Adopting a slightly older greyhound

[Jules]

We are considering adopting a 6 year old retired greyhound. We’ve never had a dog, let alone a greyhound, and are trying to make sure we’re considering all eventualities. 

We have two (human) girls already 🙂, aged 3 and 7, and the greyhound centre have taken this into account. 
 We really loved this 6 year old boy - I suppose my only worry is his age- considering we have two young children- will he still be energetic enough to keep up with us?! We’re not SUPER active, but We love the outdoors, go for days/afternoons out at weekends which may involve a a few miles Gentle walking/roaming.

I know greyhounds are already lazy by nature so will a 6 year old be ok do you reckon? 

Thanks so much in advance! 
 

 

[JaimeL]

I love the older hounds, still active , but not crazy like the younger ones. They are respectful and patient with other dogs and people. Of course you don't have them as long, but you are only talking a few years difference than a 3 or 4 y.o. They are loving and loyal, go for it, you will be happy you did.

[rsieg]

I adopted Max at 10 years old, and he was still going strong then, walking around 3 mile a day, sometimes more. He kept going on walks of 2-3 miles/day (not all at one time) until he was almost 13.5.

Adopted Logan at just past 3 years old, he is now 10 years 4 months and over the last month came close to averaging 3 miles/day. He seems to be slowing down of late, but might just be the summer heat. And, Logan has taken up some (very) light jogging (4-5 miles/hour but only a few tenths/mile) in the last year or so, but that is only because his owner is now cooperating. And of course, in the backyard he still literally runs rings around me when he wants to :-)

So, based on my purely anecdotal evidence, a healthy 6 year old hound should have a solid 4 years, maybe 5 or 6, of activity at a high level. By the time he starts slowing down your 3 year old should be older and able to adapt to her greyhound buddy slowing down.

Also, is the 6 year old dog a return or just off the track? If a return, he is probably already housebroken (versus a younger dog just off the track which may have a few accidents), so that is a bonus.

I'd go for it!

[dante2zoe]

Also, I wouldn't base my concerns about the activity level on his age.  We recently brought home a 2.5 year old and he is the laziest dog.  Our almost 11 YO is way more active than he will ever be.  

If your group thinks he would be a good fit, then go for it!  

[MarcR]

I've adopted two older hounds: Cleo a .9 1/2 year old brood mom and Antnee who was 10.  Both were wonderful additions.  Kara was seven, sort of borderline senior.  She was a great companion.  Don't letage deter you if you like the grey and he/she is a good fit for your family.

As somebody (I can't remember who) includes in their siggie:  Blessed is the person who had earned the love of an old dog.

[greysmom]

A 6 year old dog is plenty active for kids, plus also, calm enough not to overreact to the kids playing.  He will also be fine with all the activity you describe, though you may need to get him in condition again depending on where's he's been recently.  

If he's been at a track until the track closed or he retired he will be in excellent shape, ready to go hiking with his new family.  You will need to protect his paws until they toughen up a bit so no extended walking on pavement or gravel surfaces right away.  Grass or soft dirt trails would be fine.

If he's been hanging out at a farm or with a retirement family he *may* need some reconditioning, you'll have to see what shape he's in.  See how he's muscled up, if he needs to lose weight, the condition of his paw pads - your vet should be able to help you assess his physical conditioning and give you suggestions.  Several daily short walks will work him into longer hiking trips.

Be careful of a lot of activity in warm or very cold weather.  Greyhounds don't have a lot of bady fat (if at a proper weight) and they can't regulate their body temperature.  They can overheat or become too cold very rapidly, so proper covering and hydration are important.

Otherwise, don't have a thought about adopting a 6 year old.  They can be the perfect dog for you!

[Jules]

Thanks so much for your really helpful responses. Definitely has reassured us and I think we're going to go for it, once the kids have met him and checked all ok! Some really helpful advice too- this is a fantastic group! 

[MerseyGrey]

As everyone says - do it! We adopted ours aged 7 1/2 (like you, first time dog owners as a couple, and first time greyhound owners) and while we won’t be walking any long distance paths with him, he manages a three mile daily walk - as long as it’s not too warm. He’s approaching his tenth birthday now but still wants to play with his toys in the garden and is happy to go for a run in the field at the end of his walk. Six years old sounds perfect - old enough to be a calming influence in your family, and young enough for a lot of life and love to give. What an excellent choice you’ve made!

[FiveRoooooers]

8 hours ago, MarcR said:

I've adopted two older hounds: Cleo a .9 1/2 year old brood mom and Antnee who was 10.  Both were wonderful additions.  Kara was seven, sort of borderline senior.  She was a great companion.  Don't letage deter you if you like the grey and he/she is a good fit for your family.

As somebody (I can't remember who) includes in their siggie:  Blessed is the person who had earned the love of an old dog.

