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?

O actually know several people who walk their cats on leads, fancy breeds. A couple of years ago we were sitting by the river in Arundel,saw what I thought was someone walking their dog,when they got closer,it was actually a Flemish Giant,(bunny) my rabbit used to have lead walks.

@tattychicken , so sorry this happened to you.

I thought the point of owning a lurcher was for them to catch rabbits 🤷🏼‍♂️. Same as the point of terriers is ratting.
I don't have a dog myself, but I'm always grateful for friends with terriers bringing them round to do their thing (& indeed for any unwanted rabbits for pie!)

Greyhounds are just absolute gems of dogs and they don’t deserve a word said against them.

They're not all like that and the ones that are can be managed. You sound very ignorant of the breeds. Greyhounds make wonderful family dogs, whippets too. Sighthounds are wonderful.

Do you get angry at foxes catching chickens because it’s morally wrong too? You sound ridiculous. It’s called nature

Ok to be fair, there's no reason why a domestic pet should be killing wildlife. It's not good for that animal. And now a fox won't eat it.

However, I live greyhounds and for that reason YABU OP. Gorgeous dogs. If the dog has a strong prey drive, extended leash. Job done.

Not food*

So we’ve moved on from general dog hating threads to ones demonising certain breeds? Well, I suppose at least it adds variety 🙄

Some greyhounds/ whippets have a strong prey drive, others do not. Some other dog breeds also have a strong prey drive. Greyhounds and whippets are generally very gentle, calm dogs who are a pleasure to walk on lead. I don’t think you’d be making these assumptions if you’d owned one.

I have a whippet x foxhound, he was a rescue as he was going to be shot as not ‘stud’ material. He lives with my out Staffir and cats. As you can see from the picture, he certainly does not attack cats or anything else

My whippet walks off lead almost all the time. He is trained to not bolt off.
his worst feature is stupidity. But he is loyal, cuddly , great with the kids and affectionate.

I must admit this issue is one of the reasons I've always had collies, they simply don't kill (and ddog has cornered and had opportunity, the chase isn't completely bred out so he calls for "help" as he has no idea what to do with what he's trapped in a corner. ). Mine is very well trained so will come back even if chasing squirrels, it's really just squirrels to be honest, even collies aren't immune

And there is the real catalyst of the thread- you f***g hate dog owners. Just buy yourself an ugly sweatshirt with that slogan on it to make your feelings known to all rather than bugging everyone on here with your bitterness.

In our society? Yes.

The cats killed by greyhounds are usually pets or at least thought of as somebody’s pet.
Mice killed by cats (usually) aren’t.

a wild mouse being killed by a cat (or dog!) therefore simply isn’t the same as your cat being torn apart in your own yard, which has been repeatedly mentioned on this thread.

I'm fine taking my dog on the fields by my house for free.

On the dog board too

You can't have such a happy face with a walk on the lead. I can't imagine having a dog and not trying to make it as happy as possible.

I find these kinds of comments quite judgemental tbh, Lots of dogs can't be let off the lead for a whole variety of reasons from prey drive, to temperament to illness.

Yes, owners should be making sure their dogs are happy and their needs are being met but they also have a duty to keep their dogs (and other people and their dogs) safe too.

Animals, by their very nature, do not have morals.

My whippet boy is the goodest boy. 8 months and has excellent recall (as long as he knows there's treats), loves kids, snuggles 90% of the day. Does love to chase a squirrel but I honestly think he'd have a panic attack if he actually caught one. Shit scared of cats to the point he needs to be carried into the garden to check they've gone if he's seen one.
Absolutely thick as mince and loves mud to an infuriating degree, but he's universally adored. And he knows it.
We may have just got lucky but all the whippets I've met have been lovely. We have more problems with the reactive husky a few doors down but that's not the dog's doing.

You can't have such a happy face with a walk on the lead. I can't imagine having a dog and not trying to make it as happy as possible.

I find these kinds of comments quite judgemental tbh
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Agreed with above re: leads. Not judgemental perhaps, but just not understanding of how very different dogs can be, maybe. Not every dog is a hyper lab or spaniel who loves bounding through the woods.

My greyhound will do a 30-60 second sprint in the field then walk primly to the gate, and wait for me to take him home to the sofa. On a woodland walk, he steps carefully to avoid all mud and puddles, and walks to heel. He always likes being close to his people. Like another's poster said, I too initially paid for rented dog fields until I realised he would just walk next to me around the edge of the field, having a sniff. Total waste of money.

He’s not going to bound off through the woods anyway, so it’s not cruel to keep him on the lead. He’s not that kind of dog. I imagine lots of dogs are happy on the lead. I can’t imagine a chihuahua frolicking through the woods either.

Whiff of troll don't you think?
Considering starting a "why would anyone want to own a cat" thread as it seems to be a hit formula 😆
(Also, why WOULD anyone want to own a cat? Killing machines of small mammals and birds that walk over work surfaces shedding hair, toilet in other people's gardens and children's sand pits (hello, toxicara anybody?) and many of them aren't even friendly..)

This is a silly comment because it assumes all dogs are the same and get the same pleasure out of the same things.

I've taken my dog on lead walks through the countryside and woods and she's certainly grinned and had a great time. Her training is going well and I think I will eventually be able to have her off lead in more situations, but she's not a spaniel or a lab, she doesn't derive her pleasure from weaving through the undergrowth or from having a massive stick in her mouth, she very much doesn't want to swim in rivers. She wants to see things, she loves intensely watching nature, she wants to sniff new smells, and most of all she loves to run. Running full pelt through forests would be dangerous for her. I take her to fields to do that, and honestly people stop and watch her, she runs in a way most dogs can't, like a racehorse. It would be silly for me to feel sorry for all the dogs that don't run like the wind with a huge grin on their faces (e.g. the labs that try to join in and soon stop looking bewildered) because I know those dogs have different things that bring them pleasure. It's lovely seeing dogs happy, and it's fascinating how joy manifests so differently from breed to breed.

@Nightshift24 do you have so little to do that you post on the dog board to wind people up. Get a hobby.

I had an Italian greyhound.

The perfect mix between cat and dog IMO. Lapdog, affectionate, not clingy, not yappy, easy to walk. Zero prey drive. Great with kids. Perfect recall once trained, would happily walk lead free next to me.
She lasted 16 years bless her, I miss her so much and if I ever got another, I would get the same breed.

I'm not saying that all dogs will be happy by just running around or swimming (mine loves running but hates swimming), what I'm saying is that letting the dog do what they want, as long as its safe, without constraints may result in a happy face.

Of course not all dogs are athletes (although a lot of young dogs are) but doing some sort of activity without constraint must be super enjoyable for them. That might be just playing zoomies in the garden followed by a huge cuddle. But if running around is your dog's thing, it's a shame if they're not given the opportunity to do so sometimes.