Talk to me about rescue greyhounds/lurchers/whippets

[Cadela]

I’m DESPERATE for another dog, but there is nothing on this planet that could make me have a dog from a puppy again. Scarred from my sadly deceased cocker who was gorgeous, but took 3 years to get there 😅

I have an 8 yo Dd and we live in a a city but about 5 mins from a massive secure dog field, and another 5 from a big heath.

Are they good with kids? No cats/other animals in the house etc.

Adorable animals. Inherently lazy sods after a quick zoomy 🥰 🤣
Wonderful temperament. Sleek and beautiful Perfect companion animals
My dogs of choice if I didn't have cats 🥰

My greyhound is the sweetest, kindest, easiest funny dog I've had. They are loyal , dont require a huge amount of exercise, you can take them anywhere, I could go on but you get the picture 😊 Go for it, you'll have no regrets they are beautiful 🤗

My greyhound is the sweetest, kindest, easiest funny dog I've had. They are loyal , dont require a huge amount of exercise, you can take them anywhere, I could go on but you get the picture 😊 Go for it, you'll have no regrets they are beautiful 🤗

My good neighbours in their late 70s rehomed a retired racing greyhound. She is extremely gentle, perfect on the lead and doesn't need much exercise which suits them perfectly. Lovely dog. She must be kept on lead though at all times unless in a secure field as she will take off like a bullet when let off. Amazing to watch her run though in the secure field near us.

I have two rescue lurchers of my own, and have fostered many lurcher puppies. My ddog1 (saluki cross lurcher) is utterly, totally bonded to my son who was 5 when we got him and is 18 now. They adore each other - and this is a saluki thing is that people describe them as standoffish, but its actually that they bond incredibly strongly with one person in their family. They love other people, don't get me wrong, but its clear there is one person they want to be with.
My other one is a weird mix, but is the most lovely dog. Even if he is a stubborn git.
Mine go off lead, and honestly their only downside is that sleeping with one is like sleeping with a bag of elbows. They fold up very small when they want to, and weigh much less than you'd think - but love to stretch out when sleeping.
A rescue like EGLR who have their dogs in foster are good at matching people and dogs together which obv is important with a child in the mix

My sister adopted the oldest in the shelter, because he'd never had a home. Lovely dog. Lazy as anything. Great with her kids. Farted like a trooper mind you 😳

This is fab thank you all so much! And has now made me very excited.

I’m going to look at Norfolk Greyhound Rescue if anyone has any knowledge of them? They seem good from my research.

Greyhounds can be quite different to lurchers. Lurchers will differ from one another depending on the mix. My lurcherish girl is a saluki collie gsd x and definitely requires mental exercise, is very alert outside of the house, remembers every single place she's ever seen a cat or been barked at, and needs gentle handling and training as she's a mix of sensitive breeds. The saluki traits are strong, and they can be a strange breed 🙈

The greyhounds I meet seem much more laid back and I find greyhound lurchers are more doggy than my girl, but there will always be a range of personalities. I think all sighthounds tend to be gentle sweet dogs though, providing you're not a rabbit, and they know how to switch off and enjoy an extended nap. I've never seen one walking badly on a lead. A secure field close by sounds perfect as they love a run, but don't need tons of off lead exercise. Watching them run is joyful :)

Best ddogs ever..

Battersea has loads of greyhounds to rehome. Get it touch with them!

My lurcher is the most beautiful snuggly calm girl in the house but an absolute demon out of the house 😂 for this reason me and DP have said we'd like a rescue greyhound after her as they are loads calmer. Wouldn't change her for the world but she does have her issues

I know it's not a popular opinion on MN but I'm not a fan. I know more than a few with behavioural problems - including severe separation anxiety and reactivity on a lead. I've also had quite a few bad experiences with them charging up to my dogs and playing really roughly.

I know a lot of that isn't necessarily breed related (and more an owner issue) but it's really put me off them. Just the other day a whippet bounded over to the spaniel I was walking and was barging him all over and trying to bite him - it was play but still, the spaniel was super stressed and the whippet totally oblivious.

It won’t have been trying to bite him, it's how they play ‘bitey face’. But jumping all over unacceptable I agree.

Yeah, I know that @Countrylife2002 - my point was that they have a really rough play style and it's not the first time I've come across one with absolutely no manners who thinks it's acceptable to just leap all over other dogs.

Obviously it's down to the owner not having control but it really puts me off as it's happened so many times now.

My aunt helps run a greyhound rescue in the Midlands you can foster a dog and if it suits ask to adopt they work very hard at rehab and socialisation skills because these greyhounds come from a racing background and they are not used to homes Parks (squirrels roaming free) etc my aunts wears a muzzle in public not because he is vicious but because of his tendency to go after squirrels and our park has tons of "social" squirrels

If you get a greyhound be prepared for the lean they lean against you if they like you and if your unprepared your over 😂

Be aware that lurchers can be very reactive with other dogs, sometimes making walks stressful and embarrassing. I had one from 2009 to 2022 and loved him dearly but he was a bugger around other dogs. An absolute dream with people though, especially children.

I would recommend greyhounds, who are, generally, much more chilled all round.

Pension age relative rehomed an ex racing greyhound a couple of years ago. Great calm temperament in the house, they don't get underfoot or boisterous around dinner time or walkies in the way any other rescue dog ever has (important as there's another family member with mobility issues and unsteady on their feet). Absolute goofball and had to be taught what toys were and how to handle stairs. Is very protective of the family member they are most bonded too and whilst good with other calm dogs will not tolerate any aggression or nonsense from others. Amazing to watch run and play off lead in a secure area with other large breed dogs e.g. gsd, lab, collie etc. Loves fuss and attention and gives amazing huge greyhound hugs similar too when a horse leans into their owner! Fantastic lead manners from day 1, no pulling or bolting at all.

