My Greyhound Grabbed A Yorkie Today

[Guest PhillyPups]

Okay - so it looks like no dog park for us. I agree, muzzling doesn't sit right with me. I guess that the temptation was just too great because we live so close to 3 huge fenced in dog parks. Some dog fights have broken out before but only between the larger dogs (Dobermans, Shepherds, Rottweilers) but Missy doesn't really get the attention of the big dogs and doesn't seek it. Unfortunately for us, the little dogs love her. It's a park where people bring in dobermans and great danes but also yorkies, pomeranians and chihuahuas.

 

Even with a group of greyhounds, muzzles should always be used, and my rule of thumb is if one is muzzled all are, or mine do not join in, no exceptions. Greyhounds are used to them. Living with 6 greyhounds, I muzzle when I leave the house, I muzzled when I only had two, it is like putting your seatbelt on when you get into a car to go somewhere, a safety device. Greyhounds have very thin skin that can tear, they are not "fragile" but their skin can tear and a yelp can start a "pack attack". Not to scare you, just to give you important information.

 

Good luck.

[OwnedBySummer]

I can point you towards several groups but before I start embedding links and providing information that you don't need or want... where are you located in Toronto?

[Guest lucylei]

I can point you towards several groups but before I start embedding links and providing information that you don't need or want... where are you located in Toronto?

 

Trinity Bellwoods (Queen West/Strachan). Hence all my references to the great dog parks nearby

[Guest happygrey]

Okay - so it looks like no dog park for us. I agree, muzzling doesn't sit right with me. I guess that the temptation was just too great because we live so close to 3 huge fenced in dog parks. Some dog fights have broken out before but only between the larger dogs (Dobermans, Shepherds, Rottweilers) but Missy doesn't really get the attention of the big dogs and doesn't seek it. Unfortunately for us, the little dogs love her. It's a park where people bring in dobermans and great danes but also yorkies, pomeranians and chihuahuas.

Yikes, that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. With any large dog being there, not just greyhounds.

 

FWIW, I've got 3 males with high drives. The oldest, and the one we've had longest, has mellowed quite a bit but still I wouldn't trust him to run in a park with little dogs.

 

All 3 have gone after small animals in the yard & walks (and caught them sometimes) including cats & rabbits. One has even gotten into a dog fight (while walking on leash) -- in his defense the dog ran at him, but he got pretty cut up and I was pretty badly hurt (he pulled me down into the melee). One sometimes even growls and snaps at other greys while we are at greyhound-only walks.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we feel we can never be too cautious.

[OwnedBySummer]

Several members of our group come from further downtown than you, so I'm guessing that our group is easier for you to get to than the other close one, which is in Oshawa. Or they just prefer it, perhaps -- the Oshawa playgroup is more regimented.

 

Here's the two groups which are the closest to you that I know of:

 

South Simcoe Greyhound Group

 

Galloping Greyhounds in Oshawa

 

Extra to the official playdates, once you go to a few playdates, you will surely find someone that you like (not that all greyhound owners aren't absolutely the BEST, LOL) and can set up playdates or walking dates between you on your own time for extra interaction outside of a group playdate.

 

There is also the GRA forum (you adopted from them, I believe?) and they have a section where people tend to post looking for other people in their specific area.

 

GRA Forum

 

I look forward to meeting you!

Edited March 31, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest lucylei]

I once sent a Greyhound back because of a 'prey eye and posture' against small dogs. The group said prey drive wasn't fixable and I'd do better to send the dog back before we bonded. Very hard to do that.

All I can suggest is that if you can't do that, then muzzle your Grey in public lest the dog grabs a little squeaky dog even when on a lead. It can happen in a heartbeat and you had a lucky escape this first time.

 

Sending Missy back isn't really on the table - I work from home and we've bonded quite a bit over the past two weeks. The 'prey drive' thing is more *our* problem now, not *her* problem (and lots of people would argue it's not a problem at all). I guess I'm using this forum for myself as much as for my dog

[robinw]

Loca used to try to grab little dogs during our walks. I didn't muzzle her, but I always carried one with me just in case. I was vigilant about looking for little dogs. Once I was talking to an old lady that had a leash, little fuzzy dog with her. Loca lunged. I pulled her back and just kept talking like nothing ever happened

 

I've you have a car, there is a nice dog park in Georgetown. Nobody goes there during dinner time. That might work for you.

[JohnF]

Sending Missy back isn't really on the table - I work from home and we've bonded quite a bit over the past two weeks. The 'prey drive' thing is more *our* problem now, not *her* problem (and lots of people would argue it's not a problem at all). I guess I'm using this forum for myself as much as for my dog

 

Oh, this was only a few weeks after I lost my last dog and it was SO fr............ hard to do just inside that first fortnight of rehoming, kind of like another bereavement. Dire. But it was totally necessary that I could have a Grey that was small dog safe for going in the park (many ordinary recreational parks in the UK allow dogs off leash, but under close control). Then there was the issue of twirling madly on the leash against cats and small dogs, and a serious lunge against an innocent leashed small dog from the leash. It worried me that no difference was seen between them... just squeekie prey. Maybe I was a bad person to bounce the dog, but she got a new home inside a week and I got Peggy, who reliably knows dogs of any size are dogs and cats are cats, a month later.

