Adoption Issues... Advice?

[Guest bayhound]

Hello to all! Fairly new here, and I've had my grey, Turnip, for over a week now. While I know this is not a long amount of time, I've had several issues come up and was hoping to get some advice from everyone here. Lord knows I've gotten better insight from here than most people I've talked to in-person! It's a little long... sorry.

 

I feel like I'm in a little hairy of a situation... or at least it seems that way to me, as I'm not one for confrontation. When I paid the adoption fee and adopted Turnip, the money goes towards the cost of spay/neuter, a dental, updated vaccines, necessary supplies (muzzle, collar, leash), and a clean bill of health. This was specifically stated on their website and guaranteed in-person to me before the decision was made. When he was dropped off, it was obvious he hadn't had a dental, as his teeth were definitely in bad shape. This I'm not too worried about - brushing and chews have helped out a lot so far. However, when I took him into my vet for an annual exam/just to go over a few things, it turns out he is not up to date on his vaccines (after I'd been told he was when I adopted him), and he has hookworm, which the vet said had to have been present for at least a month before his fecal.

 

Secondly, when I went to this group for a dog, I specifically mentioned in my application and every time I spoke or met with people involved that I needed a cat and dog friendly grey, as I have a cat at home and work with dogs (where he is welcome to tag along). I know greys speak their own language and other dogs in the world can make life very confusing/strange for them, and that's fine. I didn't expect the dog to be extremely outgoing, bounding and romping immediately with other dogs - all I was looking for was a grey that was accepting of others in their space and wouldn't lunge or go off the deep end during introductory sniffs. We have supervised and personality-tested groups of dogs, so he wouldn't have been put in with others that are overwhelming to begin with. I also visit and travel with friends who have dogs sometimes, so it wouldn't have really worked with my lifestyle if he didn't somewhat get along. Again, this was all gone over during phone calls, during the meet and greet/interview, and when he was dropped off. Basically, what I needed was something with a low prey drive. I can work with almost anything else; leash reactivity, confidence, desensitizing, leash manners, obedience, house manners... but I needed that base foundation of no prey drive for a dog to fit into my life. And I'm afraid Turnip's is just way, way too strong.

 

When he was brought in, we went over things, looked at the house, and had a cat introduction. The lady who brought him had control of the situation - was directing him, had his leash, etc, while I was settled with the cat. He was adamant about getting to my cat, and I'm glad she had a good grip on the leash and he was muzzled, because I've never seen a dog so driven to try and get to something. I asked if it was going to work between them, and she said "it would need to be worked on", and when she left, I re-introduced them several more times. My cat hissed and showed him what was up, he seemed to back off, and it was okay for a few hours. He got lots of treats and good things when around her and not locked onto her and just peacefully sharing the same space. Later that day, however, he just... it's like he went into that instinctual prey-drive mode and it hasn't been switched off since. I've tried rewarding him when he sees her from a long ways away, but he's instantly in "gottagetit" mode, so I don't want to reward that. They've had a day or so apart and breaks away from each other during the day and re-introductions, all of which have turned sour, even when the cat stands her ground. I've tried using a squirt-bottle (recommended to me by the rescue) as soon as he makes that intense eye-contact and it doesn't work. I've tried crating, gating off areas, the Voice of God, and introducing them in lots of ways - even being out of the room (while he's crated) and nothing has worked. He's constantly muzzled and tethered with me in the house because I can't risk him attacking the cat, which he tries to do every time he sees her. He acts the same way with small dogs and cats outside of work/home (cats on a walk I wasn't too terribly concerned about, but regardless).

 

So I had a meet-up with people involved with the rescue and mentioned this to him, how he was supposed to be cat/dog-friendly, and if they had any advice or tips. Basically, the response I got was "oh, they're all like that - you'll just have to work or live with it". Well yes, I know a lot of greys can't be housed with cats or small dogs, but they specifically told me this dog was okay, and he has proven not to be. They told me he'd been tested and passed, but I don't know if I can believe that. Nobody else in the group had anything else to say despite me bringing this up, and overall, it left me feeling both guilty and miffed. I don't think it's stress, really. He's eating great, is completely relaxed and calm in the house, plays with his stuffies, is good on walks (until he sees an animal), loves his beds, and is okay alone... all until he sees the cat or a small dog, and then his mind is just gone. I went over all of this with my vet, and she mentioned that if it doesn't get much better in a week/two weeks time, it would be wise to return him.

