Guest FlyingHound Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hi there! I've been lurking here and at other greyhound sites all over the web for a few months now, reading and looking at pics. My greyhound love started years ago when I was a vet tech and fell in love with our kennel-hound, Rico, a huge red fawn guy. He was the smartest, sweetest, most uncannily empathetic dog...but I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys, of all people . Suffice it to say that his grace, charm, and intelligence left a very lasting impression, and now that I'm (relatively) settled down and ready to give a dog the home he or she deserves, greyhounds are at the top of my list. I originally contacted a rescue group near me to see about fostering, as I really wanted to help the retirees and felt that my home situation could be ideal for helping transitioning racers, but they had no fosters needing a place and also mentioned that they really don't usually let people who haven't adopted through them. They processed my application anyway and promised to keep in touch. But, after much thought, planning, and soul-searching, I've decided to try to venture down the adoption road and foster later rather than vice versa. We already have a full house: me, DH, DS (aged 4), three kitties (aged 9, 5, and 2, and all dog savvy), 2 cockatiels, and six chickens (not actually in house ), so I know we'll have to get a pretty tolerant hound. On the plus sides, I'm a stay-at-home mom, and DH telecommutes (bigtime computer geek!,) so the dog would pretty much never be home alone. We live in a small town just south of Chattanooga TN (we're actually just over the GA border) that is very conducive to nice long shady walks around our historic town square. Our fenced backyard is tiny and full of chickens and so not dog-accessible, but we have a couple of schools and a fenced ball field just few blocks away for zoomie time. I've been in touch with the local rescue, as mentioned, and just tonight sent the email letting them know we definitely WERE interested in adopting rather than fostering! I have a couple of different hounds I'm interested in: Surfer Dude ( http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1210347 ) is probably my first choice. We met him at the Meet and Greet, and he was very sweet. The stories they had of him from his Florida foster home were priceless, he's already tested kid and cat safe, and he sounds like an awesome guy. Also, he happens to look a lot like my old buddy Rico. Jumper ( http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1424313 ) is the other guy I'm interested in. There's not much info on him so far, but I like the description of him on the webpage as "calm, confident, and affectionate" and also, honestly, there's just something about that second picture that tugs at my heartstrings! I don't know yet if he's cat/kidsafe, though, and have not met him. I requested more info from the foster, and there's a M&G coming up this Saturday at which we will probably make our final decision unless of course we hear back that doggie #2 is definitely not cat/kidsafe. So I've got lots of dog experience, have read the books (For Dummies, Branigan, etc) and the websites, and done all of the research I think I can at this point, but what advice would you guys give? Anything you wish you'd known before you got into adoption? I think we're through all the paperwork, but any tips on surviving the scary home visit idea? Thanks for reading my novel, and looking forward to meeting all of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rycezmom Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Welcome from Miami! Quote The more I see of man, the more I like dogs. ~Mme. de Staël Missing my Bridge Angels Ryce, Bo, Jim, Miss Millie, Miss Rose, Gustopher P Jones (Pimpmaster G), Miss Isabella and Miss Star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loveagrey Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Welcome from Ontario, Canada!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest redreed Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Welcome from New Jersey too!! Enjoy and welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TBSFlame Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Welcome from NC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaysmom Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hi and welcome from Oregon! Congratulations! Your adoption group will help find the dog that is right for your family. Finding a pup that will do well with small children is a must! Many of them do but it can be an issue with some greys, as you know. Our group doesn't adopt to families with children younger than 5--too many issues that resulted in dogs being given back. Good luck with finding the right pup for you, and we look forward to meeting them soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fsugrad Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Greetings from Gainesville, Florida! We just adopted our first GH 6 months ago and it's one of the best things we ever did. Our boy has been absolutely awesome!! One thing I would recommend is that if you do adopt a boy, see if you can get your hands on a couple of belly wraps to help him learn not to mark in the house. Our GH came to us straight from the kennel at the race track. By wearing the belly wraps, he learned the whole housebreaking thing and stopped marking in the house in only 2 days. If your boy has been in a foster home already, the marking thing may or may not be an issue. Please keep us informed and don't forget, we LOVE pics around here!! 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 LokisMom Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I wish I had known that 1 would not be enough. I still look around at our 3, our foster, and think about the one on the way and wonder what in the world happened. We went from 1 to 3 in 1 year. Oh yeah, one other thing, with kids and cats, don't hesitate to look into a bounced/returned dog. We have 2 returns (as is our foster) and 2 of the 3 are absolute dreams and would be wonderful for a first time adopter. So, to reiterate, a lot of times they are returned for reasons that are not their fault and often know the ropes of home life and how to deal with kids and cats. And Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Harry702 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Welcome! Sounds like you're going to give a deserving pup a very happy (albeit never boring!) home! Having recently completed the adoption process (about three months ago), I can sympathize with the nervous feeling. I'd ask the person in charge of your home visit if you should have all animals "out" and roaming around, or if it might be best to limit the new faces to just the kids. Don't know if this is typical or not, but when Harry came to our home visit, he was pretty shy and reserved. Think the whole thing was pretty overwhelming, so maybe it's best to limit the potential for stress on both sides (your family and the visiting dog). As far as the actual dog is concerned, I agree with LokisMom about the bounce idea. You'll have a better idea about the dog's personality in a home. Fosters are great, but a bounced dog has typically years of experience living in a home vs. only a few weeks or months (in most cases). I'd also consider an older dog, as they tend to be more laid back in general and quicker/easier to bond with than younger dogs (4 and younger). At least, that is what I have gathered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rosie_Dozer Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hi FlyingHound , Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FlyingHound Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Thanks for all the welcomes and advice so far! I especially like the idea about bounces or older dogs. There are two bounces who I just noticed on the website, girls from the same family who've each been in a home for at least two years. Some of those same thoughts were already going through my mind...it makes sense that they'd already be more settled and might make an easier transition. Besides I feel so bad for them, losing what they thought were their FOREVER homes like that...we'll see how it goes. Still no response to my email, but I -did-only send it last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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