Cons for transparency, this one is not completely reliable to realise very small dogs are dogs from a distance so no off lead in mixed open dog field. They are sight hounds through and through and staying on lead prevents any nasty accidents. They can have sensitive stomachs and the volume and cost of good food can be a shock if your used to smaller breeds.

Quirks involve an obsession with hedgehogs and putting the brakes on if wild life has been sighted on a walk. Hedgehogs remain unharmed but a leather glove is kept on hand to remove. If the brakes go on they are lighter than seems possible for their size and you basically pick them up and point them in a different direction to get them moving as they are bloody strong when fixated on something e.g a fox or rabbit in the distance that you can barely see! Due to time in racing kennels this one sees anything paper as potential bedding to be taken and ripped up so an element of dog proofing all paperwork notebooks cardboard etc to high shelves to prevent counter surfing was necessary.

My greyhound has actually never played with another dog as he is so nervous. He plays with me & dd, but tail goes right under if he sees another dog. He’s on lead and walks in very quiet areas with hardly any chance of even seeing other dogs and absolutely no risk of off lead. So I feel your pain about off lead dogs. I can never go anywhere where they may be. He will board with 1 or 2 other sighthounds though as once he’s met them politely he’s fine. Still doesn’t play with them though.

They are fab dogs in terms of being so relaxed and just needing a daily run about and then back to bed. Our lurcher was sometimes reactive (after being chased and bitten) which was slightly annoying at times. He came from a rescue but had come from a traveller background (had been shot and left tied to a tree) so had never had toys or been stroked and it was very sweet watching him having his stomach tickled for the first time and then over a few days rather shyly asking us to do it again. He could also take food off a shelf in a hot oven without burning his nose! Highly recommend them and still prefer them to any other dog.

@Countrylife2002 it's so frustrating isn't it?

Sighthounds certainly aren't the worst offenders but I do think their speed and play style can be quite intimidating for dogs who just want to sniff and move on.

There's a man nearby who has three lurchers and on the lead they walk like angels, but when he lets them off they're really rough and don't really pay him any attention 🙈 they're not aggressive dogs but they are quite full on and lots of other dogs don't appreciate it.

As I say it's not all sighthounds and it's certainly not unique to sighthounds but it's something to be aware of if you want a dog who can be off lead with others I think.

I don't think sighthounds are prone to reactivity, they strike me as naturally suited to live with other dogs. Sadly lurchers often end up in rescue centres after being neglected and/or abused though, and neglected dogs of all breeds are going to have more issues.

That said my local rspca got some greyhounds in from the most awful neglect situation, and I meet some on walks and they are just so gentle, it's unbelievable really after what they were put through.

It's funny you mentioned a spaniel as most of my girls bad experiences have been with them (from being barked at and snapped at, to being full on attacked — all due to excessive resource guarding and not being on a lead). I like spaniels, but any dog can be menace if they have a useless owner. I agree sighthounds can play rough, and I dont allow playing with dogs at random, but she does have friends who are well suited to her (one is a spaniel 😅 one a cockerpoo, which I always think of as a wimpy breed, but he just loves her, it really comes down to the individual dog).

@Esmetempscire you're so right about weight. Despite being fairly tall I can pick my girl up no problem. I had to carry her past a noisy building site the other day 🥲

@Unluckycat1 I didn't mean to imply they're prone to reactivity, it's just in my experience, MN is full of comments about how perfect they are when the reality I see around me is totally different.

I just think (as with any breed) it's important to go in with your eyes wide open and remember that any breed of dog can come with issues (or develop them down the line).

I'm obviously not saying nobody should ever get a sighthound, just that they're not always the perfect dogs you see described on here

I hate to be that person, OP, but have you considered a Spaniel specific rescue? Spaniel Aid, for example. They're increasingly getting lots of older (4-10 year old) dogs that are completely trained, lovely, good with kids etc. They get snapped up quickly, but it's worth considering?

I don't usually advocate people getting rescues as I tend to find rescues to be difficult (less than open about dog issues, unwilling to compromise on homes)...but SA is really quite good and they are very careful about matching dogs (and not in the awkward way many rescues are). I'm fostering with them at the moment (a bonded pair) and they do genuinely care about the dogs and where they go.

I agree with you, some will have issues for sure, it's awful the condition many rescue lurchers are found in, broken bones, starved, thrown from moving vehicles etc. Used and abused :( absolutely some will be a project and a half, but I'm going to disagree with @Killingoffmyflowersonebyone that SA are somehow better than other rescues, I see very honest reports about separation anxiety and reactivity etc from most rescues. I think the ones that lie about the dogs are a minority, so it shouldn't be hard to find a rescue sighthound that works for the OP, esp as the difficult dogs will go to adult only homes. Good luck @Cadela there are so many dogs needing a home atm, a perfect one will be out there waiting <3

Generally, they are lovely dogs but not great off-lead (though they can be, I know several off-lead whippets).

Easy with people, though I have known both a whippet and lurcher be reactive to other dogs on-lead. If you go for a rescue lurcher, a lot will depend on the breed mix and what the dog was used for. A friend's dog was from a coursing bust so came with a lot of prey drive but good recall. Anything with collie in it is likely to be brighter than the average. And so on.