Or possibly two!
I posted 3/4 weeks ago about finding a breeder for a puppy, but then some very lovely ladies guided me in the direction of greyhounds and I fell in love.
But we have a cat, I think I have spoken to every place within a decent radius, some have been more helpful than others.
Yesterday I spoke to a lovely lady and we're going to view two on Friday. Chances are we will take one and I'm so excited I'm giving myself a headache 
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So, what do I need? They're both female so neither will be massive. We're going to get a crate, do you think an XL will be the right size? She will come with muzzle, collar and lead so no need to buy them.
What about food bowls? Which are best? Beds? Which are the comfiest? Do I need a kong type toy? I'm not sure on her diet yet, but if it's kibble which is the best to go for? I'd prefer raw but I'll carry on with whatever she's on now and suits her.
Eek, one very excited household here 
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
We have a match!
GreenieGables · 25/10/2016 20:18
Perfect, thank you. Another thing to add to the list!
A nice calm morning so far, she's noticeably more relaxed and so are the DC... and breathe 
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She's been having 60/40 old food/Millie's then this morning was 40/60 and her poo was much firmer never thought I'd be discussing dog poo in such detail. I'm still really quite shocked at the food they feed them, you can tell it's awful, cheap stuff.
Just heading for her first outing in the woods.
It's always an upheaval at first - please don't worry! Both DH & I have had dogs all our lives, and when we bought home our dog a few years ago, admittedly as a medical high needs neglect case, we spent a whole 2 weeks thinking "what the fuck have we done?!" We are expecting DC1 in Feb and am fully expecting to do that when the baby is here too. Have already told DH that if for any reason it doesn't work out, the baby goes and the dog stays though - 2 years on and she's the best thing we've ever done. She makes every day brighter. And I say this as someone who spent the night sleeping on the floor, 6 months pregnant, because the dog was too scared of the fireworks to come out from under the sofa bed in the spare room
Wow that's dedication
Glad your pup has a new home Costa, bitter sweet though I guess.
She survived a 3 mile walk in the woods, it wasn't supposed to be that long but we missed the short cut signs on the trail. We need to do a fair bit of work with other dogs though. What's the etiquette? I let her have a little sniff, is that ok? She got very over excited with two of them and would have nipped them if she wasn't muzzled. The second she did that I moved her away to walk on with a firm 'no'. Is that the right thing to do? The looks we got for the muzzle though . Children hiding behind their parents, parents grabbing their kids and saying 'it's ok just stay still'. Seriously, are people that uneducated? I did say to one family that she's great with people, she's just cautious of other dogs.
I feel like a new mum all over again. She's great though
So pleased she is home with you.
The coat being poor , flea issue and minor cuts/grazes are all very common when they come out of kennels into their new home.
Sort yourself out with a vet appt to give her the once over and good diet plus grooming and sleeping on soft surfaces will soon have her looking like a different dog. You'll actually see a huge difference by Christmas.
YY - your large black dog wearing a muzzle will lead to mass panic out on walks but that should be no surprise as you only have to see the regular anti dog threads on AIBU to get a feel for many people's views on dogs. Just learn to find it quietly amusing.
Out on walks, just keep her walking - we follow the 30 second rule for sniffs - just enough time for a quick sniff if they are on that side and keep going. There will be plenty of time for socialising in the future - at this stage I'd concentrate on her learning to walk with you (and you with her) and keeping her focus on you.
She is finding her new routine/home tiring, she's learning the ropes but it sounds like she is doing very well.
And enjoy looking at collars!
Vet went well, she was a star. She's in good health and no sign of fleas or any nasties. He said her thin coat is just from where she's been in kennels and the sore on her tail is also from where she's been rubbing it in kennels. The sore is fully healed it's just got no hair. He did say it was growing back though.
One thing he said was about the cat, and he was certain it wouldn't work out. He said don't even try and integrate them. So now I'm feeling a bit deflated about that. I know, and have seen it can work, but hearing it from a vet made me feel like I was doing the wrong thing and that I'm going against the professionals. He said his mother in laws greyhound killed the neighbours cat 
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I just took her for a walk and she stayed by my side the whole time, no pulling, no nothing. Just a nice walk where she listened when I told her to wait. So I think she has potential, it's just the cat 
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Congratulations on your new hound, I'm one of the greyhound evangelists on here having been similarly persuaded last year
Your dog will have been cat tested by the RGT branch, this involves talking the dog (muzzled and on lead) into the presence of a cat and seeing their reaction. If they appear uninterested and can be easily led away then bingo! But remember, a lot of it will be how your cat reacts to the dog too.
My greyhound is a cat trainable and he has been fine with cats in the house, when I got him I had 2 cats who never came into contact with dogs and I think my now sadly departed older and fiercer cat scared the life out of him! Now I just have one very sweet little cat and they are not best buddies but are in the same room and on the same rug together all the time. I even get them standing next to each other in the kitchen with their pleading hungry faces at tea time
He still has a prey drive though, he will chase the cat if he sees her in the village and he's managed to catch a few rabbits out on country walks. He also used to chase the cat in the garden but is so used to her now he has stopped. It all just takes time.
Mine was also a very good walker straight off, led me to be confident I could walk him off lead which I do a lot now.
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