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Post by sachaaa on Oct 28, 2014 19:48:00 GMT -5
Hi there, my name is Sacha and I'm new to the forums I've poked around and read the forums for a while, but I've recently become more seriously interested in adopting a greyhound. I was born into a family with a dog, and there hasn't been a moment in my life where my family hasn't owned a dog (usually more than one!) however we've always stuck to smaller breeds. I have some experience with larger dogs from spending time around horses and the farm dogs, but having done the research I think that a greyhound might be the ideal step from a small dog to something significantly larger. A few weeks ago I had to let my little 7lb maltese/bichon make his way to heaven at 8 years old. He was a sickly pup right from when I got him at 12 weeks old, and we'd been nursing him for most of his life, so we knew he wouldn't get the 15 years our last maltese got. We've had all our dogs pass naturally before, and it was heart breaking to have to make the decision to put him to sleep, but it was the right thing and was very peaceful. I've wanted to adopt a greyhound since I was in high school, but assumed I wouldn't be able to do so until I was a little more established in my life. Well, thanks to all the informative articles, books, reports, and threads on this lovely forum, I see that it's not necessarily the case. I got married earlier this year and live in a 900ish sq ft condo with my husband. Wood floors, and a small flight of steps to get up into our unit (but they're textured concrete/stone, so I assume this provides more traction than some wood steps inside of homes). My husband travels a lot, and so I'm often alone at the condo. I'm pursuing a bachelors (having done half of a bachelors already, what a waste!) and have about 16 hours of class time a week. I'm usually only gone a couple of days a week for 6-7hrs in a row, otherwise I'm at home studying or puttering around. This student life will continue for a couple of more years, so I'm available for the ups and downs of adjusting to a new four legged friend. Hubby and I are home bodies, and most of the friends and family we visit would be doggy-friendly destinations. I also frequent horse shows and barns (some which even have fenced in yards attached to houses and potential fine-boned large dog playmates?). The house is pretty quiet and being on my own for as many days a week as I am, it's comforting to have some company, especially when you're used to having dogs around. Ideally I think I'll be looking for a male with low prey drive. I have some personal interest in maybe volunteering with my future dog as a therapy animal (I read some people on this forum have done this with their greyhounds, so awesome!), so I'm going to try to keep that in mind in terms of temperament, but I'm open to anything. A couple of questions I have are: - How much success have people had in getting permission from landlords to have greyhounds in their home? Any big issues that come up? We were told my little pup was welcome, but at 7lbs of white fluff he wasn't much to balk at - After the first few months post-adoption, do most of your greyhounds continue to be crated at night, or during the day while alone? Is this mostly just done by the dog's preference? - Anybody involved with horses and have greyhounds? I know a couple of people with whippets who have them around horses, but always supervised and usually leashed (most horse shows only allow leashed dogs on site, ideal for greys!) - This sounds crazy, but I have a hamster who is in a little cage up high on a counter, and who sleeps all day and only moseys on out at night for a little run on the wheel. Are pocket pets in cages an issue for greys, even with a low prey drive? - My parents have an older 15lb bichon. Sweet as can be, totally non-threatening submissive dog. If I brought my potential future greyhound to their home with proper introductions, would it be a possibility that they could be off leash around one another but in our presence without much fear on my part for either of their safety? - And, final question, would anyone mind outlining for me the specific process of adopting from the GRA Canada kennels? Costs, steps, approximate time periods. I don't want to call just yet. So many questions, I know! But after putting my best buddy down a few weeks ago, I'm greatly aware of the serious commitment that is taking in a dog, adopted or purchased. Regardless, you promise to be there for the good and the bad, all the way until the very end. I don't want to make that commitment until my mind is at ease that I'm in a good position to provide a greyt loving home for a greyhound. Thank you all in advance for your answers, I really appreciate it
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Post by campgreyhound on Oct 29, 2014 10:40:16 GMT -5
Hello Sacha and welcome to the forums!
