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Adopting a 3rd - feedback requested


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Hi all. We've had greyhounds since 2004 - always 2 at a time. We've had brief periods with just one, but pretty much always 2 and it works for us (2 of us, 2 of them - always seemed right!). But, knowing that it'll likely be more difficult to get a greyhound due to the track closings in Florida, we've been seriously considering a third greyhound. 

I'm a pretty analytical person, so I've gone back and forth 100x on whether we should or shouldn't and I'd love to hear from those of you who have adopted a 3rd. Practical questions like how is it walking 3 greyhounds (we walk our hounds twice per day)? How is feeding time with 3? Do they all get along? We have a male (age 7) and a female (age 6) - would you recommend a 2nd boy, or 2nd girl - or does it really matter at all? We'll definitely take the pups with us if we decide to adopt a third, but it's been my experience that the quick meet & greet isn't a good indicator of how they'll get along at home. The adoption group we love is 2 hours away, so not close enough for multiple visits.

Did you have any regrets or frustrations with adopting a third? Was it easier than you imagined? Anything that surprised you or was it pretty status quo, just with another hound?

We've both always wanted an Irish Wolfhound and/or a Scottish Deerhound (and I'm sure that will happen!) - but when I think of not having greyhounds anymore, it just doesn't feel right, ya know? I'd like to extend it a little longer since the future isn't so certain...

(Please know that I'm not trying to trigger any political debates about the future of ex-racers. I sincerely only want advice from people who have 3+ greyhounds - thanks!)

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We've had from 1 up to 6 at a time, and I can say that after two, it's all just a question of management - time, space, money, resources. 

In some respects, three is easier because you can take one - to the vet or for a special treat - and there's still two at home. 

Walking is just something you need to take time to train them to do.  Once they get it, you can easily walk multiples. 

We make sure everyone gets enough personal time with each of us, and we supervise meals so everyone can eat at their own pace in peace.

If you have the room, crates can really help, but aren't necessary. 

Greyhounds are used to living together so there's rarely an issue.  Though you do need to take your existing personalities into consideration.  Generally,  multiple boys live together more easily than multiple girls, but there are always exceptions! 

So if you can afford it and have the room and the time, there's no reason not to!

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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I went from 2 to 3 for a few years, and it was not a good fit for me.  I live by myself, and the 1:3 ratio was overwhelming at times.  Yes, I could handle walks with 3, but it was not relaxing for me anymore.  Fun destination trips were almost impossible -- I could not keep my eyes on all three at a time, especially when one was Milo.  :)  I had been used to taking 2 dogs everywhere with me, but with 3 that dropped down to almost never, and I missed their company when I was out and about.  I had a small sedan, and one of the dogs was NOT good about sharing lying-down space.  Same problem with the sectional sofa -- there was suddenly jealous competition (Milo!) for couch space.   And I swear it was more than a 50% increase in poop.  Feedings were no problem.  Grooming took a lot longer.  And as posted above, it felt better to just take 1 to the vet and have 2 to stay together at home.  When dog #2 died unexpectedly, I didn't have to worry about having a suddenly only dog left at home.  

No opinion on the males vs females issue.  My 3rd dog was somewhat of a bully (Milo!!!!!!!) and made life difficult for my elderly girl, but that was an individual personality thing and not just a gender conflict.  

Basically, 2 dogs seems effortless and 3 seemed more like work.  With 2 humans and better-trained dogs (MILO!!!!!) I'm sure you'd have an easier time.  

siggy_z1ybzn.jpg

Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey

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

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Three is an excellent number for us. 

As long as you can budget for the additional food and vet costs, I say go for it!  Heck..you probably have at least 5 or 6 dogs beds laying around anyway  ;)

As mentioned...you can take one dog away (I do a lot of Pet Therapy with my guys)  and there are still 2 at home.

Feeding is done under supervision and feed stations are pretty far apart, although we do not have any real snarkers here. 

We have just added a new young houndie last week and had to move Nigels feed dish to a different spot....he's still a bit confused    :huh

I walk all 3 together, with leashes all clipped to an over-the-shoulder  harness.  I never have to worry about dropping a leash.  I can clip poo bags to it as well as keys or whatever else I might need.  

