LisaR Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 I have been wanting a Grey now for some time and this summer I finally will get my chance I'm going to fill out adoption application at Raynham dog track in Massachusetts, I was wondering what are some important things I should be looking for. The Gentleman at the track told me to let the dog pick you, I have a 4 year old little boy at home and then my husband and myself I also have 2 grown children and a 2 year old grandson. also i have stairs that lead to upstairs bedroom which is where the Grey will be sleeping at night in a extremely huge crate i just purchased. I have plenty of time to research before summer so I'm trying to gather as much information as humanly possible. Thanks in advance oh and BTW I wanted to say that you to those who welcomed me into the group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Have you read the standard books on greyhound adoption by Cynthia Branigan and/or Lee Livingood? Those are the obvious starting points for research, and will address lots of questions you may have. Also, pretty much every adoption agency will require you to read one or the other before adopting. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinM Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I have been wanting a Grey now for some time and this summer I finally will get my chance I'm going to fill out adoption application at Raynham dog track in Massachusetts, I was wondering what are some important things I should be looking for. The Gentleman at the track told me to let the dog pick you, I have a 4 year old little boy at home and then my husband and myself I also have 2 grown children and a 2 year old grandson. also i have stairs that lead to upstairs bedroom which is where the Grey will be sleeping at night in a extremely huge crate i just purchased. I have plenty of time to research before summer so I'm trying to gather as much information as humanly possible. Thanks in advance oh and BTW I wanted to say that you to those who welcomed me into the group Some greys can't be in a crate for long outside of the track. Can I ask why you already have your grey isolated on another floor away from it's family!? Quote ROBIN ~ Mom to: Beau Think It Aint, Chloe JC Allthewayhome, Teddy ICU Drunk Sailor, Elsie N Fracine , Ollie RG's Travertine, Ponch A's Jupiter~ Yoshi, Zoobie & Belle, the kitties. Waiting at the bridge Angel Polli Bohemian Ocean , Rocky, Blue,Sasha & Zoobie & Bobbi Greyhound Angels Adoption (GAA) The Lexus Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rschultz Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 our grey loves her crate. she stilll uses it it and its been a year and a half. We do however keep it in a room where she can see us. My vet told me when you pick out a dog what u see is usually how they are. Ours was soooo shy and to this day she still is but we have worked with her and she is now a therapy dog. I guess my suggestion is bring the kids and see how the dogs react to them and see what kind of dog you would like..more shy? more playful..ect... good luck and welcome to the group. I have learned so much from this site. It is really great. Oh and buy lots of gauze and tape and emj gel for injuries.. it seems they get easily hurt more than other dogs. Oh and you will learn to buy tons of stuffed animals too...lol Quote Lexie is gone but not forgotten.💜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rschultz Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 oh it took my grey two wweks to learn how to go upstairs..that was a fun experience..lol I had to bribe her with cantelope..for some reason she loved fruit. Quote Lexie is gone but not forgotten.💜 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaR Posted November 20, 2008 Author Share Posted November 20, 2008 I have been wanting a Grey now for some time and this summer I finally will get my chance I'm going to fill out adoption application at Raynham dog track in Massachusetts, I was wondering what are some important things I should be looking for. The Gentleman at the track told me to let the dog pick you, I have a 4 year old little boy at home and then my husband and myself I also have 2 grown children and a 2 year old grandson. also i have stairs that lead to upstairs bedroom which is where the Grey will be sleeping at night in a extremely huge crate i just purchased. I have plenty of time to research before summer so I'm trying to gather as much information as humanly possible. Thanks in advance oh and BTW I wanted to say that you to those who welcomed me into the group Some greys can't be in a crate for long outside of the track. Can I ask why you already have your grey isolated on another floor away from it's family!? Oh i meant at bedtime we'd all be upstairs together, i was questioning the fact because they don't know stairs and if he or she was to sleep up there with us it would have to be taught.downstairs he or she would have a nice fluffy doggie bed to lounge on in the living room with us. id never isolate the dog from the family, sorry if it sounded that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest crazy4greys Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I recommend reading Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies. It explains everything you need to know, especially since you have a little