First Time Pet Owners - Starter List Of Things To Have At Home For A G

[Padfootx13]

So glad to see you on here! Maybe some time after you have settled in with your new dog we will see you on a walk or we could get together for a play date.

 

I always love to see other Harry Potter named hounds, though I'm sure the other 6 names you have will be perfect too

 

Christine, the trainer, is great with greyhounds. She is also a huge proponent of getting them to be therapy dogs (if they have the right personality, of course).

[Guest minwalker]

Hi, welcome! I just moved from MA, there's a fantastic (and active!) greyhound community up there. We miss it a lot!

 

Anyway, sounds like you have it under control. Nature's Miracle is good to have around anyway for occasional "incidents" and I'd recommend having basic tags with your name/address/phone number made up to put on from day one. Dog shampoo/bathing stuff is nice to have, but you don't really need it right off the bat -- if you search the forums there are a few threads discussing recommendations on what works well. Your foster family most likely has given the dog their heartworm/flea and tick meds for the month (or will send it along), definitely get a vet visit scheduled to have a script made up for continuing coverage and to have a baseline "well dog" visit done. You most likely don't need boots -- I have a set and honestly rarely use/used them.

 

Personally, I keep extra leashes stashed all over the place -- a spare in the car, one where I keep our normal walking stuff, a collar and leash clipped up and easily reachable in the bedroom in case (god forbid) there is ever an emergency at night and we need to move quickly. But it's not necessarily what you need to survive your first week. You don't NEED extra collars but a visit to vendors/Etsy may convince you otherwise. Many of us *ahem* have a collar......collection . I also recommend getting a Kong (the large size regular red ones are good) -- great for occupying a crated dog. Oh! A tag collar is a pretty decent idea. Doesn't have to be fancy, but some people do not recommend leaving a martingale on an unattended dog (myself included) for safety reasons.

 

But really just take a deep breath and enjoy the process! Don't stress too much about all the "stuff" and everything being perfect. I know it's hard, just about exactly a year ago I was in your shoes adopting the first greyhound that was actually "mine". There will be moments where you wonder if you're in over your head -- you aren't! It will be ok! Utilize Greytalk, there are SO many amazingly knowledgeable people here.

 

Oh -- and remember = we demand photos!

[a_daerr]

I love that bed! Where did you get it?

[Riverhound]

I love that bed! Where did you get it?

That's a Costco bed. $40. We have the same one, and it's very good. They don't hold up to Joe's brand of nesting the way the older ones did, but they last longer than an $80 Petsmart memory foam one!