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[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Hi all - My name is Dawn, and I am thinking about adopting a greyhound for my family. I currently live with my DH, two kids, Penny (an 8 pound Chihuahua/Min Pin mix), Buddy (a 12 lb Chihuahua/Daschund mix), and a large orange tabby cat. I'd like one more indoor dog, and I think it would be great to rescue a greyhound.

 

My only concern is that my DH is not much of a pet-person. He has agreed to whatever makes me happy, but I'd love to be able to tell him some great things about greyhounds. His main concern is that our house is only 1600 sq feet and he feels that a large dog is just too big for our house. From what I've read, greyhounds are actually good for small houses and sometimes even apartments because they don't require much space. Do you all find this to be true? Do they tend to be rambunctious or wild in the house?

 

I know that they have a high prey drive, so I'll be sure to get one that is ok with small furry animals like my dogs and cat. Actually, the greyhound rescue in our area told me they have one that may be perfect for us. However, she's already 6 years old. Is that considered senior for greyhounds or just middle age?

 

I'd love to hear some great stories about your greyhounds and why you love them so much. I think that would go along way in making my DH more comfortable with this idea.

 

Anyway, thanks!

Edited July 25, 2007 by yankeedownsouth

[Guest jsk4x]

We have two cats and adopted a five year old greyhound. He's wonderful with the kitties - completely ignores them. He's okay with small dogs, as long as they don't jump on his face. The biggest concern is that your cat is outdoors. Many greyhounds are safe indoors with cats but will turn on the same cat if outside. Our grey whines when he sees cats outdoors (our cats are indoors only). I suspect he would chase the outdoor cats if he wasn't leashed.

 

Some greyhounds have a terrible prey drive; many do not. Six years is not considered senior for greyhounds. The life expectancy is 12-14 years; fairly long for a large dog.

 

Our townhouse is small, but definitely dig enough for a greyhound. The best thing is that he sleeps even more than a cat and can stay home alone during an entire work day. Some greyhounds can't, but ours is a champion sleeper.

 

Trust the judgment of the adoption group; they've seen a lot of greyhounds. Our group asked a lot of questions about what we needed in a dog and made recommendations based on that. Their recommendation was correct. We needed a confident, only dog that was okay staying home and didn't chase cats. We got that. No dog is perfect and he has had some behavioral problems. As long as you're willing to work with a dog, there's a greyhound out there.

[Neighsayer]

Take him to meet some greys and watch him fall in love! My house is only 900 square feet. I have 3 male greys (75 to 85 pounds each), a 100 pound golden and a 50 pound chow. We have plenty of room!

You don't need a large house but a huge couch is a plus!

[Guest SalPal]

We live in a small house (1200 square feet), and it is plenty big for our Sally. She spends literally 90% of her time lounging on the various beds we have around the house. She races around our yard for a minute or two, once a day, to release some of her energy, and we take her on several 20 minute walks a day. But in general greyhounds don't need a lot of space. In my experience, Chihuahua/Min Pins and Chihuahua/Daschunds have a lot more energy than greyhounds.

 

Our house also has hard wood floors (covered with strategically placed rugs). Sally will run around the house once in awhile, but her footing is not very secure on the slippery floors. She goes nuts when we visit someone with wall-to-wall carpeting. She will race around for a minute or two, really enjoying the secure footing. But keep in mind, greyhounds were bred and trained to sprint for 30-40 seconds; they don't have a lot of endurance. So they have very short bursts of energy and then they'll need to recuperate for hours.

 

Adopting Sally was the decision we've made. I wish you luck!

 

[Guest benson]

Welcome. I would recommend you read two books, Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood and Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Cynthia Branigan. Both are excellent books for somebody considering adopting. Since your husband isn't necessarily on board he should probably read the books as well. If the local group has a kennel then take DH and visit. I'm sure all adoption groups would want to be sure that the entire family is in agreement before placing a hound in your home. You may want to consider fostering a greyhound before making a final decision.