That quote is in DesiRayMom’s siggy 

LadyBug and Zeke-aroni came here at 9; Seamie    was 10.4, Andy 11, the White Boys 10 + 13, Cletus KLTO 13.1 ... you get the idea  Old Dogs are the Best Dogs 

[GreyPoopon]

51 minutes ago, FiveRoooooers said:

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs 

Absolutely.

Only two of my seventeen have been under 6. All--even the 10 1/2+ year olds--have been more than lively enough.

[MarcR]

15 hours ago, FiveRoooooers said:

That quote is in DesiRayMom’s siggy 

LadyBug and Zeke-aroni came here at 9; Seamie    was 10.4, Andy 11, the White Boys 10 + 13, Cletus KLTO 13.1 ... you get the idea  Old Dogs are the Best Dogs 

Thanks Jan. 

[DaveS]

As everyone has said, I don't think you'll have any problems adopting a six yo dog.  Old enough to be easy going and young enough to be fun.  Go for it.  He'll love you for making him part of the family.

[EllenEveBaz]

Just adding my voice to the chorus because it's  fun to talk about my dogs.  First grey was 6 when I adopted her and she was sturdy and healthy until her sudden death at 13.  Neighborhood walks were boring to her -- she wanted to hike and billygoat-jump up on rocks and through creeks on a long leash that allowed her that extra movement.  (And since she had excellent recall and never strayed far, I also let her off leash when we were away from traffic.)  Another dog was 9 when adopted and even with failing kidneys for years was a joy both outdoors and indoors.  The 2-yr-old lurcher just barely began to tone it down at age 6.  He is now 10-ish, and still catching critters in the back yard.  We have made accommodations for his age, such as instead of keeping the lure pole/flirt pole [google images of it -- lots of fun for you and your 7-yr old girl] high so that he flew through the air, we now play for shorter times and keep him on the ground.  Racing greyhounds are bred to be strong, healthy dogs and as long as you manage arthritis and the occasional leg/back injury, should be able to stay active for a long time.  

[Jules]

Thank you again everyone for your encouragement and great advice. So lovely to hear about all your (not so young) greyhounds and how great they are doing! 

We went to meet Ziggy again with our girls, took him for a walk (he wanted to go on another after we finished!),  and all going well, will be bringing him home in 3 weeks. We’ve all fallen in love with him so fingers crossed it all goes to plan! 
 

[Jules]

3 hours ago, EllenEveBaz said:

Just adding my voice to the chorus because it's  fun to talk about my dogs.  First grey was 6 when I adopted her and she was sturdy and healthy until her sudden death at 13.  Neighborhood walks were boring to her -- she wanted to hike and billygoat-jump up on rocks and through creeks on a long leash that allowed her that extra movement.  (And since she had excellent recall and never strayed far, I also let her off leash when we were away from traffic.)  Another dog was 9 when adopted and even with failing kidneys for years was a joy both outdoors and indoors.  The 2-yr-old lurcher just barely began to tone it down at age 6.  He is now 10-ish, and still catching critters in the back yard.  We have made accommodations for his age, such as instead of keeping the lure pole/flirt pole [google images of it -- lots of fun for you and your 7-yr old girl] high so that he flew through the air, we now play for shorter times and keep him on the ground.  Racing greyhounds are bred to be strong, healthy dogs and as long as you manage arthritis and the occasional leg/back injury, should be able to stay active for a long time.  
 

 

Your dogs sound amazing- this lure pole sounds intriguing! 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Jules

[MerseyGrey]

4 minutes ago, Jules said:

Thank you again everyone for your encouragement and great advice. So lovely to hear about all your (not so young) greyhounds and how great they are doing! 

We went to meet Ziggy again with our girls, took him for a walk (he wanted to go on another after we finished!),  and all going well, will be bringing him home in 3 weeks. We’ve all fallen in love with him so fingers crossed it all goes to plan! 
 

He’s a handsome dude! You’ve got some fun times ahead 😍

[GoinGrey]

On 8/9/2020 at 2:17 PM, Jules said:

Thank you again everyone for your encouragement and great advice. So lovely to hear about all your (not so young) greyhounds and how great they are doing! 

We went to meet Ziggy again with our girls, took him for a walk (he wanted to go on another after we finished!),  and all going well, will be bringing him home in 3 weeks. We’ve all fallen in love with him so fingers crossed it all goes to plan! 
 

YAY! Congrats! I hope it works out!

[BatterseaBrindl]

[GreyPoopon]

Congratulations!

Please keep us posted!

[Dolly81]

How did this all work out? I would love to know! 🙂

[ozgirl]

On 8/5/2020 at 11:03 AM, MarcR said:

Thanks Jan. 

Antnee!!!!......