Retired greyhounds? Or other suggestions.

[monkeyfacegrace]

I have a dog shaped hole to fill.

I lost my 14yr old Pug bitch before xmas. My 6yr old Pug bitch went back to her breeders due to horrendous circumstances at home during Oct-now, and she wont let me have her back

I still have my old, deaf, blind little boy Pug who is 13.

Fingers crossed, all home dramas are over. And Im pining for my dogs

I will never have another pug for various reasons, mainly guilt over my bitch that got rehomed.

So, the hunt is on for a companion for me.

I need a very, very reliably housetrainable dog. I cannot go through another few years of wee and poo everywhere like the pugs.

Id like short hair, very low shed.

I can commit to long walks Mon-Fri, but only short ones at the weekend due to other commitments.

I have a secure garden, and two children aged 7 & 5.

I dont work, so am home 24/7, and my parents will look after when we holiday.

Ive made noises in the direction of retired greyhounds. I love the way they curl up, and they are quiet and dont need long walks. But, Ive heard they can be snappy with kids, which is a big no no for me. Anybody got any experience?

Or other suggestions?

We're in a very similar situation - lost our old girl in September and looking for the dog that can fill the dog-shaped hole in a household with kids and cats. When I rescued our previous dog I was single and carefree and she only had to fit in with me, thankfully she had a diamond temperament and has coped with all the changes that 14 years threw at her without batting an eyelid.
I understand that rescues have to err on the side of caution, but pretty much every dog is advertised as not good with children. Our local ones are either full of Staffies and Huskies, neither of which would suit us, completely unsocialised ex-breeding dogs rescued from puppy farms, or dogs imported from Romania. We've got as far as looking at a couple and have found they are not as advertised.
We are going to see a rescue Lurcher at a greyhound rescue this weekend. I've worked with many greyhounds/lurchers in my capacity as a vet over the last 15 years and I don't think I've ever met a nasty one or had to muzzle one. The usual rules about whether they have been socialised with children would apply, mainly because if they haven't the dog is likely to find it very stressful, but as a generalisation I'd say they are less likely than other breeds to be snappy.
I'd take note of how strong their drive to chase is, particularly if you want to be able to let them off lead. Of course you can work on recall, but they are mostly pretty hard-wired to chase small furry things. The one we are going to see has been cat-tested as ok, but it's something to be aware of.

Thanks for the input.

Staffs are just not possible for me, I dont have the time and energy that I believe a bull breed needs.

I think, from the extensive research Ive done today (and Im taking 4 hours solid on the phone, and 3 hours on internet), Ive decided on a greyhound or lurcher.

My problem now is whether to buy a lurcher puppy and have the whole experience which Ive never had before, or to get a rescue. My friends want to rehome their 3 yr old lurcher due to space/landlord issues, and he seems perfect. Except that bit of me is screaming puppy puppy puppy.....

It's perfectly possible to get a pup from a greyhound/lurcher rescue. Get in touch with Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue - they regularly have lurcher pups - I transported one for them only last week.

Many of the racing greyhounds come into rescue at a relatively young age - quite often a non-chaser will be spat out from the racing industry before it even starts racing formally if it's no good, so can be as young as 18 mths or 2 years. For a long lived breed, you can then look forward to a good 12 further years with your dog, more than the entire lifetime of many pedigree breeds.

One note of caution - if you get a pup, then you can expect housetraining accidents for a while yet. I'd advise against rehoming via a friend for all sorts of reasons. Rehoming via a rescue means you will have lifelong backup, and a dog with a known provenance.

Evesham rescue were just really short with me on the phone. They think a pup is a bad idea with my old Pug

Sometimes rescue centres can be more trouble than they are worth. I feel really shit now, even though I KNOW Im a good home for a dog.

Hhmph.

They may have a point - a boisterous lurcher pup with an elderly blind dog may not be the best combo, but a calm, young adult grey would be likely to be able to adjust and cohabit nicely. If you have your heart set on a pup, it might be worth waiting for your lovely old pug to pass on - and just concentrate on giving him the lovely retirement he is already enjoying for whatever time he has left. Some rescues will let you have a trial period to see how the two dogs get on together - this might be an option for an adult greyhound.