[Guest june]

Oh, this was only a few weeks after I lost my last dog and it was SO fr............ hard to do just inside that first fortnight of rehoming, kind of like another bereavement. Dire. But it was totally necessary that I could have a Grey that was small dog safe for going in the park (many ordinary recreational parks in the UK allow dogs off leash, but under close control). Then there was the issue of twirling madly on the leash against cats and small dogs, and a serious lunge against an innocent leashed small dog from the leash. It worried me that no difference was seen between them... just squeekie prey. Maybe I was a bad person to bounce the dog, but she got a new home inside a week and I got Peggy, who reliably knows dogs of any size are dogs and cats are cats, a month later.

If the dog wasn't working for you then you did what was right. The dog got a good home better suited for it and you got a dog better suited to you. Not every dog is right for every home or every home right for every dog.

Edited April 1, 2013 by june

[fsugrad]

Prey drive is not "fixable". Was this at the dog part, and if so what was a Yorkie doing in a dog park with large dogs?

 

My dogs would have killed the small dog, plain and simple, they are gentle, sweet, loving and high prey. Even dogs that live in homes with small animals, outside, all bets are off. We have sighthounds, bred for thousands of years to hunt by sight. Most people that I know that have large and small (yorkie size) dogs, do not put them out in their own yards to play. This is not a "fixable" issue.

 

You are lucky no harm no foul this time, but next time may not be so lucky.

 

Enjoy her, spoil her, but most will not come out of their prey fixation even when excellently recall trained.

What Pat said, times 100!! Our beloved angel Robin had an ultra, ultra high prey drive. It was not correctable. It was in his blood. He loved people and was very affectionate, but put him in a situation where there was a small yappy dog, and he wouldn't have rested til he killed it. I'm serious. Please don't put your hound in a situation where the circumstances could be tragic. No dog parks! Do you have a greyhound group nearby that has hound gatherings? Your hound would be much happier (and safer) there than at a random dog park with yappers being dangled in her face like mcnuggets. They don't need to go to a dog park to be happy and have fun.

[Guest lucylei]

What Pat said, times 100!! Our beloved angel Robin had an ultra, ultra high prey drive. It was not correctable. It was in his blood. He loved people and was very affectionate, but put him in a situation where there was a small yappy dog, and he wouldn't have rested til he killed it. I'm serious. Please don't put your hound in a situation where the circumstances could be tragic. No dog parks! Do you have a greyhound group nearby that has hound gatherings? Your hound would be much happier (and safer) there than at a random dog park with yappers being dangled in her face like mcnuggets. They don't need to go to a dog park to be happy and have fun.

It doesn't look like we do

 

Several members of our group come from further downtown than you, so I'm guessing that our group is easier for you to get to than the other close one, which is in Oshawa. Or they just prefer it, perhaps -- the Oshawa playgroup is more regimented.

 

Here's the two groups which are the closest to you that I know of:

 

South Simcoe Greyhound Group

 

Galloping Greyhounds in Oshawa

 

Extra to the official playdates, once you go to a few playdates, you will surely find someone that you like (not that all greyhound owners aren't absolutely the BEST, LOL) and can set up playdates or walking dates between you on your own time for extra interaction outside of a group playdate.

 

There is also the GRA forum (you adopted from them, I believe?) and they have a section where people tend to post looking for other people in their specific area.

 

GRA Forum

 

I look forward to meeting you!

Thanks! Unfortunately Simcoe and Oshawa are about an hour away from us (if there's no traffic).

[OwnedBySummer]

An hour isn't very far... Everything in the GTA is an hour to get to...

Edited April 1, 2013 by OwnedBySummer

[RedHead]

There are several people in the Simcoe Group from Toronto. Perhaps, if you don't want to travel so far, you could still join and see if anyone could do a meet-up in T.O. Smaller play groups are probably best right now anyways

[Guest TBSFlame]

I am not a fan of dog parks but if you must do not put your dog out when there are small dogs in the park. Never muzzle unless it is a greyhound playgroup and all of them are muzzled. If it's a high prey drive it really can't be fixed and not worth taking the chance or you might be sorry and putting your hound in danger with AC. IMO the big mistake new adopters make is to much too soon. Take it slow and easy and do not put your dog in harms way my expecting too much too soon. Time takes care of a lot.

[deboosh]

We've had our girl for 3 months. Six weeks after adopting her, she attacked a tiny dog (during a walk, both leashed). As a result, we keep her muzzled in public and no longer go to the dog parks because she started to fixate on and aggressively chase certain dogs there. Now we only take Bonnie to greyhound-only playgroups, and are searching for a positive reinforcement trainer who is familiar with the sensitivities of this breed.