Here is an old pic of me walking with Nigel, Ruby and Nixon.  I keep 2 dogs on the right and one on the left.  Somehow they don't seem to get twisted or tangled up very often.

10514754_10204737260252269_3011925144198

 

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.

 

 

SKJ-summer.jpg.31e290e1b8b0d604d47a8be586ae7361.jpg

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Two's company, three's a pack. It isn't always the case but quite frequently moving from two to three leads to all kinds of pack dynamics you either didn't have or didn't notice with just two. Am not implying this is a bad thing. Sometimes it is quite interesting and humorous, but for me a third dog made things harder than I had expected. You asked about feeding time and did the dogs get along. That's not something that's easy to answer as all the dogs have had different personalities requiring handling things differently with each various mix of dogs. My dogs have all been pretty easy going. Instead of dogs trying to acheive dominance, we seemed to have more of a race to the bottom. I'm guessing they were all too lazy to want to be in charge. :lol  Even so, there were times I needed to do a bit of refereeing. And as EllenEveBaz mentioned, one person taking three dogs places can be a challenge.

Still, I have made the leap from two to three several time and we even had 5 for a few years, 3 Greys & 2 lurchers. Now THAT was a real challenge and yet we took them all on a few trips. Oy, so much work. We loved them nonetheless and I don't regret it. At this point we are down to just one dog and it will likely stay that way for a good while. Perhaps I'll get a second sometime later, but I feel strongly that my "3 or more" days are over.

 

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So I did this, completely unintentionally (foster fail) after intentionally turning down a littermate because I didn't want a 3rd. I don't regret it for even a second because Skye, who is the love of my life, stayed with us, but I would never seek out a 3rd again and when Zuri passed I decided we would definitely stay a 2 dog household. However, I am single and the challenge for me was giving each dog enough attention. We do a lot of training, dog sports, etc and with 3 dogs I just couldn't do as much with each dog. If I had a partner I would consider 3 again. There are some benefits. It's nice to be able to take one to the vet, a class, etc and know the other 2 are keeping each other company. And there was always a nice balance of play and I liked the pack dynamics. But I just felt spread too thin, especially when Zuri got bone cancer. Though to be fair, in those cases the non sick dogs always get the shaft to an extent and in this case the girls at least had each other to play with. Anyway, bottom line, there are pros and cons, but my suggestion would be to do it if you want 3 dogs, not despite not wanting 3 dogs.

Edited by NeylasMom

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Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart

"The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong."

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Of course there are extra feet that manage to walk in the extra poop just before you bend down to pick it up when out walking!

Miss "England" Carol with whippet lurcher Nutmeg & Zavvi the Chihuahua.

R.I.P. Chancey (Goosetree Chance). 24.1.2009 - 14.4.2022. Bluegrass Banjoman. 25.1.2004 - 25.5.2015 and Ch. Sleepyhollow Aida. 30.9.2000 - 10.1.2014.

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Although most of the time I had three, I've had as many as four, all females (as the result of serial foster fails :D).  I fed them all at the same time.  There were no squabbles or attempts to steal another hound's food (although it did require the occasional verbal reminder).  Walking four could be a bit of a challenge with two leashes in each hand.  Fortunately, I have a fenced in yard, so most daily walks weren't a requirement.

They all got along, but one thing I did notice.  They seem to "pair off".  It was something that I didn't notice that much until I went back through my photo archives.

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Marc and Myun plus Starbuck (the cat)
Pinky my AWOL girl, wherever you are, I miss you.
Angels Honey (6/30/99-11/3/11) Nadia (5/11/99-6/4/12) Kara (6/5/99-7/17/12) Cleo (4/13/2000-4/19/2014)

Antnee (12/1/2002=2/20/17)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Personally I like 2 better then 3. I've been fostering greyhound for about a year and a half now, so I often have my 2 and a foster at home. I know it might not be a fair comparison as the fosters are always in a transition and not settled into home life yet, but I find it easier with just my 2. Some of the fosters I've been very tempted to keep despite this, lol. 

