Why would anyone want a greyhound/ whippet?

[Nightshift24]

In my experience the prey drive is so strong in these dogs that they will hunt wildlife to the point that they cannot be let them off the lead incase they go for a rabbit or squirrel. That’s fine if they have responsible owners but many people continue to let them off. I know greyhounds that have killed cats. They have even been known to go for small dogs. What are the redeeming features?

My cat kills a lot of mice and occasionally frogs. I would say at certain times of the year it’s two or three mice a day.

im not sure what the difference is? Is a mouse if less value?

Mine lives with 3 cats a guinea pig and a kitten and they chase him! He is a gentle creature, loves to play with them but has never in any way hurt them.

I've got a whippet. They're beautiful, elegant, clean, loving creatures! (Also attention seeking, demanding and belligerent )

We had elderly cats when we first got her, who she liked to snuggle up to. I've not seen rabbits where we walk but we see a lot of squirrels, which she'll go after, they'll run up a tree and she walks off 🤷🏼‍♀️. Same with birds - she always looks so confused that they fly away, every time.

I let her off lead in remote areas or secluded beaches and she likes a good lap at 794mph, then she's done.

The most issues we have ever had are with other off lead dogs in busy children's areas.

My dear whippet was best friends with my cat. They coslept, shared food and when the cat had an operation the dog literally mother henned him.

Sadly my neighbour ran over our cat (in our driveway) and killed him (total other thread). My whippet was nothing short of devastated, he pined for weeks.

More recently (yesterday) - a bird flew into our glass doors and stunned itself. As I got up to check on the bird my whippet got there first, he very gently sniffed the bird and immediately sat/moved away when I asked him to.

So there you go. Proof that they aren't all like that. Most of the ones I have met are gentle and lovely pets.

They’re lovely dogs.

I know a few people who have them, all retired racing dogs which were given a loving home. What would the alternative have been for these animals?!

I expect they’re lazy because they’re hideously unfit.

A life on lead is no life for a dog, imo.

Cats kill far more wildlife than dog ever will.

Oh good Lord. Many, many breeds need a lot of off-lead exercise to be fit and mentally balanced. I have two high-drive working-line dogs, who need that fulfilment. They have excellent recall, are social to other dogs, don't bother other people and I have the control to get them away from prey.

People who have low-energy dogs need to spend some time with high-energy ones.

"I don’t think many people would keep cats if they weighed upwards of 25kg."

No, you have an issue with dogs that kill wildlife! Cats kill wildlife, it's irrelevant how much they weigh!

I personally don't see the appeal of dogs like whippets or greyhounds but it's nothing to do with their instincts - they're just not the kind of dog that appeals to me.

I know greyhounds that have killed cats.

And cats kill plenty of animals too. Even other peoples pets. And there have been threads on here where some cat owners find that funny.

In my experience the prey drive is so strong in these dogs that they will hunt wildlife to the point that they cannot be let them off the lead incase they go for a rabbit or squirrel.

And cats will kill rabbits and squirrels too and some people think nothing of essentially moving 'predators' to the area and letting them roam free all day long.

Cats are free to roam, while dogs are not but that doesn't make what dogs do any worse than what cats do!

That's not true. They can be fit as fiddles but still super lazy. They sleep a LOT more than other dogs.

Although they typically aren't a dog I'd go for I can definitely see the appeal, they are typically really good dogs in the house and pretty easygoing with people/other dogs. Yes they can have a high prey/chase drive but so can many other breeds and this is very trainable if people are prepared to put in a bit of effort. I have a hound mix who initially had a really high prey drive - we did lots of desensitising and impulse control training and work on building our relationship and now he's brilliant off lead and around all kinds of animals and livestock (he's cuddling my kitten on the sofa as I type this)

I have a lurcher...he was scared of my cat and has zero prey drive and his best friend is a little pug. He's the most gentle, loving goofball. I know several other greyhounds, lurchers and whippets locally..they are all very gentle, get let off lead, have good recall and maybe half-heartedly would chase a squirrel but certainly are not vicious cat/wildlife killers. Some sighthounds do have high prey drives but so do many other breeds of dog.

