Guest sweetpea Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 I really have a lot of questions and concerns I guess you could say...I don't understand hwy the Greys are so app to RUN AWAY...have basically been told by a few peeps and I have seen I few nightmare stories of the Greys getting away from the owners...I guess I wonder why that is,,,, Lack of training at the tracks I'm thinking? Heck I have my golden/lab trained that when we first wake up I just open the back door he goes out and does his job, and comes back, I don't even go out with him, I'm grapping a cup of coffee....with the Greys that is not even a thought unless you have a fenced in yard, I guess I just find it hard to get that a dog who is supposed to love you and be happy to have a new home, can bolt and MAYBE never be seen again...worse case get hit by a car or wander the woods till something finds it for diner.....I'm guessing because of the lack of training and disapline they did not see or get at the track life they had...I agree they are a pretty dog, and I am excited about getting one...but am relizing the different ways we must start having to act when we have one, because I SURE do not want one running away... >>>>>>>>> LOTS of thoughts and questions<<<<<<< Bob Sighthounds are wired a little differently, run/chase first, ask questions later! Greyhounds can be trained to recall, but if it comes to a battle between a couple of months of training with you, and centuries of being bred to work alone (ie chasing a rabbit that a big slow human could never keep up with), the recall training has a good chance of losing that battle. The dog is not making a choice between having a warm loving home and the wide open spaces, it's just instinct. As for training at the track, most greyhounds are familiar with leashes, crates, socializing with other greyhounds, and being handled by vets and other humans. Fetch, sit, shake, play-dead, not real high on the list of requirements for a racing dog. I don't know how your adoption group operates, whether they foster the dog first or if it will come straight from a kennel/track situation, but they will be your best-first resource for any questions that come up, they know your dog and they know about easing adoptive family issues. My first little bit of advice, if possible, can you take your dog to meet some potential adoptable greyhounds, to see if he picks one out? And definitely introduce any new dog to the old dog on neutral ground ie, NOT at your house. Maybe a park or school yard nearby. Well, I've rambled on long enough, good luck, keep asking questions (there's some wicked smaaaat folks here), but most of all relax and enjoy! Buzzy and the lovely and talented Sweetpea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozgirl2 Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Hi Bob - Welcome to Greytalk!! Exciting stuff, waiting for your grey! I suspect you'll soon fall in love with their unique traits and your grey's personality.. Just a note on the off-leash thing. It seems there are very few greyhounds that will pay attention to a recall if there's something interesting to chase. It's just not worth finding out if the one you adopt is one of those few! Also, at the farm & kennel, they never HAD to recall because they were always turned out in the pen. Find a fenced in area/dog park/local greyhound run where you can run him/her instead! Quote Jeannine with Merlin, the crazed tabby cat and his sister, Jasmine, the brat-cat With Angel Cody(Roving Gemini), and Weenie the tortie waiting at the Bridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazy4greys Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 My first little bit of advice, if possible, can you take your dog to meet some potential adoptable greyhounds, to see if he picks one out? And definitely introduce any new dog to the old dog on neutral ground ie, NOT at your house. Maybe a park or school yard nearby. Buzzy and the lovely and talented Sweetpea Definately agree on the dogs meeting at a neutral spot. Not inside your house. Maybe you could meet in the driveway and then take a short walk together. Is he bringing his own grey or one that is available for adoption? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LindsaySF Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Welcome to Greytalk! I agree with all of SweetPea's advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest celticfairiemom Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 When we added Tigerlilly to our family, we had the girls meet outside and we went for a very short walk (health issues for TL dictated we keep it short) with muzzles on for everyone. We kept the muzzles on for about a half an hour once we were inside and then we were vigilant as each new "thing" was added - eating, sleeping, going out, going in, toys, treats, petting, etc... Callie was awesome and continues to be 4 days later. TL settled into Callie being alpha with no problems so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 sweetpea, Thats some good advise and I can see with the people here on GreyTalk we should be able to find someone when ever we have questions on here that can help...... Thanks for all of you jumping in and saying hello and offering your advise and welcomes to the site.. As far as what is going on now, We have not heard from the Gentleman that was supposed to come visit us today, He has 2 Greys he has adopted and just this weekend took on a foster Grey, so maybe he's been busy getting the foster settled in. We were told be KeystoneGreys that he would be doing our house visit being he is like 2 miles