which breeds are right for me? - Turned Greyhound Discussion

I don't have a greyhound, I have scenthounds, but I used to use a webcam to film my coonhound during the days that I could watch from my office, and it pretty much looked like that video of that grey sleeping. About 30 minutes of playing with his toys, then about 6 hours of sleeping in various positions on his favorite spot. A dog of mellow temperment can and will doze for about 18 hours a day.
 
Steel City Greys is our local greyhound rescue, for retired racing greyhounds. They often have a table set up at the PetCo at the Waterworks on Sunday afternoons. I met a sweet girl there last week who was a great breed ambassador. And they are a fairly large group so I'm pretty sure they have all the support and social stuff going on with them. I think it's a great opportunity for a first-time dog owner to adopt a needy adult dog and save it's life, while also getting a fairly easy to own breed and a really great support system. People who get greys tend to find that they're a little addictive, too! I rarely see people with just one.

Are you sure they are there each Sunday?  Do they allow you to walk the dog?  Maybe I'll check them out tomorrow, but I don't want to adopt one until March or Summer.  Thanks for the tip!

Are you sure they are there each Sunday? Do they allow you to walk the dog? Maybe I'll check them out tomorrow, but I don't want to adopt one until March or Summer. Thanks for the tip!

Icyninja-

Look at the link below.. it has their schedule of events (usually called show and tells).  Usually the way these work is that people who own a greyhound bring their own dogs and/ or they may bring a dog from the kennel to these events to promote greyhound adoption.  They might allow you to walk around the store or something with the dogs, but they usually bring them for people to interact with and to be able to ask questions about adoption and the breed in general.  I have worked quite a few "show and tells" over the years both with my pups and with the ones still awaiting adopetion. 

This is definately something you should check out to be able to see what you think of the breed... be aware though... they may steal your heart![]

http://www.steelcitygreyhounds.org/event_schedule.htm

Greyhounds are great dogs!  I have never met one that I didn't fall in love with!  I will have a retired racer one day.  When I was around 6 or 7, my grandmother (who is huge in animal rights) sent my mom a brochure about greyhound racing and what happens to the dogs after they are retired.  I was not supposed to see that brochure, but I came across it and it was very graphic.  That picture will be stuck in my head forever and it makes me want to cry everytime I think of it.  Ever since then, I have wanted to rescue greyhounds.  One day, I will.  Right now, my apartment is just too small.  When I have a bigger place, I will get one...or a few!

greyhounds most assuredly are notorious heart stealers!  When I used to groom, they were among my favorite (besides the fact they were a quick wash lol).  Such sweet puppers, and the worlds fastest couch potatoes according to their owners...although when you wanted to be a bit active they were right there with you.

Two words of caution about the breed coming from many a greyhound owner I've had the delight to know: 

1.  The tails, when in full on wagging motion, are classified as deadly weapons []
2.  You may just want to adopt another one!  (this coming from a lady who had a big enough heart for SIX retired greyhouds.  Her biggest complaint was she really couldn't afford 7 lol). 

thanks all for the replies.  I'll definately look these people up in MArch when I have some free time.  I like the look of a greyhound, preferably a lighter colored female.  Seems like it's a good fit. 
 
Please any more comments about greyhounds?

Are these dogs already trained?  As a teacher I'm going to have a few weeks off in MArch so that may be the best time to get one or just wait until the summer.  Although if they are already trained, is it even necessary to wait?  Not that I'll rush out today and just get one.  I want to make the right decisions for me and for the dog. 

Are these dogs already trained? As a teacher I'm going to have a few weeks off in MArch so that may be the best time to get one or just wait until the summer. Although if they are already trained, is it even necessary to wait? Not that I'll rush out today and just get one. I want to make the right decisions for me and for the dog.

These dogs typically require VERY little training.  Often times these dogs will go to a foster home for a short period of time to learn about some things they haven't had any experience with. These include:
Stairs, windows, mirrors, slick or tile floors


Potty training is rarely a problem with this breed once you establish a regular "routine" with them.  At the race track they are accustomed to being "turned out" of their crates to go potty about every 4 hours, you can increase these increments over the course of a few days until they understand what is expected.  Most will try HARD to NOT potty in the house since they typically will view your home as a large crate and they rarely will potty in their crates on the track, so they carry over this behavior.  Most house training problems with this breed stem from the dog NOT understanding what is expected or how to communicate their “need” to you since they are also typically not vocal dogs.

Barking is not a problem in the majority… in fact my first female grey barked only twice in the 7 year I had her.  They are very obedient and REALLY want to please their owners so training should NOT be a problem.  Any training I have to do with any of my dogs is simply because I adopt the “unadoptables” from the rescue.  The ones that didn#%92t work out in multiple homes or have issues… I work with them every day on getting over their problems, but this is NOT typical in greyhounds.  Especially as a first time grey owner they won#%92t adopt out the tough cases to you.  
 
  You will need to get a large crate (I like to buy the largest available to buy since it gives them more room).  Crating can help your dog at least in the beginning NOT get hurt in your home when you are not there.  She may have some issues with separation anxiety at first since she is not accustomed to being all alone, but the adoption center can help you better problem solve this and if she has been in a foster home first they may know better if this is even going to be an issue or not.  All of mine have had separation anxiety at first, but we have gotten past it with time, love and patience and stuffed kongs certainly help that cause!