I had to wrestle a cat out of my old labradors jaws, in my own garden! Most dogs will catch “prey” when the opportunity takes them but they still don’t come anywhere near close to the destruction to wildlife that domestic cats cause.

The vet says they are correct weights for breed and they seem perfectly fit to me. They have 2 decent walks a day and can run around in our large garden if they want to. They go in and out the cat flap. They just love snoozing.

Yes this is exactly my whippet. I wouldn't have another breed after having him. As PP said, cats kills huge amounts of wildlife. Far more than whippets. Mine is on the lead outside because he runs so fast I would never catch him, but its more because he has a habit of getting fed up and running home from the park. He does have a prey drive but he has never caught a bird or a squirrel etc in the garden. He sometimes stalks pigeons but they always fly off. He is scared of the local tomcat because he once hissed at him, and he lets my MIL's cats sleep in his bed while he sleeps on the floor when we go to her house. He does have a prey drive, but its not as if they can never be left alone with any other creature. They are lovely dogs.

Do you not accept though that not every dog or breed is so calm and ‘loves snoozing’? A lot of dogs need the mental and physical stimulation of regular off lead time, just because yours don’t doesn’t mean that owners are being unreasonable to dare to properly exercise their dogs!

Op I have no idea either.

They're lazy fuckers who sleep all day then steal your food.

Who'd have 'em.

Most people I know who have one have adopted a retired race dog, so they tend to be older and possibly a bit more chilled.

They’re actually lovely dogs, not the smartest but sweet natured.

My mum's three legged cat was killed by an off lead dog allowed to run into her garden... breed in question - spaniel.

My idiot greyhound got viciously attacked... by a cat. The cat (who was a bit of a psycho head case at the best of times) decided that taking down a dog three times his size was a good plan and jumped at her - in full-on Alien-face-hugger mode.

As for why I love greyhounds - they are incredibly sweet natured, not quite wired up right in the brain, capable of looking incredibly elegant and also capable of looking like incorrectly assembled flat pack dogs where no one's read the instructions.

Because it is the best thing for my dog. A lead walk wouldn't cut if for my dog. He is never out of my control

Firstly, you are completely wrong, and it is stupid to make a thread like this when so many gorgeous adult greyhounds are spending their lives in tiny racing & rescue concrete cages waiting to be homed. Meanwhile the average person will skip out the door and get a bloody poodle mutt puppy from a puppy farm or deformed french bulldog puppy or some other genetic abomination that shouldn’t exist.

SECONDLY, greyhound owners do not let their greyhounds wander round off the lead in public, so it’s a completely moot point. Why would you get one? Because they’re a gorgeous, gentle, low-maintenance, clean, quiet, rewarding dog. They can run in a secure garden, rented dog field or deserted beach. They run for about 60 seconds and then are content to sleep on the sofa the rest of the day.

Kennels/rescues will advise you keep your greyhound muzzled and on the lead for at least the first 6 months to a year while they settle in and learn their temperament. The vast majority of greyhound adopters do this.

Most greyhounds are not a risk to cats. My boy doesn’t even bat an eyelid at them. Greyhounds are cat-tested at kennels and some greyhounds live happily in homes with a cat.

When there are so many dog breeds that kill other dogs and humans, this is a bloody stupid thread to make.

My whippet is everything. She's soft, silly, loves kids, sleeps with my cat, wouldn't harm a fly. She's the most beautiful soul. Not all whippets chase cats.

It depends on the dog. We used to have a runt of the litter whippet and she'd chase rabbits, get confused then wander off. Shame as there were so many rabbits around their numbers needed culling (v rural farmland)

They do. They’re called Hunt Sabatours.