 

TLDR; I'm going to give him a week/two to settle in more and see if that changes, but if nothing has changed, I think I will need to return him. It seems like my home is just not the right one for him, and overall, I'm most upset for him, because he's now experienced the other joys of being "retired" and will have to go back, all because of some sort of miscommunication somehow. I don't know if I should wait any longer than that and risk all of us being stressed for longer than that. Should I email them now and explain what's going on? Should I tell them about the hookworm/mention that they may want to get their other dogs tested? Ask about the vaccines? I feel like mentioning the cost of adoption should've went towards that, but would that be too brash? This whole thing has left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth, and I just don't know what to do.

[Time4ANap]

There is no harm in returning him. He's not working out and your cat is at risk, which also puts the dog at risk of being incorrectly labeled as vicious if there's an incident where a human gets bitten in the fray. . Sounds like there may be some issues with this group that unfortunately caused your bad experience.

 

Most groups that I know will put a dog on medical hold for hookworm and keep them in foster until it's clear. Parasites in dogs coming off the track is not unusual and just has to be dealt with. It is possible that they got a clean fecal and assumed he was clean. A clean fecal only means that specific stool was clean and is only a guide. It;s not unusual to get a clean test and still have hookworms. Hooks can take quite a while and multiple treatments to get rid of.

 

I hope you are able to find a hound that works for your household. These retired racers are fantastic, and you just need the right match for your household. Good luck.

[ramonaghan]

Ugh, I'm sorry you're in this position, and you have every right to be upset. I would absolutely bring up the hookworms and vaccines with the group, and also re-raise your concerns about his cat safety. Unfortunately, sometimes hounds do "lie" on their cat tests, but I can tell you from experience that "oh, they're all like that - you'll just have to work or live with it" is not at all true. On her home visit, Sweep sniffed our two cats and then went back to gazing at her own reflection in the full-length mirror in our bedroom. Pretty clearly cat safe! Once she got more comfortable she was a little more curious, but not in an aggressive way and never to the point that she couldn't be distracted from them. You have a lot of work ahead of you if you want to try to work on his prey drive, and even then there are no guarantees. There is no shame in deciding it's not a fit and returning him now before you become even more attached than you already have. It is not fair to you, the cat, or Turnip to live with constant stress. The group has really done a disservice to you here. Even if he passed his cat test, his behavior during the home visit should have been a huge red flag for the adoption coordinator.

[MP_the4pack]

Sorry, but I think you should return him. He's not cat safe.

If you have a problem confronting them, then tell a friend of the issues and have them confront them for you. Doesn't have to be nasty. Just firm. Or at least have them there to give you support.

[Guest bayhound]

There is no harm in returning him. He's not working out and your cat is at risk, which also puts the dog at risk of being incorrectly labeled as vicious if there's an incident where a human gets bitten in the fray. . Sounds like there may be some issues with this group that unfortunately caused your bad experience.

 

Most groups that I know will put a dog on medical hold for hookworm and keep them in foster until it's clear. Parasites in dogs coming off the track is not unusual and just has to be dealt with. It is possible that they got a clean fecal and assumed he was clean. A clean fecal only means that specific stool was clean and is only a guide. It;s not unusual to get a clean test and still have hookworms. Hooks can take quite a while and multiple treatments to get rid of.

 

I hope you are able to find a hound that works for your household. These retired racers are fantastic, and you just need the right match for your household. Good luck.

 

Right, I'd thought of that too. One person did mention that she understood and both wouldn't want to risk a mauled cat or a bad label slapped on an otherwise good boy. From what I understood, he'd been at the rescue since late 2016 waiting to be adopted. Hookworm is a terrible thing to get rid of, you're right... I hadn't thought of it being dormant for that long. He'd had grainy bits in his stool from day one, and I actually thought he had tapeworm, which is why I wanted a fecal done.

 

Thank you so much. I know so many nice greyhounds and I really hope I'll be able to find one in the future that works out.

 

Ugh, I'm sorry you're in this position, and you have every right to be upset. I would absolutely bring up the hookworms and vaccines with the group, and also re-raise your concerns about his cat safety. Unfortunately, sometimes hounds do "lie" on their cat tests, but I can tell you from experience that "oh, they're all like that - you'll just have to work or live with it" is not at all true. On her home visit, Sweep sniffed our two cats and then went back to gazing at her own reflection in the full-length mirror in our bedroom. Pretty clearly cat safe! Once she got more comfortable she was a little more curious, but not in an aggressive way and never to the point that she couldn't be distracted from them. You have a lot of work ahead of you if you want to try to work on his prey drive, and even then there are no guarantees. There is no shame in deciding it's not a fit and returning him now before you become even more attached than you already have. It is not fair to you, the cat, or Turnip to live with constant stress. The group has really done a disservice to you here. Even if he passed his cat test, his behavior during the home visit should have been a huge red flag for the adoption coordinator.