 

When people comment about how big my boys are I assure them that they fold up for easy storage. These guys can curl up in a ball or stretch out almost to the width of a king sized bed. We have friends who live in an 800 sq ft home with 2 greyhounds. They do just fine. Like any dog they like to stretch their legs each day with a walk.

 

As for a 6 yr old greyhound I'd say that's considered to be middle aged since they can usually live to 12 to 14 years. You can't go wrong adopting a greyhound of any age. There are people on this board who only adopt senior greyhounds.

[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Thank you for all your responses! I'm thrilled to hear they do so well in smaller homes. My little dogs are SUPER high energy, and I think DH is afraid of a large dog with that much energy. I do worry a bit about the whole prey drive thing, esp with my little dogs. But the adoption agency says this dog is great with small dogs and cats, and I do trust their word. This poor dog is a return because his family divorced, and the couple is having to stay separately at friends and families houses. Not a good environment for a dog. The adoption agency also would like the dog to go somewhere where there's usually someone home. I assume this means a bit of separation anxiety, but I'm not sure. I am usually home since I'm a stay-at-home mom. If I leave, the dogs all go in their crates just for safe-keeping.

 

I'm really excited, and I hope DH will grow more fond of the idea. I know he'll agree to this because he wants me to be happy. I've spent the last year dealing with cancer, and he knows that this will make me happy and take my mind of the chance of recurrence. I am a 100% dog person, as is my almost-11-year old daughter.

 

As for my cat, I'm not too concerned. He does go outside, but only at night when we're all asleep. During the day, he lounges around the house resting and getting lots of love.

 

I'll keep you all posted on how it goes...

[Guest bowiebears]

Prey drive can be a concern, but I would not be overly worried if your adoption group thinks they have a hound to suit your needs.

 

We've had 4 hounds (2 at a time) and none of ours have a high prey drive. Our current girl does like to chase things, but when on leash, she's well behaved and doesn't pull at all. However, chasing birdds around the back yard is another matter entirely.

 

As for space, a friend of ours once had 5 greys in a tiny townhouse of 800 sqft, and a postage-stamp backyard. Everyone was happy and contented.

 

I agree with the reading materials suggested, esp. Lee L's book. But of course nothing can compare with meeting real live greyhounds.

 

Good luck!

 

--Isaac

 

PS: And welcome to you from the MD 'burbs of DC.

[2hounds]

 

You have come to the perfect place to learn about greyhounds!

[Guest ajt0186]

We adopted our first grey, Mary, about 8 weeks ago. We have 2 cats that she's actually intimidated by - so I say definitely rely on your adoption group to help find the perfect doggie for you. Adopting Mary was mainly my idea, but DH agreed as well. As everyone here will tell you, your hubby will fall in love in no time! Best of luck - it is a truly rewarding experience!

[MrAlexTheDog]

His main concern is that our house is only 1600 sq feet and he feels that a large dog is just too big for our house. From what I've read, greyhounds are actually good for small houses and sometimes even apartments because they don't require much space. Do you all find this to be true? Do they tend to be rambunctious or wild in the house?

 

I know that they have a high prey drive, so I'll be sure to get one that is ok with small furry animals like my dogs and cat. Actually, the greyhound rescue in our area told me they have one that may be perfect for us. However, she's already 6 years old. Is that considered senior for greyhounds or just middle age?

we have three girls (ages 12, 5, and 4) and one five-month-old kitten in a 1625 sq foot house. for the most part they are low-key in the house, but one of the two younger greys does have her moments every day when she feels the need to run around the house ("zoomies", they're called). they've been cat-tested by the adoption group we deal with, and were considered cat-safe, but we keep a close eye on them since we've taken in the kitten. nikki and katie don't pay too much attention to him, but sadie has chased him around and play-bowed to him because she wanted to play, but the kitten doesn't understand that.

 

we walk them twice a day (15-20 minutes), and at lunchtime if i have time to spare since i work at home.

 

the books referred to are good sources of information. be sure to give the adoption group you deal with all the information you can about your wants, needs, or limitations. that'll help them to find the best match possible for you. go out to some meet-and-greets that adoption groups do if you haven't already.

