Possibly Adopting Greyhounds, Thoughts?

[Guest Lyra]

Hello!

 

It has been almost 3 years since my mother and I lost our dogs, tragically within 3 months of each other, and we are finally ready to bring dogs back into the house. We each would like to get our own; my Mom prefers the couch potato/walk twice a day type of dog, while I prefer a more spunky and active dog that could walk for a couple of miles a few times a day and would like to do occasional jogging (only a couple of miles, I'm more of a natural sprinter, ironically) and hiking. My mom was the one who suggested looking into getting Greyhounds, and they seem to fit our lifestyle perfectly, minus my enjoyment of the outdoors. We share a house together, along with my 13 year-old daughter, so they would have each other at least while we are at work. The main issue I'm concerned with is that I am more of a 'get up and go do something with your dog' type, whereas my mother would be content to lounge at home with her dog, so I was hoping for some of your experiences with multiple-dog homes and how you handle it. Do you have one Greyhound that you do a lot of activities with while leaving another at home? Obviously we would have no problem walking them together, but how do they do while separated? Would getting 2 Greyhounds at the same time be more helpful to them or possibly detrimental? Is better to wait and get one Greyhound acclimated to our home life before bringing in a second?

 

I know that all dogs are individuals so I'm not too worried about finding a dog that fits each of our personalities, plus we are looking into the local Greyhound rescues and I'm hopeful they would be able to find good matches for us as well.

Thanks!

[Trudy]

I had 2 greyhounds, one would have been perfect for your mom, the other perfect for you.

The one that was more than content to stay home was also the one that would go anywhere and walk/hike as far as I wanted as long as he was next to me. Ours always did things together with us. While Jet was happy as an only dog, Ryan needed a pal to be around or he was not a happy camper.

So yes, you'll find dogs that meet both your needs.

 

If you want 2 dogs, get 2 together. There may be a pair that was returned that have bonded that the group would like to stay together or you find 2 separate ones that fit your needs that work well together.

[turbotaina]

Yep, while greyhounds in general are laid back, I have one that is very, very active, loves hiking and would go on for hours if I let him. He wishes I were a jogger! The other one takes his retirement very seriously, but wants me to play with him. My previous greyhound also loved hiking and walking and would keep going for hours, but was equally content to hang out at home, as long as he could snuggle Just talk to your adoption rep about your needs and the group will very likely be able to accommodate you and your mom.

As for when to add the second, with my first greyhound, I always wanted to get him a companion, but after 3 or 4 years of being an only dog, he did NOT want a companion. He'd get in a snit if I fostered and boycott walks! He was OK with a dog staying overnight, maybe two nights, but after that, they needed to leave So we never got a second because by the time we could manage it (bought a house so I didn't have to worry about landlord permissions), he wouldn't have it. With my current dogs, Heyokha was an only for 3 years before we adopted Crow, whom we've had for just over 2 years now. Heyokha is still in a snit. He does not like us sharing our affections/food/attention with another dog. But he manages. So I'd say, do it as soon as you can, if you can't adopt two at the same time (keep in mind, unless you get bounces as Trudy mentioned above, you'll be doing training and home acclimation for TWO dogs instead of one and that may be overwhelming for some).

[krissy]

I think as long as you are up front with your adoption group on what you're looking for you should be fine.

 

I have 3 greyhounds, and they all enjoy full day hikes. My oldest is almost 12 now, and so the last time we took him camping/hiking with us was when he was 10. We did a 10 km mountain loop. We went at a relatively leisurely pace and took lots of breaks and he was fine until about the final km when he was lagging, so we just slowed down and let him go at his pace, and we decided that he wouldn't be going for any long hikes anymore. He still likes going for long urban walks in the nicer weather though.

 

We also have 2 younger dogs, a 4 year old and an 11 month old. We went all day mountain hiking this summer with the two of them (so pup was about 6 months old at the time). The middle child goes jogging and biking with me, and so will the youngster once her growth plates close. They both do agility, disc, and rally obedience. On my days off if the weather is okay we'll go for over an hour hike and the girls spend the entire time running. Energy is not an issue in our household.

 

So while there are some greyhounds that prefer NOT to be active, most of them enjoy being active... they're just okay to stay on the couch all day without destroying the house. Doesn't mean that's their preference!

[robinw]

My guys have all liked to hike. One of them used to run 10k with me, but we worked slowly to reach that goal.

[GreytHoundPoet]

All of my Greyhounds have enjoyed hiking. Some required a bit more conditioning than others to be able to handle long hikes but all would do it happily. The same dogs were pretty chill at home. There is an energy spectrum in Greyhounds so I'm sure that you can find what you both are looking for.

[Guest Lyra]

Thank you for all the responses, I'm really glad to hear how different all Greyhounds can be. Gives me hope that I'll be able to have a dog that I can do outdoor stuff with, while my mom can have her couch potato. We have been talking about it a lot recently, and as long as the rescue is on board with taking 2 Greyhounds at the same time, it seems we would rather go that route. There is an adoption event that we plan on attending in a couple of weeks so we can find out more information from them as well. We are getting really excited to have dogs in the house again!