I'm so sorry to hear you lost your little buddy. Many of us on the forum understand how hard that is.
Your situation sounds perfect for a greyhound living in the city, and you will likely be able to have a problem free transition. If you're anything like the rest of us, your preconceived ideas about what type of greyhound you want may go out the window when someone completely different chooses you!
For your questions:
-all you can do is go armed with information to your landlord. Greyhounds make idea apartment dogs, they are much quieter than their smaller counterparts, and are generally very well mannered and socialized.
-many greyhounds graduate from their kennels rather rapidly, I generally leave one up and open in case a camper should want to lie in one, it's like their safe spot. Many of our clients have been able to take their kennel down within a few months if space is an issue. Others will leave it up and put something solid across the top so that the upper area can be used for storage, while leaving the kennel area available for the hound to use, should he want to. I even have one client in Toronto who has replaced the kennel with a lower corner cabinet which they leave the centre door off of. Brilliant, and look great! Every hound is different, so it's possible you'll have one that really loves his crate, but you could likely migrate him to a closet if need be. I did this with one of my boys, and he loved his little man cave.
- there are several members on here that have successfully mixed horses and greyhounds. I'm sure they'll chime in. Check out the Photo Gallery, because I know Carla has pictures of her Emily at the barn.
- Interest in small pets will vary from hound to hound, but since you keep your hamster up high it shouldn't be an issue. If it is, you can remove him to a different area where he can't be heard.
-I would suggest bringing your parent's Bichon with you when you go to meet the hounds. That way you will be able to have an idea of how prospective hounds react, and you can do it in a safe way. You would keep your hound muzzled around the Bichon even after adoption for a period of time, until you're absolutely sure there's no danger. This can take several months in some cases.
- When you're ready to meet the hounds at the kennel, you can call or email Heather (info at the top of the forum) to make an appointment. Either Heather or Tisa would be available when you arrive to help you meet the available hounds. Once you've determined who it is you want, you would fill out and sign your paperwork and pay your adoption fee (around $500 currently), and then it's just a matter of waiting until your hound is spayed or neutered. At that point you'd get a phone call that your hound is ready to be picked up. Usually this happens within a few weeks, it just depends on how busy the GRA is.
Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.
Karen, Camp Greyhound
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 7:29:49 GMT -5
good luck in finding your perfect hound companion! M
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Tipsy
Grey Puppy
Posts: 91
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Post by Tipsy on Oct 30, 2014 9:28:12 GMT -5
Things seem mostly covered, but thought I'd add my two cents!
We only used the crate for the first few weeks, to make sure he was used to our going-out schedule, after that we left the door open and he came and went as he pleased. He often still used the crate at night to sleep in(door still open), but we noticed recently he was using it less and less, so we've since collapsed it and put it into storage. He doesn't seem to miss it, and we don't run into any issues where we feel he should be crated, either.
I had similar reservations about Booker meeting my sister's pomeranian - the fluffmonster is skittish, and we were concerned that his scurrying away would make him look even more like a fluffy bunny than he already does. We did keep the muzzle on Booker for the first few meetings just to be totally sure, but they've learned to coexist extremely well. I don't bring his muzzle with me when I go to visit any more, and I have no concerns about leaving them unsupervised. Booker has gotten the message that the fluffmonster isn't as playful and should be left alone.
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Post by sachaaa on Oct 30, 2014 12:02:39 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply Karen!
I really agree with the idea of a 'safe spot' for a dog, both our little guys had crates and were crated at night, but it was also a place they could go and eat a bone or hang out if necessary. I'm the middle unit of a condo building, and so a little raised off the ground, but there's a staircase that goes up to the next condo and we have a small closet under the stairs. It's easy for us to stand up in and we currently have a drying rack in there, but I thought it might be nice to tuck the crate in there. It's segregated without being totally separate, which might be nice if the dog is a little overwhelmed and wants space.