 

This forum is truly a wonderful place. I've learned more about greys here than from any other reference. I'd be willing to bet that many a greyhound's newly adoptive home has been saved because of the effective advice and generous support offered by those members who've gone down the road before us. I've shed a few tears since getting our new cuddlebug, so if at any time you need a shoulder or just want to compare notes, please, just send me a PM.

[OwnedBySummer]

There's sometimes arranged group walks in Toronto (High Park was one location, The Beaches was another). The organizers are in the SSGG and the notices are posted through the Yahoo group. We have one member who comes fairly regularly from somewhere on Front Street -- at least, I believe that's where he lives -- I know he's further south than you. And yes, muzzles are 100% mandatory when the hounds are playing. We use fenced baseball diamonds.

[Guest dobiegrey]

I hate dog parks not only because of irresponsible owners but too much possibility of disease once again due to irresponsible owners

[linda]

There used to be a group that used the fenced in area in Norwood park for an hour on Sundays but I do t know if they still do. You could try GINA's website too. I think they are slightly west of the city....

[deboosh]

It's actually a little surprising that a city as large as Toronto doesn't have a greyhound only run. There must be enough of us to justify starting our own, where we could rent something for an hour once a week. It takes us about 75 minutes to get to the Oshawa playgroup, and close to that amount of time to get to the South Simcoe one. That's a bit of a hike, and the reason why we don't take Bonnie every weekend. Hmmm.............

[greytluck]

When I got my first greyhound I lived in Toronto. I went to a greyhound hour at Norwood ( I believe it was Sundays at 12, no idea if its still then or if its still held or not) it is a public dog park so we could not prevent any other dog from entering but most of other dog owners were aware the greyhounds came then and would wait until we were finished. The group got so large though and the space is relatively small and add to that a couple local residents that felt it unfair the greyhounds were there in their local park I felt it became too unsafe to bring my dogs.

After that I started to make the drive up to the simcoe group and couldn't have been happier. Its a bit of a drive but worth it for a wonderful well organized and run group. Its members are great people and its so much safer for the dogs. I highly recommended you take the drive even just once to check it out.

I now live in the burbs and have a large yard and a toddler ( and baby on the way) so I very rarely can make it up there anymore but I miss the group a lot and really wish I could go more often.

[Rickiesmom]

Totally agree - we don't make it up nearly as often as I'd like to!

[Guest kkaiser104]

I'm in the minority that loves my dog park. But, Teddi has zero prey drive, I know all of the dogs/owners at the park, and we leave when things get too rowdy. I agree--try a greyhound run/play date.

[Guest lucylei]

An hour isn't very far... Everything in the GTA is an hour to get to...

I know, I'm originally from Aurora. But, it's kind of far when you don't have a car and live in downtown Toronto where everything is 5 minutes walking away. I'll check to see if there are some members in the Simcoe group though that may be a little closer to me. Thanks for the advice!

 

It's actually a little surprising that a city as large as Toronto doesn't have a greyhound only run. There must be enough of us to justify starting our own, where we could rent something for an hour once a week. It takes us about 75 minutes to get to the Oshawa playgroup, and close to that amount of time to get to the South Simcoe one. That's a bit of a hike, and the reason why we don't take Bonnie every weekend. Hmmm.............

Are you in Toronto? I'm going to post in the Simcoe group to see if anyone nearby would like to try Stanley park. If you go early in the morning or around dinner time there's no one there. I've also noticed little dogs don't come to Trinity Bellwoods, but there's no fence....

[kjw]

When I got my first greyhound I lived in Toronto. I went to a greyhound hour at Norwood ( I believe it was Sundays at 12, no idea if its still then or if its still held or not) it is a public dog park so we could not prevent any other dog from entering but most of other dog owners were aware the greyhounds came then and would wait until we were finished. The group got so large though and the space is relatively small and add to that a couple local residents that felt it unfair the greyhounds were there in their local park I felt it became too unsafe to bring my dogs.

After that I started to make the drive up to the simcoe group and couldn't have been happier. Its a bit of a drive but worth it for a wonderful well organized and run group. Its members are great people and its so much safer for the dogs. I highly recommended you take the drive even just once to check it out.

I now live in the burbs and have a large yard and a toddler ( and baby on the way) so I very rarely can make it up there anymore but I miss the group a lot and really wish I could go more often.

 

We miss you and Wally and Corinna too! Thanks for the wonderful endorsement, we've worked hard at making the group a safe and happy experience for everyone.

[OwnedBySummer]

I like the idea of starting up a downtown Toronto group, especially for those who don't have cars or don't really drive much and the trip up to an SSGG playdate is too far, but I'm not a dog park enthusiast. I do prefer using baseball diamonds when they aren't in use. Are there none down there that you could use? You can make portable "gates" to close off the two dugout openings, if they don't already have permanent gates.

 

Keep in mind, though, that SSGG and presumably Galloping Greyhounds DO have experience with operating playdates and we have experienced members who know how to deal with pack drive situations, as well as minor injuries.