[EllenEveBaz]

How active they are may also depend on your climate. Many greyhounds are a little sensitive to heat. Good luck on your search, and keep us posted.

[MP_the4pack]

I have two now. And one would fit your lifestyle and the other your mother's. Just work with the adoption group.

[ozgirl2]

OR - a greyhound (couch potato) and a galgo!! Galgos are supposed to be MUCH more active in general...

[GreytHoundPoet]

OR - a greyhound (couch potato) and a galgo!! Galgos are supposed to be MUCH more active in general...

 

My Galgo could hike for hours.

Edited March 5, 2017 by GreytHoundPoet

[Guest Lyra]

I am new to sighthounds, mostly had terriers my whole life. Is a Galgo similar to a Greyhound? I see it is called a "spanish Greyhound", but are they similar?

Edited March 12, 2017 by Lyra

[palmettobug]

I think Galgos are more high energy, and they can JUMP. One tiny girl jumped straight up onto a vendor's table last year at Beach Bound Hounds, and didn't knock a single shirt down.

[EllenEveBaz]

Galgos are the Spanish variant of a greyhound -- they are so similar that people unfamiliar with them in this country assume they are racing or AKC greyhounds. They do have some distinctive differences in personality and physical traits, which I'm not knowledgeable about, but one main difference is the higher energy level noted above, and also greater endurance. I think most sighthounds -- galgos, podencos (another Spanish hound), salukis, sloughi's, borzoi's, Ibizians, Rhodesian ridgebacks, pharaoh hounds, and all the others I've spaced out and forgotten -- have a greater endurance level than most greyhounds. Galgos and others brought into the US from other countries will have a higher adoption fee to reflect the travel costs. They will also need a high fence, if they are let unleashed into a yard. One of our GreyTalkers coordinates a galgo rescue -- https://www.sagehounds.com/the-galgo-espanol Here is a link to another organization that shows both galgos and podencos http://sighthoundunderground.com/http/dogs/

 

The kind of activity level you mention -- jogging a couple of miles; hiking -- does not sound taxing and would be in the comfort level of many retired racing greyhounds. As posted above, tell your adoption group what you want and let them find you good possible matches.

 

Currently, I have a both a full-blooded greyhound and a lurcher (greyhound mixed with who knows what) who would be perfect for you. The lurcher just shredded a foam mattress, so I'm willing to ship him. Both would throw major fits if I tried to take one without the other, but they are both higher energy hounds, and they would be alone in the house. I have had pairs in the past who for various reasons, temperament or age, had one who would not have minded being left at home sometimes. Assuming your mother will be staying at home with her dog, that would make her dog less intent on going with you.

[Guest Lyra]

Galgos are the Spanish variant of a greyhound -- they are so similar that people unfamiliar with them in this country assume they are racing or AKC greyhounds. They do have some distinctive differences in personality and physical traits, which I'm not knowledgeable about, but one main difference is the higher energy level noted above, and also greater endurance. I think most sighthounds -- galgos, podencos (another Spanish hound), salukis, sloughi's, borzoi's, Ibizians, Rhodesian ridgebacks, pharaoh hounds, and all the others I've spaced out and forgotten -- have a greater endurance level than most greyhounds. Galgos and others brought into the US from other countries will have a higher adoption fee to reflect the travel costs. They will also need a high fence, if they are let unleashed into a yard. One of our GreyTalkers coordinates a galgo rescue -- https://www.sagehounds.com/the-galgo-espanol Here is a link to another organization that shows both galgos and podencos http://sighthoundunderground.com/http/dogs/

 

The kind of activity level you mention -- jogging a couple of miles; hiking -- does not sound taxing and would be in the comfort level of many retired racing greyhounds. As posted above, tell your adoption group what you want and let them find you good possible matches.

 

Currently, I have a both a full-blooded greyhound and a lurcher (greyhound mixed with who knows what) who would be perfect for you. The lurcher just shredded a foam mattress, so I'm willing to ship him. Both would throw major fits if I tried to take one without the other, but they are both higher energy hounds, and they would be alone in the house. I have had pairs in the past who for various reasons, temperament or age, had one who would not have minded being left at home sometimes. Assuming your mother will be staying at home with her dog, that would make her dog less intent on going with you.

 

I've had a couple of dog people tell me that I would love a lurcher, but I've never seen any around here. I've been told they are more popular in Europe and more readily available there. I'm getting really excited about getting a Greyhound. It will be my first sighthound, so I'm looking forward to that.

 

I'm not a long-distance runner, so if the Greyhound is happy with a mile or so, that works for me. If I end up getting a dog that would rather stay home while I go jogging then I will just have to go jogging solo. Knowing our luck, my mom will pick the active dog and I'll get the couch potato!

[PrairieProf]

Though lurchers turn up in shelters sometimes, the organization dedicated to rescuing them (and they are true rescues from horrible conditions as underground racers) is the American Lurcher Project. They have a website and are on Facebook.

 

http://www.ohiolurcherproject.com/lurchers-needing-homes/

[robinw]

Galgos are scary smart and opportunistic. Way more than my greyhounds were.