Guest biodobe Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 Hello, Greytalk. I'm a new member from Missouri and I do not currently own a Greyhound. I've actually never owned a Greyhound but my fiance and I are very interested in the breed. Right now, we have two senior female Dobermans (Fiona and Tali) and they have both been diagnosed with DCM (dialted cardiomyopathy). DCM is a heinous plague in the Doberman breed and good breeders do the best they can to screen for it and study pedigrees, but its a very serious problem with an estimated 50% of Dobermans dying of it. Tali was diagnosed about 3 years ago and she has responded beautifully to treatment. Fiona, however, was diagnosed 2 months ago and she is progressing quickly in-spite of aggressive treatment. We will continue to treat for as long as quality of life is maintained, though many Dobermans die suddenly from cardiac arrest. There's really no way to predict what, when, or how things will happen but we are working closely with our primary vet and cardiologist in their treatment(s). We are interested in potentially adopting a retired racing Greyhound because we know we do not want to commit to another high energy Doberman, for now. I'm a PhD student and my fiance is an early-career engineer so we cannot realistically commit to the training and exercise demands of a young Doberman. We feel that we may be a good fit for a Greyhound as our next dog because we would like a big, quiet, gentle dog who enjoys walks through the neighborhood and cuddling on the sofa while we read. Our current dogs sleep in bed with us, too, and we'd love another big dog who likes to cuddle up in bed. (The cuddle-factor is a big one for me - I'm not a fan of stand-offish type dogs.)We've met some Greyhounds at rescue meet-n-greet events and just love the dogs. The people have all been very friendly and helpful in answering questions. We are not ready right now to add another dog; our first priority is the well-being and care for our aging girls who have very serious medical needs at this time. So, I'm here to learn about the breed from the people who know them best. I've been perusing some of the threads and enjoying the pictures and videos shared. This seems like a nice forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted June 10, 2017 Share Posted June 10, 2017 Welcome, and enjoy browsing. I believe greyhounds are counted as one of the breeds that went into the mix for Dobermans, so you'd be keeping it in the family. DCM sounds like a "heinous plague" indeed, and we send best wishes for your girls to have continued long, happy lives. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mychip1 Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Enjoy poking around. You won't be disappointed if you get a grey! Quote Robin, EZ (Tribal Track), JJ (What a Story), Dustin (E's Full House) and our beautiful Jack (Mana Black Jack) and Lily (Chip's Little Miss Lily) both at the BridgeThe WFUBCC honors our beautiful friends at the bridge. Godspeed sweet angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teri_d Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Hello and welcome ! Feel free to post any thoughts and questions -and later pictures of your new greyhound:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houndtime Posted June 11, 2017 Share Posted June 11, 2017 Welcome from Delaware. Quote Irene Ullmann w/Flying Odin and Mama Mia in Lower Delaware Angels Brandy, John E, American Idol, Paul, Fuzzy and Shine Handcrafted Greyhound and Custom Clocks http://www.houndtime.com Zoom Doggies-Racing Coats for Racing Greyhounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PattyE Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Welcome! What part of Missouri are you from? I lived in Missouri all of my life until we started full-time RVing five years ago. I am originally from the Washington, MO area. Greyhounds are a wonderful breed. We have had three and they all have been great dogs. Good luck! Quote Patty, Mom to Jaxson 5/12/2017 Forever in my heart: Joey 11/01/2007 to 12/06/2018, Scout 11/19/2005 to 07/15/15 and Jack 01/03/2004 to 06/11/2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goofydog2 Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Welcome from Atlanta! You'll find out about everything greyhound as you browse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biodobe Posted June 12, 2017 Share Posted June 12, 2017 Welcome! What part of Missouri are you from? I lived in Missouri all of my life until we started full-time RVing five years ago. I am originally from the Washington, MO area. Greyhounds are a wonderful breed. We have had three and they all have been great dogs. Good luck! Hi PattyE. I grew up in south-central MO (just south of Rolla), then moved to southwest MO for my undergrad and masters, and, now, I'm not far from Washington in St. Louis for my PhD. I'd rather not live in the city, but I hate commuter traffic, so its most convenient for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatterseaBrindl Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 from Eastern Ontario We 'switched' from Dobes to Greyhounds 7 years ago and have nevr looked back. Our first Dobie lived with DCM and passes away at age 9. Second girlie passed very suddenly (Heart attack or stroke) at 7. Last girlie passed suddenly from bloat ... also extreme VWD ...and as much as we loved the breed, we then said No More Dobes. Greyhounds and Dobes are similar...they are both long legged, pointy nosed, thin bodied, short coated dogs who hate the rain Quote Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi. Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie), Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Welcome! You sound like a greyhound could be a good fit for your family. One thing I will mention, is if cuddly is important to you, to work with a group that fosters the dogs first... and make sure they know how important that quality is to you. Not all greyhounds enjoy cuddling (but show their affection in other ways), and some even have a bit of space "aggression". I have 3 hounds and none are big cuddlers, including 2 that I raised from 8 weeks old. Summit, my eldest, is tolerant but won't choose to cuddle. Kili loves to sit right next to, or on top of, us but doesn't want to be cuddled or she'll grumble. Kenna is the most snuggly, but she's only 16 months so she doesn't really stay still enough to cuddle at this stage. She might turn out to like cuddling later on when she calms down a bit. Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 One thing to note: there are dozens and dozens of "why is my newly adopted greyhound so standoffish" posts on this forum. While your hound MIGHT be a snuggler, it also might not. And the dog you adopt won't be the dog you end up with: some of them develop their "in home" personality really quickly, and some of them take a long time. My first took 18 months, my second, about 18 minutes! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest biodobe Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Thanks so much for the helpful replies. This certainly gives me direction on things I need to consider regarding my own expectations, as well as what to talk with rescues about to improve our chances of the best fit possible. Krissy, I see (based on your signature line) that you run agility with your Greys. But I notice in the training sub most of the discussion is centered around behavioral challenges and manners at home. When I was competing in agility with my Dobes, I don't recall ever seeing a Grey at a trial. Whippets, yes, but not Greys. As I mentioned, I don't require a competition level dog but I do love running agility and it'd be great to have a dog who could enjoy it, too. Am I being kind of unrealistic by hoping to find a retired racer who can enjoy casual agility training (i.e., not necessarily with the intent to compete)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest goofydog2 Posted July 24, 2017 Share Posted July 24, 2017 Greys can definitely do agility! Google neversaynevergreyhounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreytHoundPoet Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 (edited) Welcome! I lost a Dalmatian to DCM. She lived with it for several years. Greyhounds can do agility. I know several. You would just need to let the adoption group or breeder know your intent so that they could find you a good match. Edited July 25, 2017 by GreytHoundPoet Quote Masquerade Hounds & The Hounds of East Fairhaven & Ibizan Hound Club of the United States Member Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vampiric_Conure Posted July 25, 2017 Share Posted July 25, 2017 Hiiiideeeey Hoooo neighbor Glad you could make it Quote Beware of dog? Forget the dog - BEWARE OF CAT! No wait. The budgie is a killer, too. Aaerro by Vampiric Conure, on Flickr Rainbow Bridge - Aaerro march 2018 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.