away where as the Greys lady is closer to 4 maybe 5 away from us, not quite sure on the distance...she did say she would like us to come there to meet the dog/dogs thu before we end up with a Grey...so don't really know if this is all normal or not being it is our first time thru all this...Basically we have overnighted the app and $100(which they got)and are waiting to see whats next.... Bob Hi Bob - Welcome to Greytalk!! Exciting stuff, waiting for your grey! I suspect you'll soon fall in love with their unique traits and your grey's personality.. Just a note on the off-leash thing. It seems there are very few greyhounds that will pay attention to a recall if there's something interesting to chase. It's just not worth finding out if the one you adopt is one of those few! Also, at the farm & kennel, they never HAD to recall because they were always turned out in the pen. Find a fenced in area/dog park/local greyhound run where you can run him/her instead! Oh we will not take the chance off the leash..............thanks for the advise...My wife would absolutly die if we had a Grey get away... Bob Welcome from Maine! How exciting! Please keep us posted Thanks for the welcome...will try updating as we go... Bob When we added Tigerlilly to our family, we had the girls meet outside and we went for a very short walk (health issues for TL dictated we keep it short) with muzzles on for everyone. We kept the muzzles on for about a half an hour once we were inside and then we were vigilant as each new "thing" was added - eating, sleeping, going out, going in, toys, treats, petting, etc... Callie was awesome and continues to be 4 days later. TL settled into Callie being alpha with no problems so far. WE will remember some of the things you pointed out,,thanks... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovinggreysslp Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Best of luck as you go through this exciting process! I agree that having your lab/golden meet prospective greyhounds in a neutral area is a great idea. Looking forward to hearing news soon! Quote Cosmo (Fuzz Face Cosmos), Holmes (He's a Dream), Boomer (USS Baby Boomer), Ella and missing our angels Clay (Red Clay), Train (Nite Train), Trip (Bock's Teddy Bear),Larry (Bohemian Frigid) and Jimmy (Bohemian Raw) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Best of luck as you go through this exciting process! I agree that having your lab/golden meet prospective greyhounds in a neutral area is a great idea. Looking forward to hearing news soon! Thanks will keep the updates coming as they happen.. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 My first little bit of advice, if possible, can you take your dog to meet some potential adoptable greyhounds, to see if he picks one out? And definitely introduce any new dog to the old dog on neutral ground ie, NOT at your house. Maybe a park or school yard nearby. Buzzy and the lovely and talented Sweetpea Definately agree on the dogs meeting at a neutral spot. Not inside your house. Maybe you could meet in the driveway and then take a short walk together. Is he bringing his own grey or one that is available for adoption? I don't know for sure as he has 2 he adopted and he also has a foster he got this weekend, so I don't know, but I would think he would maybe bring 1 of his dogs as they are already used to and settled in to him.. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsugrad Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Ok.....A Gent has called and will be calling tommorow to set up a time he can bring his Grey by to test how our lab/golden and cats are going to react...Oh boy...I think in time our golden/lab (Brooks) will be fine, but he has been really a house dog the whole time we have had him(5 years) and I have to say he has not been socialized or used to being around other dogs...speacially bringing one in on his turf...I hope he does well......its funny I did not really think he would be a problem...but..I am wondering now...LOL I hope he does good........ Bob When we were going through the whole adoption process with Toby, I felt a little bit guilty because we had a 10 yr old whippet who had lived his entire life as an "only" dog. I was worried that our whippet would hate having to share the spotlight with another dog, especially in his senior yrs, that he'd be depressed over it, etc. I also was worried about he'd react when the home visit took place. The adoption group sent over a man with a 110 pound (no that is not a typo) greyhound. It looked more like a great dane than a greyhound! Our whippet ran up to him, smelled him all over while the GH smelled him, and then he laid back down in his bed in the family room while the visiting GH wandered all around our house! At that point I knew he would be fine. Having Toby in the house has really perked up our older dog. I was so worried about him being miserable, that it never occurred to me that he might actually enjoy having a buddy in the house! Hope everything goes well for you! Let us know!! Quote Rita, mom to Dakota (Dakotas Dream) & Wish (Kiowa Wish Wish) and my angels Toby (Sol Marcus) and Robin (Greys Robin Hood) Forever missing our beloved Robin and Toby "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Ok.....A Gent has called and will be calling tommorow to set up a time he can bring his Grey by to test how our lab/golden and cats are going to react...Oh boy...I think in time our golden/lab (Brooks) will be fine, but he has been really a house dog the whole time we have had him(5 years) and I have to say he has not been socialized or used to being around other dogs...speacially bringing one in on his turf...I hope he does well......its funny I did not really think he would be a problem...but..I am wondering now...LOL I hope he does good........ Bob When we were going through the whole adoption process with Toby, I felt a little bit guilty because we had a 10 yr old whippet who had lived his entire life as an "only" dog. I was worried that our whippet would hate having to share the spotlight with another dog, especially in his senior yrs, that he'd be depressed over it, etc. I also was worried about he'd react when the home visit took place. The adoption group sent over a man with a 110 pound (no that is not a typo) greyhound. It looked more like a great dane than a greyhound! Our whippet ran up to him, smelled him all over while the GH smelled him, and then he laid back down in his bed in the family room while the visiting GH wandered all around our house! At that point I knew he would be fine. Having Toby in the house has really perked up our older dog. I was so worried about him being miserable, that it never occurred to me that he might actually enjoy having a buddy in the house! Hope everything goes well for you! Let us know!! Thanks for your response, I hope our Golden will enjoy the company also, he has been a great dog and hope I can still make him feel like he is still our boy when the new kid on the block finally comes, Brooks has been my buddy for the whole time we have had him, he hates to share me with the cats even, so I know he gonna not want to share time with another dog...lol he comes and gets between me and the cats if they get to close..well till I tell him no, then he just goes about whatever he was gonna do before the cats moved in on me,, its kinda cool in a way I guess..... Update so far, the Gent/local rep is coming wednsday for a house visit, we asked how long this whole process could take from start to actually getting a Grey and he told us it could be upwards of 3 weeks or so, maybe sooner, that sound about right?? I guess we thought it may happen faster than it seems to be happening....oh look at me getting all impatient and all...lol Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sweetpea Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Update so far, the Gent/local rep is coming wednsday for a house visit, we asked how long this whole process could take from start to actually getting a Grey and he told us it could be upwards of 3 weeks or so, maybe sooner, that sound about right?? I guess we thought it may happen faster than it seems to be happening....oh look at me getting all impatient and all...lol Bob I got Sweetpea exactly one month after I submitted my application, so three weeks sounds about right. I know it's hard to sit and wait right now, but it really is best to find your perfect match. I have no doubt your hound is out there, just waiting to pick you. Buzzy and the lovely and picked-my-mommy-on-our-first-date Sweetpea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Update so far, the Gent/local rep is coming wednsday for a house visit, we asked how long this whole process could take from start to actually getting a Grey and he told us it could be upwards of 3 weeks or so, maybe sooner, that sound about right?? I guess we thought it may happen faster than it seems to be happening....oh look at me getting all impatient and all...lol Bob I got Sweetpea exactly one month after I submitted my application, so three weeks sounds about right. I know it's hard to sit and wait right now, but it really is best to find your perfect match. I have no doubt your hound is out there, just waiting to pick you. Buzzy and the lovely and picked-my-mommy-on-our-first-date Sweetpea Ok...I just was hoping things would roll faster...we will see what happens after the meeting, I know we gonna prolly have to go for a ride sometime to see the Greys( President of Grey group wants us to come)...it will be hard not bringing one back if we go and they just want us to look..lol Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsugrad Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 That sounds about right to me, too. Whole thing took about a month but it required a lot of coordinating because the race track he came from was 3 hours away from our house, the closest person that could do a home visit lived >1 hour away from our house, so everything had to be done on the weekends, plus it was during the holiday season which seemed to slow things down a bit more... Quote Rita, mom to Dakota (Dakotas Dream) & Wish (Kiowa Wish Wish) and my angels Toby (Sol Marcus) and Robin (Greys Robin Hood) Forever missing our beloved Robin and Toby "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 (edited) That sounds about right to me, too. Whole thing took about a month but it required a lot of coordinating because the race track he came from was 3 hours away from our house, the closest person that could do a home visit lived >1 hour away from our house, so everything had to be done on the weekends, plus it was during the holiday season which seemed to slow things down a bit more... See we are lucky in the fact we have a local rep thats right here with in a few miles of us, but the Greys are alittle over 3 hours away..so when it come to going to see them, or pick 1 up its gonna be some travel, WHICH the wife and I are willing to do when the time comes. Its kind of interesting too, There is a site out there, forget the name, pedigree or something like that, that you can trace your Grey family tree kinda thing...now heck they track those Greys better than most peoples family trees LMAO Maybe the