The biggest concern I have is handling prey drive and just generally the instincts of a greyhound as a first-time large dog owner. I've only owned small dogs previously, and I would never want to put the dog in a situation where it might go with it's natural instinct where it isn't acceptable (obviously still understandable, they are instincts after all). My husband has never had a dog, and while he's been great with handling my small dogs, he's never lived with them and I feel like a large dog may be baptism by fire...
Tipsy, thanks for passing that along! My plan would be to muzzle a grey to introduce him to the little bichon, but the bichon is 12 and is usually not too rowdy, and he has always been the submissive dog in our pack of fluffballs, so I wouldn't see him as threatening. My little pup that just passed was definitely an alpha, and I had to rescue him once from a dominance dispute with a rotty, who was intent on trying to hump him (luckily he was small enough to duck right out of there!) and I could see a small dog like that being more aggressive. I guess it's not about size so much as what they give off in terms of character and 'position' in the home.
These answers are really helpful, the other thing I've run into upon more research is that I think I might prefer to have the freedom to do a little bit more off-leash than what most greyhounds are reasonably able to do without risking them. I recently found a greyhound/labrador mix at a local shelter, and so if I don't end up with a dog from GRA I think I may go for something like that (apparently her recall is stellar, so that encourages me significantly)
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Redhead
Grey Lover
Teague (Natural Red Head)
Posts: 823
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Post by Redhead on Oct 30, 2014 20:47:39 GMT -5
Hi, and welcome
There are many greyhounds who would be fine living your lifestyle. Just keep in mind that with a greyhound, you will likely need an adjustment period to teach many of these behaviours (stairs, hamster, sharing of bed/toys, etc.). I have a variety of small animals (9!), and even my high prey guy is fine with them. You can expect some curiosity and even lunging at the cage at first, but from my experience, the novelty eventually wears off and the small animals become boring. My guy's prey drive has decreased significantly over the years.
My grey is fine around horses. I am not sure if they are exposed to horses at the racetrack, but mine has pretty much ignored them since I adopted him. We walk by them all the time, and have also had wagons/riders pass by and he is very well mannered. Lots of people on the greytalk forum (greytalk.com) have horses with greyhounds as well.
I brought along my other dog with me to the kennel. We introduced them to see if they got along which made things easier. A good way to introduce dogs is to take them for a walk together right away. That way they get used to each other, but are also preoccupied by sniffing and other distractions so the meeting isn't so "face to face". By the time you arrive back home they are totally used to each other and it isn't so much of a confrontational event.
It is unlikely you will be able to let your grey off leash. If you really want this, there is nothing wrong with adopting a shelter dog who needs a home. My current non-grey is a sighthound mix rescue, and she is the best, most polite, and well mannered dog ever. I can hike with her off leash and she behaves perfectly, which is something I miss with my grey. Together though, they make a great pair (you can always adopt one of each!! )
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Post by Heather (& KC) on Oct 31, 2014 19:44:59 GMT -5
Welcome! I'm so sorry to hear about your pup. It's so hard to lose a companion. You sound like you'll provide a loving home for a greyhound. Our first grey was great with my parent's Westie. My current boy Thunder gets along quite well with her too. Good luck!!