 

good luck!

[Guest KennelMom]

1400 square feet, 12 greyhounds, 1 staghound and a podengo here. Plenty of room!

 

I consider 6 young. The greyhounds we've lost have been 9, 14, 14 and 13 - both 14 years olds were only a couple weeks from 15. Besides...it's not the quantity of time, but the quality I actually think 4-6 years old is ideal for first time adopters, as they dog has matured mentally by that age.

[greyhounds1234]

1400 square feet, 12 greyhounds, 1 staghound and a podengo here. Plenty of room!

 

I consider 6 young. The greyhounds we've lost have been 9, 14, 14 and 13 - both 14 years olds were only a couple weeks from 15. Besides...it's not the quantity of time, but the quality I actually think 4-6 years old is ideal for first time adopters, as they dog has matured mentally by that age.

 

OMG! At least with that many dogs....you'd never need to vacuum because you'd never see the floor! Having dogs beds all over the place can sure make the spots less noticible!

 

Patti

[Guest George]

Dawn, try fostering a grey for a bit. Once he/she is in your home I can almost be your husband will fall in love with it and you will end up "failing" as a foster (since you'll end up adopting!). Good luck.

[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Thank you all for your responses. My cousin and his wife brought their greys over last night for a visit, and it went really well. DH liked them, and his only comment was "I like small dogs." I take that as a positive because he didn't say "they're way too huge for the house."

 

I'm going to meet Jetta, the grey the rescue lady thinks will work for us, next weekend at a Meet & Greet. I hope all goes well. I'm working on a list of questions to ask the foster mom when I meet her.

 

I'm off now to the bookstore to see if I can find the recommended books. Thanks!

[Guest Snowy8]

I have a 1300 square foot house, its 3 bedrooms, den, large kitchen, 2 baths. A one car garage & a medium size yard. I have 8 greyhounds....I just learned to move slower & step higher.

Welcome to Greytalk

Edited July 28, 2007 by Snowy8

[Guest lmackenzie]

900 sq ft (600 sq ft footprint)- 2 floors. no yard. These dogs are tall - that's all. I am sure your small dogs will be far more energetic than a grey...izzi does zoomies on an 8X10 rug for a bit then she gets all happy at what ever her victory is and sleeps...

[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Thanks ya'll. DH is still very open to this, although not not enthusiastic.

 

My little dogs, esp my Min Pin mix, are SO energetic. They're bonkers, which makes them a lot of fun. It's a little harder when they weigh more than 10 lbs.

[Guest lmackenzie]

As far as bonkers - greyhounds don't tend toward this behavior except maybe 3 minutes a day... Like I said with Izzi - it's usually confined to an 8 x 10 area and I just pick up my feet and watch - she gets going - but doesn't move far if you know what I mean...my house isn't a speedway - just the dog beds...

[Guest jupiterooos]

Mine shows bursts of energy twice a day - breakfast and dinner Oh, and when he sees his leash if he really needs to go. They're lazy beasts.

 

Lots of people have already said as much, but you really don't need much space - 800 sq ft condo here, no yard, fourth floor, no carpets, and one 80-lb permanent resident and usually a foster as well. Room is not an issue.

 

As for energy levels, the fosters in the 2-3-year-old range definitely had more "oomph", but even so they were less energetic than a lot of dogs....and certainly more so than a chi or a min pin!

Edited July 30, 2007 by jupiterooos

[Guest Amy]

Another perspective- my house is very large and we just adopted a greyhound 6 weeks ago. It has been harder to housebreak her because she doesn't realize some of the rooms are 'part of the house' because we don't go in them very much, and will use them for the bathroom sometimes. We have actually blocked off the other rooms so she lives primarily in a much smaller area - kitchen/laundryroom/family room and she is much happier and more secure there (and no accidents). When she sleeps on her dog bed, she folds up so small sometimes we peek in and can hardly see her! Size isn't any problem at all.