 

Sweep is such a character. That must have been such a reassuring first visit! I don't want to feel like I'm giving up on him, but it is a lot of work like you said, and that's one thing I knew I didn't have the time or energy to work with. Right - I can tell he's already slightly attached to me (he's a velcro boy), and me to him, so I'm also afraid waiting too long will be detrimental in the long run. I just want the best for him and my cat, and I don't think this is the right situation for either of them. I really appreciate the reply and reassurance that my being upset was justified. It really did surprise me when that's all she said after his initial reaction, but I tried to shrug it off... I was afraid I was overreacting. That should have been my red flag too.

[JohnF]

Best to return him sooner rather than later and both of you develop a deep bond that hurts too much to break.

 

It looks like the dog isn't cat-safe at all and that their testing procedures didn't work too well that day.

 

You probably shouldn't expect to get any money back as you accepted and took the risk. I'd say it's worth thousands to get the dog that's right for you. Perhaps one that was fosteered with a family that had small pets?

[turbotaina]

I have one who lied on his cat test. For the first three months I had him, he was pretty intent on eating the kitties. But. And this is a big BUT - he was distractable. Sounds like Turnip is not. For Heyokha, he loves food, so we were able to say "no kitty" he'd turn to face us, get a treat. Repeat ad nauseum until he realized that he could get treats if he didn't mess with the cat(s). For most dogs that can be distracted, yes, they are trainable, but it takes a lot of hard work. Honestly, because my cats were already seniors, I was seriously considering returning him to the group. My husband stuck it out with the training through and after 3 or 4 months, a switch flipped and he was OK to be around the kitties. If Turnip is hunting the cat (looking for him when he is not in sight), fixated to the point where nothing distracts him, trembling, drooling, etc., when he sees the cat, he is not cat safe and very likely not cat trainable. I hope your group will work with you to get you a more appropriate dog. My first greyhound would run down cats so he could sniff their butts, then he was good to go

[Hubcitypam]

Cat testing varies so widely...and so do cats and dogs. A foster home with a very grey savvy cat that's seen a ton of dogs come through is far different than a home with a kitten on springs. That said, I'm with the return him sooner than later camp. I'd say work with the group to find a more suitable dog but the fact that they sent a dog into adoption without current vaccinations makes me wonder about their integrity. Hookworms I can justify as slipping through and they are heck to get rid of but any adoption packet should have proof of vaccinations.

There is a grey out there for you.

[mychip1]

Don't feel badly if you have to return - but I do feel badly he hasn't found a home - and it doesn't sound like the group is all that credible. I hope the best for you and him.

[greysmom]

I would definitely return him if he seems to fit the criteria outlined above:

If Turnip is hunting the cat (looking for him when he is not in sight), fixated to the point where nothing distracts him, trembling, drooling, etc., when he sees the cat, he is not cat safe and very likely not cat trainable.

 

I would also skip the middle-people and try and talk with whoever is in charge of the group - the President or Chair, whoever is listed on the website as the highest person in a position of responsibility. I would specifically and calmly detail everything, just like you did for us. Mention his grungy teeth, mention his out-of-date vaccines, mention his unsuitability for a home with a cat. (The hookworms are about 50/50 whether they treated him or not, and even if they did, he *could* still be infested. Hooks in the South East have become somewhat resistant to regular treatments. But depending on how you are received in this conversation, you might want to bring it up.) And talk about returning him for a dog that more fits your needs.

[PatricksMom]

This just doesn't seem to be a good match, both in terms of your family and you and the group. Are you in an area where there are multiple groups and trying to adopt through another group is a possibility? It's better to return a hound than keep them in a home that won't work for him and you, as hard as that is.

[Vampiric_Conure]

Nothing to add over here. Just **Hugs** and sorry things aren't working out with your kitty and Turnip.

[3greytjoys]

I would definitely return him if he seems to fit the criteria outlined above:

If Turnip is hunting the cat (looking for him when he is not in sight), fixated to the point where nothing distracts him, trembling, drooling, etc., when he sees the cat, he is not cat safe and very likely not cat trainable.

