sobesmom

Congrats! You are being smart and thoughtful! I'm so happy that you're continuing fostering! Not every dog fits every home and that's OK!!!

I think it sounds like a wonderful fostering situation! So many that foster have other greys in the home, but many dogs get adopted out to homes without other greys. Of course, work with your group to try to get the right dog - obviously not all will work - but that's OK! LOTS of dogs WILL work fine in that situation! And - your experience will make them much better pets than a newbie getting one to be an "only" that wasn't fostered. Did that my first time lol. I've never fostered without another grey in the house, but when DH and I are ready for dogs again - it'll be an "only". Looking forward to hearing your tips!

When I got worried at first - my DH said "Dogs are dogs - you think they're "greyhounds" - but they are dogs."

smt - Sounds like a solid plan. I don't think you need to spray each poo spot with bleach as long as you scoop it up fairly quickly - within a day. If you miss a day of picking up poo, dig a scoop of soil along with the poo and dispose of that, too. When I had a foster with hook - I cleaned up the yard if I was out and saw it. Otherwise, it was daily, and I dug my shovel into the dirt and I took up what was under it and inch or so. It worked. Hooks are a PITA - but not THAT bad.

I don't have any data, so I'm sure others can give you better info. IMHO - I'd bag it until the hooks are gone from the poo. Hooks are NASTY, and very hard to get rid of. The problem I've found is that if dog poo (with hooks) hits the ground and remains there, the hooks live for a long time, and grab onto any animal that touches them. Just not worth the risk. I don't think they'll burrow and migrate into your yard, but I just wouldn't want them that close if it could be avoided. DonnaBehr - I'm surprised your vet said that. Maybe he/she meant anywhere that is commonly used by animals that may carry them.

Diana never raced because she played/bumped the other dogs in her maiden races, and didn't focus on the lure, so she was petted out at 2. I think it's called "Interfering". Sobe, our first grey, was a somewhat seasoned racer. So..... when they ran in the fenced yard together, Sobe always did perfect laps around the edge, and Diana ran, bumped, jumped, and annoyed him. When she fell too far behind (which is always did), she'd crouch in one corner and jump out at him when he passed by. When it was just the 2 of them, it was fine. Some noise, but no issues. I was pretty careful to keep nails short because there would be "pouncing" sometimes, and a nail can accidentally cut. When we'd have a foster in the house, we didn't let all 3 out together to run, because invariably the newbie wouldn't understand their odd play style, and it wasn't that big a deal to let them run in shifts, and not worth bothering with them getting to get used to it all together because the foster would be gone soon. A couple of the long-term fosters were let in on it, and that was fine, too. Sobe and Di did this for years, and it was fine. Nobody ever got hurt, and I believe they both thoroughly enjoyed it. It did scare the heck outta me at first.

He's beautiful, and looks so happy!!!! Congrats! I only had one young one, and she was 2. Diana came as a foster, and I quickly told my foster rep that I'd never take another that young. Just SO MUCH ENERGY!!! That said, we ended up keeping her for her entire life, and she was a joy. But the first couple of years she was hell on wheels!! We referred to her as "the lab puppy with stripes" lol. I never conquered the zoomies, and no terrible injuries happened. I put away the fine china for a couple years..... ok that's a lie, I don't have fine china. But I did put up anything I didn't want knocked over. We had to go to 100% no food unattended anywhere ever. Mostly because of my other grey, Sobe, but Diana got in on the bad habits quickly. Good luck - have FUN! Enjoy the crazy - it doesn't last forever.

You call that a WIN and do a happy dance! It was just a quirk, as you suspected from your initial post. Fun though isn't it? When we were fostering and one would throw us a curve-ball - I'd post and ask about it. Every time someone had been there, done that, seen it. I LOVED seeing their quirks, and then their personalities develop. I truly miss fostering, or having a new addition to the house, because it was always such an adventure.

One of my own, and a couple of the fosters wouldn't take treats from the hand for a while. They just seemed confused at the idea. After a couple weeks they figured it out. No biggie. I didn't really think much of it, as they'd just come off the track, and maybe they didn't get hand-fed treats. My Sobe's race owner contacted me as soon as I adopted him and told me of his love of marshmallows - so NO ISSUE giving him anything from hand - say "marshmallow!" and he was THERE lol! We did have one skittish foster that took a bit longer to take a treat from hand, but she took a bit longer to get OK with a lot of things. I wouldn't worry about it. it'll come. Just a quirk.

They DO have a second sense, that's so true. OMG - if my dogs could've talked - they could've told stuff NOBODY knows. Including how weak I can be when no humans are around to witness. Thank you for your prayers - the sentiment is appreciated.