dragged out process is also another part of the process in its self...maybe its to see if you still hold the interest and excitement of wanting to adopt a Grey for more than the few days a sper of the moment decision is made...you know gives you time to think about your decision and think it thru instead of here's your Grey and a month later you say WHAT a mistake and bring the Grey back...might be a way to weed out the fad adopters maybe...Just rambling.. Bob Edited March 25, 2008 by dolfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KsFrets Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 There is a site out there, forget the name, pedigree or something like that, that you can trace your Grey family tree kinda thing That site is http://www.greyhound-data.com A lot of GT'ers (me included) have signature links to their dogs at that site. It's really cool, you can see their race record and even find littermates and relitives etc. Once you get your pup, you can edit or add pictures to your dog on the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest minnie Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spencers_Greyt Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Hi and Welcome from Arizona! Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing pics of your new family member! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Got a call from rep, They thinking the first dog(Battling Buster) may not work out so well with my 2 old gal cats, so they have suggested a new Grey who aint Grey, she's black...here is acouple pics of the new Grey on deck.... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youngINlove Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 OH MY.... what a beautiful grey!!! hope it works out soon...i hope to be following in your footsteps!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest houndlover Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Got a call from rep, They thinking the first dog(Battling Buster) may not work out so well with my 2 old gal cats, so they have suggested a new Grey who aint Grey, she's black...here is acouple pics of the new Grey on deck.... Bob Wow...she is beautiful! How old is she? Can't wait to hear how the home visit goes...is that still tomorrow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OnOurFourth Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Hi Bob, We wish you and your wife lots of love and joy with welcoming a greyhound into your home. We recently lost our third grey, and actually started to consider another breed for our next pet, but that didn't last long at all. Once you become a greyhound owner, you'll be hooked, too. But we'll let you figure out WHY for yourselves.... Wishing the best of health and a long retirement for your new baby! Best, Tracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 OH MY.... what a beautiful grey!!! hope it works out soon...i hope to be following in your footsteps!! Welcome aboard.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dolfan Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Got a call from rep, They thinking the first dog(Battling Buster) may not work out so well with my 2 old gal cats, so they have suggested a new Grey who aint Grey, she's black...here is acouple pics of the new Grey on deck.... Bob Wow...she is beautiful! How old is she? Can't wait to hear how the home visit goes...is that still tomorrow? Here is what it says about her on the availible greys page... Quills Cross, aka Beauty, is a 3 year old 63 pound black female. Beauty is a sweet girl and is cat tolerant. She had a broken hock, but that is healed up nicely... Ok I checked her web back ground, or race background, and she had 24 races and 1 win at the Tucson raceway, before her injury..but no offspring it looks...very pretty girl nonetheless....As far as the Home visit, the local Rep has moved it to thrusday..I guess the local news want to do a spot on the Greys for adoption thing and he is going to be involed in that along with a few adopters with their greys, and he has invited us to come down for that to possibly be interveiwed by the media as potention adopters or something like that...lol so will let you know how this all pans out, he mentioned to my wife that if all pans out(home visit and reference call) we could maybe have Beauty by this weekend, which he should of not told to my wife, cause now if it don't happen by the weekend she is gonna be very disappointed...she has tryed not to fall in love with any of the greys, even when they said we may end up with Buster she tryed to not get attached...but then the Black grey , she kinda has a thing of rhte black one, I think because she seemed to thing by looking around that no one likes to odopt the black ones, or it seemed that way, so I think she felt sorry for them...so now he has said maybe this was the one and maybe getting her by the weekend, I hope thats the way it plays out...OH and the thoughts about the blacks not being very popular in the adoption program....since we have found this web forum, we have found that not to be true at all....so that is a great find too....will keep the updates coimg... Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest md7nd Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 Welcome from Maryland! And from another " Grey Dad". Dont worry about her leg. Nina has the same thing and has the bolt in it. At first, she wasnt that good with stairs, but with a cat that stays upstairs, Nina is now a pro! Good luck and best wishes! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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