 

I would also skip the middle-people and try and talk with whoever is in charge of the group - the President or Chair, whoever is listed on the website as the highest person in a position of responsibility. I would specifically and calmly detail everything, just like you did for us...

 

Agree with others, especially if he's reacting to your cat as noted above. Your cat's safety takes priority. Even if you do your best to keep your cat and Turnip separated by fully latched or locked doors, confined cats frequently dash out of a room between a human's legs the moment the door opens.

 

I've had short-term foster hounds who were too high prey to live with cats. My house rule is no cats roam freely in house unless the hound is securely crated in a separate room, and under direct supervision. (Some hounds can escape from locked crates.) Otherwise, cats are placed in a room (with food, water, potty, toys) with a closed/fully latched door before the hound's crate door is opened. A baby-gate is placed across a middle section area as a secondary divider/air-lock safety barrier to help keep hound from accidentally reaching cats. (Although, one of our cats jumps over a baby-gate while banking off a wall when in the mood.) Non-cat friendly hounds are moved to a non-cat foster home or kennel ASAP.

 

When a newly adopted hound is later deemed unsafe to live with cats, the adoption group should provide a cat-friendly hound to fulfill your adoption agreement. Generally, you should not lose your adoption payment in that situation.

 

If the hound were to have had a veterinary dental, per the adoption group (common for new adoptions), the hound should have the dental completed at no additional cost to you. That's very important for the hound's health. Home dental care is important but is not solely adequate to correct poor teeth/diseased gums, and it could become more expensive for you later if hound originally needed cleaning with extractions, but the veterinary dental was missed. Ask for dental clarification if not clearly posted on the adoption group's Web site.

 

Parasites are common in newly retiring hounds. Glad you had a fecal test done for Turnip. Annual fecal tests are important for all dogs, and if positive, repeat tests are needed after treatment. Repeat tests are usually the responsibility of the adopter. Hopefully, the adoption group tests all their newly arriving foster hounds, but some smaller groups might not. Please do encourage fecal testing if your group doesn't do so. Good luck.

[XTRAWLD]

Aside from not being cat friendly, I totally sympathize with the fact that he didn't come to you fully vetted... That is really not cool from the group at all. To intentionally start off on the wrong foot and not giving either of you a chance from the start is really irresponsible of them.

Edited July 12, 2017 by XTRAWLD

[macoduck]

I agree with those saying you need to return Turnip. He does not sound cat trainable.

 

There's no excuse for him not having up to date vaccines and a dental.

 

Other groups in your area:

 

www.greyhoundfriends.com Greyhound friends of NC, north of Greensboro

www.getagrey.com Project Racing Home, south of Greensboro

www.greyhoundcrossroads.com Greyhound Crossroads, based in SC but may have fostered dogs closer to you

[Guest bayhound]

Thank you everyone for the advice and comments! I really appreciate the support and even searching for other adoption groups in my area.

 

Unfortunately, he does act in the way turbotaina originally posted. My cat now mostly hangs in my room where she feels safest, and any noise he hears sends his focus immediately to that room (regardless of whether it was her or not). When he does see her, it's near impossible to get him to focus on anything else, even when I try to turn his head the other way. He fights me for it. His body gets rigid and tense, and when he does finally move, he's hard to control (as he's trying to get to her) and makes a high-pitched whine that turns into a little yip or two. He does the same thing to the outside cats in the area, and if we return to a spot where he's seen a cat on our walks, he pulls me over and hunts around for it, even if it's been days later. I've been working on some training with him. "Look" is for when he focuses on me, "leave it", and "potty" are all I've introduced as of now, and even when I ask him to "look", if the cat is involved, no dice.

 

I'll be working up an email to send to the program today once I find the proper wording, haha. As far as I know, the lady that I've been in contact with/that did the drop-off is one of the head members, if not the one in charge, but I'll do some digging around to make sure. I will make it very clear once more what I need as far as a hound goes, but I'll be honest... I'm wary with using this group again. I'm afraid the same thing may happen. Since they don't do a foster program, I need to double-check and make sure what exactly their cat/dog testing is and see if what they do would work with my household. I don't mind traveling - I was willing to go 6 hours to adopt previous dogs. There isn't another rescue in my immediate area aside from those that macoduck suggested. Ultimately, I agree with everyone else. This isn't the way myself, my cat, or Turnip should be living. I know there's a better match for him out there somewhere.