I don't find much difference at meal times and for the most part they've all got along fine. The biggest thing for me is walking 3, I know lots of people do it successfully but I find walking 2 is pleasurable, 3 is a chore. I don't have time to do 2 separate walks and untangling leashes is a pain.  I also don't have room in my car for 3 dogs which is probably the biggest reason I didn't foster fail with a third. I could buy a bigger car but that's another expense along with more food and vet bills. 

You could always try fostering to see if 3 dogs would be a good fit for your home. 

 

Hobbes-Ricard Hatch09/23/99-12/21/09 Always loved, never forgotten. Wally TNJ Boy Howdy, GLS Genuinerisk Corinna

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We’ve had 3 greyhounds since 2013, but I keep saying we’re going to stop at 2. However, I found my last group of 3 easier than our present group of 3 when walking. So I imagine we’ll stick with 2 when the time comes. 

I hate to write it, but Katie is 12.75 y/o and I know she’s in her twilight years and I hate to think about her passing. Adopting Emmy and Simon after losing Ben and Brooke did perk Katie up (she’s not good at being an only) and it’s great to have 2 at home when one needs to go to the vet. However, I do find a big difference between 2 and 3. 

All of our pups have all gotten along really well, no issues with guarding resources or any other issues that can lead to squabbles.They eat the same food at the same times, walk together, and travel really well together.  So I don’t know exactly why I find a big difference, but I do and am probably in the minority.

After Brooke died, we just had Katie for 6 weeks and I was ok with that, but Katie wasn’t, so I doubt if we’ll ever be a one greyhound family.

 

Jan with precious pups Emmy (Stormin J Flag) and Simon (Nitro Si) and Abbey Field.  Missing my angels: Bailey Buffetbobleclair 11/11/98-17/12/09; Ben Task Rapid Wave 5/5/02-2/11/15; Brooke Glo's Destroyer 7/09/06-21/06/16 and Katie Crazykatiebug 12/11/06 -21/08/21. My blog about grief The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not get over the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same, nor would you want to. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

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For many years we had 3 or 4 greyhounds/galgos. For the past two years, we've had only 2. We could definitely manage with more, but we'd never go back to that number again. Two is just so much easier. We love to travel with our dogs, but many hotels have a 2 pet limit. When we had 3 or 4 dogs, we'd have to find two homes willing to pet-sit and split up the pack. Not to mention the additional vet, food, and other expenses.

When we had multiples, we always had females. Never had an issue, even when we'd dog-sit our friends male dogs. I really don't think gender is a big factor. It's more about personalities.

Laura with Celeste (ICU Celeste) and Galgos Beatrix and Encarna
The Horse - Gracie (MD Grace E)
Bridge Angels Faye Oops (Santa Fe Oops), Bonny (
Bonny Drive), Darcy (D's Zipperfoot)

 

 

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I currently have 3 hounds and I find it easy to keep every one happy. I do walk the 2 boys together and then my little old lady. 2x a day , so 4 walks per day. They just have different walking styles, the boys go at a good clip and my girl likes to saunter and smell everything. I can't say I would do it again though, my girl was a 10 yr. old foster fail. She is 12+ now and I'm so glad she is with me.

Mom to Ranger (PB's Long Ranger), Esso (Kiowa Stay Over) and Cookie the rattie mix

Missing Kahn (Gil's Khan) 10-29-03 - 11-7-16  Belle (Regall Belooow) 8-9-07 - 3-12-17  Star (Greyt Star) 1-19-07 - 3-13-2020  Pitch (Emerald Pitch) 4-1-08 - 6-3-2020

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  • 2 weeks later...

I went from 2 to 3 by foster failure :dunno before my wife put her foot down (across my neck)  but it was really no more trouble than with 2..walked all three at same time ..lined up on my left like little soldiers on parade...we have a little 'breakfast nook' that became the dog room..fed one in each corner w/o any problems...hey! 4 corners why not 4 hounds!...(wife..:wife)...that's also where their crates were and where they  were secured via baby gate if we had to be away for extended time...maybe I was lucky..Mac, Mango and  Opie were extremely laid back and docile  and never had any issues  between them... other than 3xxx the food,vet bills, and poop I'd say go for it...what the heck..we're all cult members here...:crazy

Dogs and small children are the only people I really get along with....MacDaddy

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