We've been grey-less and dog-less for quite a while now. It's just where we are in life. We'll have greys again, just not right now. We've gotten used to not having dogs in the house. In a lot of ways, it's so much easier. But sometimes - it really strikes me. I'm going through some family stuff right now that's hard. There's nothing I'd like more than Sobe or Diana following me around the house, lying on top on me trying to smother me when I sit or lie down. They ALWAYS knew when something was going on that upset me and they turned into velcro dogs. Even if I was dealing with something "just fine". They always KNEW. They always gave me extra attention and "hovered" when anything was bothering me. They became very protective, and "watched over" me. When I lie down tonight, I'll sorely regret that I don't have a greyhound that's too big for the bed snoring in my ear, messing up my blankets, sticking a foot in my ribs, and maybe letting me cry in their fur a little bit when nobody knows but them Dogs get it. .

Ahh! Ok. Thanks for the clarification. My ignorance. To the OP - I hope you didn't think I was being rude with my question- I truly didn't "get" the situation and wanted to understand. Now it makes a lot more sense to me. Hope you get good input and suggestions. Best of luck - SA is a rough road.

Just one question - if you're traveling, and need to go into a store en route - I get it. But if you're at home, and need to go to the store - why would you take the dog? Am I missing something?

I have a fenced yard, which rabbits made the mistake of coming into. My Sobe would nab them, quick head-shake to break the neck, then bring them to the door. Greyhounds are very efficient. No fear or pain, or playing with the prey. Kill quickly and done. And present the trophy to the master. It's ingrained. In regard to recall - I have no experience. I know that my dogs on-leash would've gone after a rabbit if they weren't on-leash. I think recall training is great - but it must have its limits. I can't imagine calling a grey off a rabbit - but other have done it. Do you live in the UK? Most posters on GT'ers are in the US - and we don't walk greys off-leash generally. It's just not "done" here. I know it's quite common in the UK, so those posters could probably give you the best advice.

Retired racing greys are enormously adaptable. A 3 year old is just getting past the horrible, crazy puppy stage, and would be perfect if you want a young dog. I once fostered a 2 year old grey and swore I'd never go near one that young again! Way too high an energy level for this household.

Congratulations!!! Thank you both for doing such greyt work!!!!!

The Lewis Carroll reference made me chortle!!!! My SIL sent me a pic of chicken feet at a store labeled "Chicken Paws" - much chortling ensued. Maybe you should try those

"A primary school girl said to me the other day how beautiful my girl is and that melted my heart " A pre-school girl once asked if me could pet my tiger. (My brindle greyhound, Diana). She was kinda orange, had stripes, so of course the girl though it was a tiger! She pronounced it "ti-goor". So cute!! Her mother told her "no, that's a dog, not a tiger". The little girl - big eyes - insisted "No mommy - it's a TI-GOOR and I wanna pet it!!" So of course I told her she could pet my Tiger!!!!!! The mom scowled at me but I didn't care! She probably went to preschool the next day and told everyone she petted a Tiger!!!

Enjoy the good responses and dismiss the negative. You can try to educate people, but if they're stuck in their ways, just move on. You're response seems fine to me. You tried. Getting upset or angry doesn't fix anything. Many of us have had similar experiences. I had one guy insist that my big black greyhound was a Doberman. I explained that he was a greyhound, and the guy told me that I was an idiot and that I was walking a Doberman, and all Dobermans are killers. Not fair to Dobermans by any means!!! So, he had a prejudice against another breed, and didn't even know the difference. I told him I'd be sure to let the greyhound rescue that I got the dog from know about their "mistake" and wished him a good day. Also, the muzzle law in Australia probably gave people the impression that greys are aggressive. That's such a shame, and I'm glad it's been repealed. By the way - your written English is excellent! You have no need to apologize for it.

Use your judgement. Err on the side of safety. If she's only there for a few days, fine, muzzle. If she's going to be there longer, I'd phase them out.

I did homecooked for Diana when she was in her last year of renal failure, and it was easy, cheap, and she did actually ate it. She wouldn't eat the renal kibble.

Sounds pretty normal for the weather change, especially with a new dog. I agree with the others. Some other things I've used are raw eggs on the food, Jack Mackeral, and fish oil capsules. Of course, start slow with anything. They can all be diuretics if given too much, too soon. Frequent brushing, no bathing.

Woo hoo!! Progress!!! Good for you for trying different things, figuring out what helps, and adapting! Greyt job!!!! You're really making progress pretty quickly (although I'm sure it doesn't feel like it in your shoes).

I'd suggest a nice long brisk walk or vigorous play session in the evening. If you have a place for her to run - do it. A 2 year old grey is a puppy, and puppies need LOT of exercise. The ONLY 2 year old grey I've had in my home was my Diana, and I swore I'd never do it again. Up side - I lost 20 lb's in the first few months we had her from walking, running, playing with her. Puppies need to MOVE. I'm not surprised that it took a month for her to change. Some Greys go into a kind of shock when they're first adopted. They're basically perfect zombies for a month or 2. Then - they get comfortable, and you have to deal with stuff. More exercise, for her body, and her brain. If she's crated, she has a TON of energy to expend!!! A tired puppy is a happy puppy (and a happy human, because you then get to sleep). Not a criticism at all.... just experience. I never took another foster under the age of 4 after Diana. One 2 year old was more than enough for me.