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Post by horseandhound on Nov 2, 2014 21:37:12 GMT -5
Hi and welcome. I too grew up with smaller dogs - beagles - so was used to always keeping them leashed. I live in an apartment and my grey seems happy as long as we come home! We crated her for a long time and she started to get upset and whine so we just started to leave her loose and now she often doesn't even get up to see us leave. She loves to visit my parents in their retirement home and get mauled by all the seniors living there. Never reacted to all the walkers, canes etc. Just loves to be petted. She also LOVES her big sister - a retired racing thoroughbred. Maybe because I put a horse blanket in car to bring her home? The arena is a great place to let her off leash to run. She has a bigger stride than my horse. I have just started to let her be off leash with me when I ride but it can get exciting when she suddenly goes from flat out asleep to at us at full speed!! Luckily my horse is also a superstar - despite the rumors of mistreated crazy T.B mares and just tries to not step on her! My hope is that this winter when cold out can go to ride and take grey for her exercise too. Luckily my barn is quiet and I work weekends and off in week so easy to go on off hours. My only mistake was leaving dog with hubby while house/work sitting for a week and he let her on our bed. It is now her bed and where she spends her day. Drool marks on my pillow are not mine!! She gets off when we tell her but she often "sneaks" back on in middle of night and always has to be between us. I am so proud of both my versions of retired racers. My horse is Gotta Lotta Speed - now just Lotta and retrained as a hunter jumper and grey is Jedi Ginger - now just Ginger or G and is starting her next round of agility class as she also loves to show off. Good luck and it all works out somehow. They just want someone to love them.
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Post by hopefullygrey on Nov 14, 2014 13:46:01 GMT -5
- After the first few months post-adoption, do most of your greyhounds continue to be crated at night, or during the day while alone? Is this mostly just done by the dog's preference?
I keep her in the crate during the day because A: she loves her crate, I put a really nice bed inside it. and B: it keeps her safe. I know she's not getting into anything. Good for her, good for me. She's very used to the routine, and she crates herself practically. In the morning as I am putting on my clothes, as soon as I turn out the bedroom light she jumps off the bed, has a drink and proceeds to her crate without me saying a word. She just knows its time. When I am home, she'll lounge around the house but at various times she'll hang out in her crate. Its her own little den, so I've left it like that. - This sounds crazy, but I have a hamster who is in a little cage up high on a counter, and who sleeps all day and only moseys on out at night for a little run on the wheel. Are pocket pets in cages an issue for greys, even with a low prey drive? I keep leopard gecko's in open top terrariums, Bailey has never tried to get into any of the terrariums. She has looked at them through the glass so she knows they're there. I tested her one time by putting a leopard on the floor. She promptly picked it up in her mouth and tried to walk away with it. The gecko survived, albeit a little shocked at is near death experience I imagine. So pocket pets IN cages, no issue. Pocket pets out of cages are snacks and chew toys. Be warned anything smaller than cats to have open/exposed to a grey is a risky proposition I'd think. I found a greyt way to test the prey drive- when you take greys for walks around the property at the kennel, look for the barn cats. Make sure the grey sees the barn cat. You'll get an idea of the prey drive really quick from the amount of leash pull . Of course my experience is limited, Bailey didn't leash pull at the kennel, and she hasn't any time since I've brought her home during her walks around the neighbourhood.
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Post by sachaaa on Nov 23, 2014 20:13:53 GMT -5
Thank you to everyone who answered this forum. Hubby and I ended up finding a dog through a friend who knew the foster family with a rescue, and although she wasn't a greyhound she was a great fit for us. However, yesterday when she was dropped off for a two week trial, tragedy struck and she ran for it. She had come from a horrific hoarding situation SPCA seizure, and one of the other dogs also made a run for it and was gone for 2 weeks before they found him. She and the other dogs were under-socialized, and really knew nothing about the world after spending her entire life chained up or locked in a crate. Unfortunately, we received news that she was hit by a car, and was put to sleep by the hospital. She was still under the rescue's umbrella, and things like this happen apparently, and there wasn't anything we could have done differently, but it wasn't the way we wanted things to turn out. Not at all.
When you lose a dog, or both, I just feel it's so important to not let it stop you from doing what you did or would have done to change the life of a dog for the better, for another dog who needs it.
The GRA dogs are still on my mind and I'll be keeping my eye on the adoption list. When the time is right, we'll find the right pup.
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Post by Heather (& KC) on Nov 25, 2014 20:23:15 GMT -5
So sorry to hear this. Every dog deserves to be loved. <3
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