BUT I would say that greyhounds are a lot different than any other breeds that I've ever been around. We researched a lot but were not prepared. We have been very surprised about a lot of things. I read all the books but the stubbornness, shyness and skittishness (startle reflex and jumpiness) really have surprised us. Those characteristics would be more concerning than the size. We are still new at this, less than 2 months. I know that all the people on this board are die-hard grey lovers and that is wonderful. But I think you should be aware that these dogs' personalities are a lot different than the dogs you already have. Read a lot of the posts under the 'training' area and see the things owners typically have to deal with. If your DH isn't 100% on board, it wouldn't be good to have him surprised if any of these issues come up. I think fostering, if it is a possibility, is a good idea to give you a better sense of what is involved. Good luck.

[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Another perspective- my house is very large and we just adopted a greyhound 6 weeks ago. It has been harder to housebreak her because she doesn't realize some of the rooms are 'part of the house' because we don't go in them very much, and will use them for the bathroom sometimes. We have actually blocked off the other rooms so she lives primarily in a much smaller area - kitchen/laundryroom/family room and she is much happier and more secure there (and no accidents). When she sleeps on her dog bed, she folds up so small sometimes we peek in and can hardly see her! Size isn't any problem at all.

BUT I would say that greyhounds are a lot different than any other breeds that I've ever been around. We researched a lot but were not prepared. We have been very surprised about a lot of things. I read all the books but the stubbornness, shyness and skittishness (startle reflex and jumpiness) really have surprised us. Those characteristics would be more concerning than the size. We are still new at this, less than 2 months. I know that all the people on this board are die-hard grey lovers and that is wonderful. But I think you should be aware that these dogs' personalities are a lot different than the dogs you already have. Read a lot of the posts under the 'training' area and see the things owners typically have to deal with. If your DH isn't 100% on board, it wouldn't be good to have him surprised if any of these issues come up. I think fostering, if it is a possibility, is a good idea to give you a better sense of what is involved. Good luck.

 

Thanks Amy. I'm trying to go into this experience with my eyes wide open. The dog that the rescue agency is thinking about from me is a bounce, so hopefully she's over some of the more difficult things that the dogs go through right off the track. We'll see though when I meet her on Sunday.

 

[Guest Bens_Dad]

I live in a 2 bedroom condo that's barely over 1000 sq. feet, and just a small patio area. I have 2 cats (the cats were here first) and two greys, and there have been not space issues with any of them. In terms of the greys, I specifically chose them due to the fact that I didn't have a yard and that they are perfectly content to be couch potatoes. Best decision of my life!

[Guest yankeedownsouth]

Thank you all for your warm welcome. Tomorrow is THE DAY - the day I get to meet Jetta, the grey that GU thinks would be good for my family. I had a nice long talk with Jetta's foster dad this week, and she sounds like a really good match. My only concern now is her age, which is 6. She's a black hound and is already quite grey. This makes DH think she's already an old lady. From what her foster dad says, this is not the case, but I'll find out for sure tomorrow. I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight!

[GeorgeofNE]

Let me start with I'm not married--

 

But if your husband really isn't interested, why would you do it? Sounds like you have plenty to deal with already. There are several "threads" in the "behavior and training" section where the wife REALLY wanted the greyhound, and the husband did not, and things are not going so well.

 

Just proceed slowly!

 

As to space, I have an 805 square foot condo, two cats (had three) and my greyhound. He doesn't take up much space, although is dog bed is pretty darn big! He is much less of a presence than my old dog was. My old dog was slightly shorter, but MUCH more "in your face." Greyhounds sleep a LOT.

 

Good luck with your decision!!

[Guest DorianGreyhound]

I have five dogs- a Greyhound, two Goldens (one is a service dog for a deaf person and is not my pet), two Whippets (one of which is a puppy), and three cats!!! My Grey is gentle as a lamb and even likes small dogs at the park. You can definitely find one that does. They are such wonderful dogs... welcome!

 

PS I don't have a fence in my yard. I hand walk all my dogs, and do not have a large house. They are worth it all! I drive them to their favorite place to run free (fenced) every day twice.