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Post by kpparker on Apr 28, 2006 19:42:54 GMT -5
Hi everyone Im glad I found this website, lots of information to read. Anyway I was hoping you all could give me some advice. I've wanted a dog for ages and think I am ready for committing to one. However I have 2 concerns that hopefully you all can advise me about. 1. I live in an apartment that in all honesty isn't the largest (bad layout) and I know greyhounds are relatively big so I am worried that if I got one the place would be too small for him/her and Im just not in a position to move for at least a year or so. Greys have a rep of being on the quiet side indoors so do you think he would be ok? Or should I just scrap the idea of trying to provide a good home for a rescue grey? 2. My other concern is that I go to school and work part time so the dog would be at home on its own for 8 hours or so a few times a week. What do you guys feel about this? I know it is not the ideal situation for a dog and would love to have a big piece of land and work at home, but thats just not in the cards for awhile. I live downtown and there are so many people who have dogs and work so they must be okay being on their own during the day. However Im planning to budget money for having the dog taken out a few times a week by a dogwalker for an hour or so. I appreciate your comments!
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Post by romansmom on Apr 29, 2006 18:02:34 GMT -5
I would say while you contemplate getting a grey, read "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies". It's a great book, and I bought it when I was trying to decide about adopting a grey. It will give you a good idea of the special aspects and care involved with getting a grey so that you have a good understanding of what it takes to own one of these special creatures . As for your concerns, both of them are easily resolved. Many many grey owners live in apartments, townhouses or condos where they do not have easy access to a yard. I live in an apartment and Roman is the perfect dog for it. They generally do not bark and don't require a lot of space because they sleep about 99% of the day . A small apartment shouldn't be a concern for one grey, but that's just my opinion ! Also, they are okay with staying alone for 8 or so hours a day - although I think we'd all love to just stay home all day with our greys, most owners work or go to school and are away for a length of time. I am a student, and although my day-to-day sched varies, I've left Roman alone for up to 9 hours with no problems. With the proper initial training most are quite content by themselves. Like I said, reading a few books on the breed, like Greyhounds for Dummies, will help you to decide. But I think anyone on this forum will tell you they're a wonderful breed to have ;D
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Post by sdsandiford on Apr 29, 2006 19:02:24 GMT -5
I agree with "romansmom" above. A little background reading with not only put your mind at ease, you'll already have it on hand when you bring your special guy or girl home. Although we live in a house now, we had Jack (88 lbs) in an apartment for several months with no problems. These dogs do not require the amount of space many breeds do, and they do sleep ALOT. Between the two of us, we managed to take Jack out for walks/pee breaks four times per day. It sounds like alot, but you really do get used to it very quickly... especially when you look into your grey's big brown eyes! It also sounds like you are willing to bring someone in every now and then which is a great idea. I would say that, once you've done some reading (if you haven't already), and you still decide that a greyhound is the dog for you, give Bill a call and have a chat with him. If you have a vehicle, you could also offer to volunteer at the kennel once in a while. Several people do it before they adopt and often times, find the perfect dog in the process.
Good luck with your decision!
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Post by jiffer on Apr 29, 2006 20:15:38 GMT -5
I wouldn't worry about the apartment part. We lived in a one bedroom 700 sq ft. apartment with 3 pups As for leaving them while you're in school, most greys do fine alone for that length of time. I would suggest a dog walker or coming home midday if you have to be out more than 8 hours each day. I'm at work for 8 hours right now, but Rene is often home frequently. Once you have your routine down, the pups adjust perfectly and know what, when and where of your goings and comings (At 4:30 every day, my four start to look for me out the front window)
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Post by kpparker on Apr 29, 2006 20:47:51 GMT -5
Hi guys Thanks for responding. I am so relieved to hear that there are people who are facing/faced the same situation with living in a small place and being away from home for long periods. I like the idea of volunteering a couple of times and will give the owner of GRA a call in the near future. Im working full time this summer and am planning to take the last 2 weeks of august or so off before school/part time job begin again so I thought that would be a great time to bring a dog home as I would have a lot of time to spend with him/her. I will definitely get that book that you recommended romansmom and I think there is another very popular book I have seen posts about and recommended on other sites that I will get as well (cant remember the name). Thanks again and I will keep you all updated!
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Post by romansmom on Apr 30, 2006 8:25:02 GMT -5
Good luck with your decision and definitely keep us posted ;D
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meganm
Junior Grey Lover
Puppy Love
Posts: 292
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Post by meganm on May 1, 2006 15:10:49 GMT -5
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Post by Tigger's Mommy on May 25, 2006 16:30:48 GMT -5
My fiance and I live in a tiny one bedroom and our grey seems to be doing great with it. When we got Tigger, I was still in school and working at night, my fiance works all day, and he adpated wekk to being by himself all day. Now that I am full time and no school and occasionally have a weekday off, Tigger becomes quite upset when I am home because it throws his routine off.
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Post by stylishhound on May 25, 2006 16:55:12 GMT -5
Yes, definitely take a look on Greytalk and I live in a 2 and a half (what exactly is a half..I don't know!) bedroom apartment with a greyhound and a doberman and will likely have another greyhound here shortly - greyhounds may be large in size but they don't seem to take up much space as weird as that sounds. 8 hours alone is pretty standard - there's a poll on GT right now asking how many hours are your greys home alone - check it out. Good luck with your decision and only you know what's right for you.
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Post by sysmom on Jun 2, 2006 22:10:33 GMT -5
ok, did you get one yet??
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