Retired greyhound - as first dog?

[Ginandcolic]

Actually asking for a friend ...

My friend and her partner want to get a dog and they are interested in a retired racing greyhound. I've had dogs for 20 yrs now but only labradors so I can't really advise them.

Can anyone with experience of retired greyhounds tell me a bit about them? specifically if they are suitable as a first dog? My friend has been told they are but I'm unclear about whether they will need to transition from athlete to pet and how easy that is to support?

Thanks for any wisdom you're able to share :)

I joined Your Greyhound's History on Facebook and they reported that she'd been an exceptional racer but then broke her leg during a race and was kept for breeding because of her good pedigree. She was moved around between owners a few times, all reputable ones but still.... I'm not a racing fan but it was amazing to see videos of her in action.

What? Forced out for a walk??? The horror 😱

What cruelty some dogs have to endure 😂

So lovely that she's having a loving retirement with you

That's where the Extensive Wardrobe of Wee Coats comes in.

I was watching a woman walking a greyhound (I was in slow traffic , they were on the pavement ) he had a full body waterproof-coat ,probably a layer underneath neck cover and little boots that had velcro straps , (a bit like those horses wear to travel but covering his paws ) , some do need protected , he might've had very sensitive feet or damaged them?
He was bloody huge and it must've taken a good 15 minutes to get him ready

I've seen some in the park with a light fleece jacket in cold weather

In my mind, I'm already picturing the outfits I'm going to buy for my friend's dog as this thread has made it obligatory for her to adopt a retired greyhound I think!

I bought mine some lovely fleece pyjamas but he wasn't keen! He has more coats than me though- thick coat for the winter light coat for the summer, neon coat in case he goes for a walk in the dark and a couple if jumpers for indoors!

Luckily we haven't been subjected to the toxic farts!

One thing we've found is that his skin cuts quite easily. Not sure if this is just our boy or a general greyhound thing. He slipped on wet leaves and ended up with a big gash on his leg and there has been another similar incident. Of course then we have the palaver with the cone of shame for the recuperation 😓

Mine won't sleep without pyjamas in the Autumn/Winter.

As soon as she's done her last wee for the night, she claws them off the radiator and wants them on immediately while they're still warm.

We clearly need pictures of her in her cozy pjs 😊

You’ll need to buy your friend all the fabulous books of Rich Skipworth too.

Ahh@Ginandcolic I saw a woman walking two lovely greyhounds when I was driving home .
That could be you your friend .

@TwattyMcFuckFace at least yours waits till after her wee. My skinny salukish lurcher does not believe in having bare skin unless it is over 19', and will whinge and whinge until someone picks up his indoor coat/ pjs and he runs into them. However after a nasty bout of an autoimmune skin condition he has big bare patches of skin and the vet recommended that he not spend too long in the sun with them uncovered. So now he has summer wear too, thanks to https://houndtees.com.au/ and is currently rocking a lovely breton t shirt.
When he was ill he had to wear four legged PJs, leg warmers and boots (to keep everything clean and the dressings on) and it did take forever to get him dressed
(photo of said hound in his PJs)

As if said dogs are not adorable enough, they're on a whole new level in their cute pyjamas!

Our first dog was a greyhound. He was 18 months old when we got him. He'd escaped from his kennel and got run over. My mum was a vet nurse and brought him home for Xmas, he never left.
He was very prey orientated, so if anything moved faster than a plod, he went after it. He also raided the bin.
He was lazy and had his own comfy chair.
Much to everyone's disappointment he never chased a ball, just watched it with ears pricked and looked at you like he wondered what you were doing.
Any coat ever bought for him disappeared.
His racing name was Celtic Glory. My sister named him Muffin. :(

Greyhounds are amazing pets. I rescued a 3 year old greyhound, she was with us for 7 years until she passed and we miss her so much. Such calm kind souls. We'll behaved and lovely to walk. Regularly raided the bins and ate things she shouldn't though 🤣🤣

Wednesday is my whippet x's favourite day because the bins are out and he can have a sniff at all the food waste bins on the pavements!