated as more of a suggestion, and generally met with regal indifference. If you're working them, thus working with their instincts, they can become highly effective (used alot in Middle East for hunting with birds of prey - something I would LOVE to see), but for pet ownership, there are probably easier options....

They will clear a 6ft fence with ease so bear that in mind too. Not sure about digging - we've got a greyhound who digs random holes but it isn't usually in an attempt to escape - that would be too much like hard work and would require some intelligence .

The dogs you might have seen could have been iggies - Italian greyhounds - a kind of miniature whippet. Dooin has one, it sounds delightful and is apparently often worn by her DH as a sort of mobile scarf

Darn about the 6' fence. Oh well. I have just fallen in love over the internet most unsuitably with sergei on the grund rescue site.

Ps I love staffies but round here sending a teenage boy out with a staff is asking for serious trouble.

To all who have given us advice, we are taking a grund on trial for ten days..

Help! Anything we need to know? I am told she us a small grund and won't be able to leap our fences.

Love, a basket, bowls for food and water, walkies, a teenage softy and a sofa, lead, what else ?. Do they really eat weetabix for breakfast?