one. Remember to teach him to leave the grey alone when he/she is on thier bed and to never crawl in the grey's crate. Also, bring your kids with you to meet the greyhound, especially since you are adopting straight from the track,some are shy and are afraid of little kids. Good Luck, keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moofie Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 We had a rough idea of the type of dog personality we'd like before we went to visit the kennels and we didn't have any other pets or children to consider. Then we just walked the dogs and got a feel for their personalties along with the groups input. I think greyhound adoption in UK is perhaps like track adoption, the dogs usually go to re-homing kennels from racing owners but not many are fostered in homes so they don't come pre-house trained. My dogs learnt to climb stairs pretty quickly after just a few attempts, they seem to find going downstairs harder so needed assistance for a bit longer after the could confidently climb up. My dogs slept downstairs so i didn't teach them till they'd been home for a few weeks. Throp runs up the stairs now, does it in about 3 strides i've not managed to train him to climb slower. I'm not sure if our Hector & Throp choose us they were friendly like lots of the other greys we'd met but something about them really made us , our heads said we should go with a couple of senior returns that would be pefect for us novice owners. On reflection i'm very glad we followed our hearts as they are great and suit us, it was more work in the early days but its all part of the learning process. I agree its important to see how the dog interacts around the kids (or any other pets). Throp can be scared of children (back up & tries to hide) and while he is very good around my calm 4yr old nephew, the crazy 6yr old neice is too much (for me too ). When you do get your dog. please do not let the kids clamber on the dogs bed and be aware that greys often doze with eyes kinda open so can fool some into thinking its awake and when they touch the dog it could be startled and react agressively. Our group had a dog returned recently within 24hrs as it had snapped at the kid while she was on the dogs bed. Another vote for Retired Greyhounds for Dummies, i was advised by GreyTalker's to read it before i got my boys, it really helped and is an easy read. Your in the right place to get any help you need, i've learnt so much from GT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest charlie Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Can you handle 84lbs, or more, or slightly less, of strong dog on the leash who will get excited and pull at 40MPH, at provocations you can't even see? A dog who may be sweet in the home, but will exhibit what can best be described as drooling psychopathy when confronted with cats, small dogs, maybe larger dogs, and things yet to be defined? A dog who is in full possession of the best kind of sharp, sensitive, and acute canine intellect - and yet will freak at things you'd easily bypass, show both fear and aggressions you'd not compensated for, and need your understanding, and your humour, more than you'd ever felt possible? And - if some of this is never true of this dog, you WILL have another grey when this one passes, and you WILL face these challenges, and ones you'd never even thought about, all over again? If you love life, care about animals, and are prepared to go head-to-head with a world which treats animals as disposable objects - then I welcome you onto the journey of a lifetime, you will be astonished, appalled and delighted by what you'll find - but, if you just want a quiet life, walk away now, you will only get that with teddybears, greyhounds (especially ex-racers) aren't what you are looking for. I sometimes still wish I'd chosen the teddybears - I've had my heart broken twice, and my latest grey looks to do it all over again - but I'd never go back, and these wonderful dogs deserve and give so much love, it's just ridiculous. Charlie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest widowcali Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 You definatly want to get teh Dummies Guide. I read that thing cover to cover a couple of times after I filled out the app to get my first dog. And then Cali ate it on her first week. Apparently she thought I had studied enough. I still have it. It's a great conversational starter. You want to make sure that you meet the dog, with your whole family, prior to finalizing the adoption. I was lucky, I just had a cat. And the group I adopted Cali from Cat tested pretty extensivly. But that first couple of weeks was a definate learning experience. A woman who hadnt had her own dog ever, only family dogs, and a dog who had never been a pet. Cali had to learn how to walk on a leash, how to let me know she had to potty, how to play with toys and take treats, how to go up and down stairs, how to stop at the sliding glass door, how to not eat the kitty crunchies, how to react to other people (including children), how to ride in a car, and how to eat without gulping. I had to learn how to walk a dog on a leash, how to tell when Cali had to go potty, and how to have patience. But I forgot to ask the most important question. What is chipping? And how do I stop it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.