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My First Greyhound


Guest Jpaw1992

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Guest Jpaw1992

Hello everyone!

Just joined, and just picked out my first greyhound! He will be coming home with me next week, and I want to have EVERYTHING prepared for him.
For a little background, this is my first personal dog, but I'm not new to dogs in general. I'm a Becker College Animal Sciences grad, and currently work as a dog groomer.
The Greyhound I just picked out is a 4 year old retiree, brindle with white face, and has had 29 teeth extracted and been diagnosed with Pannus. His pet name is Charles and racing name was (I think) Ex Sheriff.
I'm open to all advice and suggestions!
31487071_10155608799047894_1684456349238

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Welcome to you and Charles! I would say Prince Charles, but the dog has better ears :) You'll see a lot of other threads that talk about what new stuff to get, but here are some general ideas:

 

Don't worry about having EVERYTHING ready. You both will develop preferences. Beds, for example. I suggest some old comforters from the thrift store until you experiment and find out if he likes hard, soft, fluffy, flat, bolster, etc. At least one for every room.

 

Cover for the back seat of your car. Make the first one waterproof in case he gets nervous in a car and either barfs or has diarrhea.

 

Raised feeder/bowls for food and water -- Puts less strain on a dog's back and keeps them from scooting the dish all over the floor. But you can put the bowl on a milk crate, a plant stand, or a kitchen chair.

 

Basic first aid kit -- with antiseptic, lots of vet wrap, large bandages, basket muzzle, etc. At some point, I suggest a sling/harness to help you lift him if needed and to help teach stairs if needed. Pricey, but worth it.

 

Collars -- In his picture, he's sporting a beautiful wide martingale and what looks like a standard buckled collar. You'll want a standard, 1"-wide martingale for walks to keep that skinny head from slipping through the collar. Or a harness, which makes escape harder but gives you less control. Identity tag with your phone #. Boomerang makes tags that last forever in the dangle style and the style that slides through the collar. Many of us worry about tag hardware getting caught in something when we're not around, so we get smaller "tag collars" that have minimum, small (or break-away) hardware for around the house.

 

Food storage -- if you're going to feed kibble, get something that requires thumbs to get the lid off. Or keep it behind a firmly closed door.

 

In general, don't sweat it. Relax, don't push harder than the dog wants, and be ready to sit back and admire this creature of beauty and love who will now be sharing your life.

siggy_z1ybzn.jpg

Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey

remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter

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Welcome! How old is your sweet boy?

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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With all of the missing teeth I suggest wetting his kibble to make it easier for him to chew. Pannus is no big deal. I just means 1 eyedrop a day. My special needs dog, Dee, gets 6 eyedrops a day.

 

If you give him a small treat after he gets his eyedrop, he'll come running in for his eyedrop. Good luck and welcome to the greyhound cult.

PRINCESS
ANGELS: SUSIE (BANDIT SUE) 3/26/1991-5/13/2006, TIPPER (MPS KRISTINA) 7/23/1999-2/4/2008, LADYBUG (BB'S LADYBUG) 5/19/2005-7/9/2008,
HAPPY 12/2000-10/9/2013, RICHY (DON L RICHY RICH) 11/5/2002-5/17/2015, DARREN 9/24/2005-3/2/2017, TUCKER (AWESOME ABILITY) 12/29/2004-12/4/2017,
BUG (BB'S DANCING BUG) 5/19/2005-11/17/2018, Dee (KIOWA DIANDRA) 10/9/2007-6/20/2022, Buddy (PJ PLUTARCH) 11/21/2013-9/8/2023)

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My group, GPA Mass., works with Becker grads all the time! If you don't have a group, you might get in touch with them as you may find you can use some support!


Hamish-siggy1.jpg

Susan,  Hamish,  Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck

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I actually met Charles on his way to you for his home visit! Matt and Denise had to bring me some stuff for a meet ne greet on Sunday and they had him with them when we met!!! He looks like a sweetie pie! Welcome to the "cult"! We at GPA Ma will give you all the help we can.

Halise

 

 

Aljo Atomic Kogo and DC Man of Steal

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