Edited July 12, 2017 by bayhound

[GeorgeofNE]

You might consider a phone call instead of an email. Just because tone is hard to read.

 

Neither of my greyhounds had dentals before I adopted them. My first hound, in foster care, was handed over to me along with his heartworm pill and Frontline, that the foster girl just "didn't get around to" using on him. So my vet insisted I have a heartworm test done since he'd been at least two months without any preventative. She was supposed to be crating him, and wasn't. She was basically abusing him when he had pee accidents. She SCREAMED at him when he happily hopped on her couch, right in front of me at my visit! I can only imagine what she was doing when no one was around. Needless to say, she was fired from fostering for my group after I contacted the group and relayed all these things, and more.

 

Since this dog isn't the right dog for you because of the cat, I wouldn't make an issue over the dental at this point. It will just make them defensive. Just examine the teeth of the next dog they suggest for you (and they should be willing to take this dog back, and put you back on the list for "needs cat safe" waiting people. Remember: these groups are mostly 100% volunteers. And always strapped for cash. If they promised a dental, yes, you should have gotten one. But since you really can't keep him anyway...just make sure the next one is done!

[Roo]

I agree with those saying you need to return Turnip. He does not sound cat trainable.

 

There's no excuse for him not having up to date vaccines and a dental.

 

Other groups in your area:

 

www.greyhoundfriends.com Greyhound friends of NC, north of Greensboro

www.getagrey.com Project Racing Home, south of Greensboro

www.greyhoundcrossroads.com Greyhound Crossroads, based in SC but may have fostered dogs closer to you

 

My family adopted from Greyhound Friends years ago. They were greyt, but I'm not sure about their cat test process. They label them cat friendly and no cats, but I don't know if they actually have a test cat or if they gauge it on the pup's drive to get toys.

 

A friend of mine adopted from Greyhound Crossroads and they worked with her to get her mostly cat safe grey to be totally reliably cat safe (he now snuggles with her cats - it's adorable).

 

I volunteer with Project Racing Home and I can tell you that our cat testing is really rather accurate (unless, of course, the pup lies to us, which happens occasionally but not often!). When we cat test, we have a cat, Colby, who is fluffy and fantastic at his job. Dogs are muzzled and leashed, cat is on a leash. First step is seeing the cat, then sniffing the cat, then seeing the cat on the floor and walking, then watching the cat jump off a chair. You can usually tell right at the beginning where it's headed - for instance, my Tessa took one look at the cat and lunged, despite being sick that day Some of them will be okay at that stage, then "shark" once Colby starts moving. Others just look at him and go "Sure, okay, now what?" We even had one really huge boy spring like 5 feet in the air because he was terrified of the cat We rank them cat safe, cat curious/trainable, or no cats. There are levels in between, like "Super extra cat safe" (we have a couple of these now), "probably cat safe but recheck", and "no freaking cats!" (my Tessa ).

Edited July 13, 2017 by Roo

[turbotaina]

Oh, yeah, the vetting - at the very least, they should have the vaccinations updated. One time our group got in a group of dogs. When the hauler would come in, we'd normally get the vet work from the driver, though sometimes it would have to be mailed to us later and we wouldn't have the current vet work on file until it arrived. Anyway, we *did* get the vet work on this group and I duly updated our spreadsheet with all the vet info, etc. A couple of weeks later, I hear from a volunteer that one of the male dogs still had one of his boys. But we had the neuter and vax certificates, so we were really confused. We made a vet appointment and the foster home took the dog in and the vet called me. She confirmed that there was a testicle there. So, we think what happened was that the track adoption sent a bunch of dogs for vetting on the same day (they'd send out like 10 at a time) and this guy was included. We think he was given vaccinations, but then they discovered he was cryptorchid , so they held him back from the neutering because that's a trickier surgery and they wouldn't have planned for it, but they didn't tell the track folks that he hadn't been done. Well, he got sent back with the other dogs and was never neutered! So we had to do him here. All that to say that yes, sometimes things get overlooked, vet work gets backed up or goes missing, so I try to give the benefit of the doubt. I hope the vetting with your dog was just an anomaly. And honestly, they should pay for the vetting (if you weren't returning him), because vetting is included in that adoption fee

[Hubcitypam]

I mostly just took dogs directly off the farms into adoption. Tiny Tim from the Reed farm was the big surprise. The vet went to neuter him and it turned into a spay ($$$), He was a hermaphrodite.