  There is one book I would HIGHLY recommend to you before adopting and I have heard that some organizations actually require you to read the book PRIOR to adopting to that you are more prepared…. 

  Here is the book I recommend:

  [linkhttp://www.amazon.com/Retired-Racing-Greyhounds-Dummies-Livingood/dp/0764552767]http://www.amazon.com/Retired-Racing-Greyhounds-Dummies-Livingood/dp/0764552767[/link]    

Here is the authors website that has some good info as well, but is a work in progress still:  [linkhttp://www.retiredracinggreyhounds.com/]http://www.retiredracinggreyhounds.com/[/link]


In her book she has some EXCELLENT trianing suggestions as well...


 

Icy- I went back to a previous post I did last month for someone else interested in greyhounds to give you some more info I previously posted ... it is as follows:

I would suggest contacting them MONTHS before you are actually ready to adopt.  The process can be pretty long and be warned that with many groups you may NOT be able to chose the dog you want…they may chose one for you that they feel is a good fit for your home, family and other dogs. PLEASE trust their instincts on this…most of these folks have been in this business for so long they really know how to match the dogs and owners and they do so to avoid having the dogs bounce back due to a home that wasn#%92t a good fit.  The more the dog is bounced back, the less likely that dog is to find its forever home.  

Some people believe that the adoption groups are too strict, and in many cases I believe that a handful of them are, but I understand the reasoning behind this. When they go to rescue from the dogs off the track they may only be able to take a couple or sometimes as many as 10 or 12, BUT meanwhile they just left another 50 or more to be killed because they could not be taken in due to room constraints and not enough potential adopters. How do you ick only a few dogs that you think are likely to get adopted knowing that the rest you are giving a death sentence to??  It is estimated that between 7,000- 20,000 greyhounds are still killed every single year and many are only a couple years old.   Hopefully this gives you some insight on why they really want to make sure the dogs they are actually able to save have an excellent forever home...

They may do an initial phone screening, often followed a visit to your home after your application has been reviewed and then it may take a few weeks to actually be accepted AND not everyone is accepted. If you have other animals that are more on the aggressive side, if they feel that you don#%92t have the dogs best interest at heart…that kind of thing, then they may not accept you. That doesn#%92t mean that another group WON#%92T accept you. Some are just pickier than others.  Also, another reason to contact them months before you plan to adopt is because many of the rescues foster the dogs for weeks or months to get them acclimated to a home environment. These dogs have never experienced stairs, tile or slick floors, mirrors, windows and lots of potential dangers.  SO at any one time there may be only a few dogs ready for actual adoption because the majority of them are still being fostered.

A couple things that you must keep in mind or this is NOT the right breed for you….they are INDOOR dogs, they don#%92t handle temperature changes well due to their low body fat. They need to have a home where they will be inside almost all of the time. They also can NEVER be trusted off leash, so you must be willing to never let your dog off leash unless you are in a completely enclosed area with usually a 5 foot fence or higher (with some dogs 4 feet is enough, but not always…5 or 6 feet is best).

ICY- Let me know what other questions you might have. I think you will LOVE having a female grey... they are PISTOLS!  Sweet and loving, completly goofy and sometimes a little bitchy like us girls can get [] ... but totally endearing... they melt your heart!  []

Here is my sweet girl Prudence...

I contacted SteelCityGreyhounds and they told me to read a greyhound book and then submit an application.  I bought "Greyhounds" by Caroline Collie.  Do these places let you choose a dog?  I hope they don't just assign one.  I am hoping for a girl.

Even if this particular rescue choses an approach where they “pick the best dog for you” they will go by what you are looking for.  SO a female should be no problem at all.  What they will assess is the dogs personality and temperament ( so dogs that are more spookish, or they know have problems with separation anxiety and thus need to be with another greyhound or other dog… ) will not be dogs they are likely to adopt out to you.  They will usually provide you with several choices they feel are good fits and then you get to spend time with the dogs at the rescue to decide which one you feel more of a bond with.  

Hopefully what I have written makes sense…. I am so glad you are on your first step of adoption of these wonderful creatures!  That is very exciting!

  Shelly

thanks for all your help.  I don't know why I want a female, and I even have color preferences, but that seems a bit silly to me. 

thanks for all your help. I don't know why I want a female, and I even have color preferences, but that seems a bit silly to me.

You are welcome... you will really like the females and that should be no problem...if they ask you can even tell then that you like the look of the lighter fawn ones but are open to any females...they will try to accomodate you.   Most people DO have a preference.  My prefs are black, red fawn and Dark brindle but my sweet Prudence has totally grown on me and my least favorite are the brown brindles.

Let me know if you have more questions!

Good luck
Shelly

what kind of questions are they going to ask me at my interview?

what kind of questions are they going to ask me at my interview?

 
Pretty much they should discuss with you the answers that you put on your application. Every adoption center is different but Steel Greys has a pretty extensive application, so if you look over that it should help you…they want to make sure you also understand the special needs of these dogs…things like they are NOT to be outdoor dogs, they can NEVER, EVER be taken off leash unless you are in a completely enclosed environment, they want to make sure that you take dog ownership seriously, that you view it as a big responsibility and that you view the dog as a family member and not just a pet that is kept outside with no love, attention, walks…etc…
 
SO hard to know what exactly they are going to ask, but going over the application you should be able to see some of the things they may want to discuss…