Considering adopting but worried about open doors

[GretchenEvelyn]

Hi all -
We are considering adopting a 6yo brood mom. However we have a 5yo son and 16mo daughter. My son always leaves the front door open. Are greyhounds not for us? We have a fully fenced backyard and live on a fairly quiet culdesac. Everything except this flight risk issue seems to fit our lifestyle (husband WFH, goes for a lot of walks by himself). And we know that greys are great with kids. Thoughts? 
Thanks in advance. 

[stevevt]

Spring-loaded self-closing door hinge? Or would that not work with your son?

[EllenEveBaz]

Agree with stevevt above.  Otherwise, a definite danger.  

[GretchenEvelyn]

Great thought. Thank you. Are greys always itching to get out and if someone opens the door, boom! Or is it less dramatic? My sister has a poodle mix and as soon as people come over she has to hold him back from jumping on people and then running out the door. Greys don’t seem that way, but I don’t have one so I’m not too sure. 

[Time4ANap]

It's not that they will be necessarily itching to get out, the problem is that if they do get out, and decide they are going to chase a rabbit, squirrel or a motorcycle etc moving fast or they just decide to run, they are gone at 45mph and not stopping.  Not stopping includes running across traffic on a busy highway without ever looking or slowing down, and quite honestly they are normally just gone and and sometimes not found again or found dead. 

It may just not be the right time for a greyhound with two small children who are not old enough yet to follow the basic rules of keeping the dog safe. When they are a little older, a greyhound may well be their best friend - especially a broodie. 

 

[MerseyGrey]

I think this would be a danger to almost any dog who decided to go exploring on their own, it’s just that greyhounds are much quicker if they decide to bolt. In the first couple of weeks of us having ours, a delivery man left the garden gate open, and ours trotted out the back garden and waited patiently by the front door to come back in. So it’s definitely not a case of greyhounds always wanting to escape. 
Personally I would work on training the kids to ensure the house is secure before thinking about getting any kind of dog.

[cleptogrey]

10 hours ago, stevevt said:

Spring-loaded self-closing door hinge? Or would that not work with your son?

 

10 hours ago, EllenEveBaz said:

Agree with stevevt above.  Otherwise, a definite danger.  

if you can't figure out the door situation then there will be a problem with any breed that you decide to incorporate in your house. 

[GretchenEvelyn]

Thanks all the input.  I’m plugging hard for the grey but my hubs wants a golden retriever who he feels “are less complicated.”  Stay tuned! The grey community is awesome too, not just the dogs. 

Edited October 30, 2020 by GretchenEvelyn

[MerseyGrey]

11 minutes ago, GretchenEvelyn said:

Thanks all the input.  I’m plugging hard for the grey but my hubs wants a golden retriever who he feels “are less complicated.”  Stay tuned! The grey community is awesome too, not just the dogs. 

My SIL has a golden retriever that chewed the walls of their house, and has eaten credit cards, shoes and sunglasses. Any dog can have its issues!

[macoduck]

You get a big NO from me.  It wouldn't just be your son opening the door, it would also be his friends as they come and go. Young children don't understand the danger. And friends and relatives not understanding the new "no open door rules" with a greyhound.

Please go to the Everything Else section here and read the Greyhound Amber Alert posts. It will be an eye opener to see how fast and far these dogs can run, even the old ones.  I've assisted and/or led many lost greyhound searches, fortunately not my own. Furthest distance traveled was 17 straight miles in 31 days.

Thank for you asking about greyhound safety.

[GretchenEvelyn]

38 minutes ago, MerseyGrey said:

My SIL has a golden retriever that chewed the walls of their house, and has eaten credit cards, shoes and sunglasses. Any dog can have its issues!

Oye! Maybe we need a goldfish. 😂

Although I do think the self-closing hinge is a possible solution. 🤷‍♀️ 

Edited October 30, 2020 by GretchenEvelyn

[MaryJane]

I would wait until children are older - at least 8 to 10. Right now they are too young for any dog as they would consider the dog just a toy.  Right now your children probably need quite a bit of care themselves and any dog would come with requirements for training, etc ... maybe too much for this point in time.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I have to agree that your home may not be ideal for a Greyhound  - or any other dog - a this time.

I'd wait until the kids are old enough to take part in the care & training of the dog. 

[FiveRoooooers]

Agree with the other posts and excellent suggestion to visit the Amber Alert forum. I don’t think a self-closing door hinge would be quick enough to prevent an escape. These dogs are Fast. 

[Feefee147]

On 10/30/2020 at 2:29 PM, MerseyGrey said:

My SIL has a golden retriever that chewed the walls of their house, and has eaten credit cards, shoes and sunglasses. Any dog can have its issues!

We had a labrador when I was growing up - mischievous wotsit who would do a runner if anyone left a door or gate open. One night about midnight when my sister came home and got distracted he dashed off out into next doors garden, ran around avoiding our clutches and ripped up all their lawn and plants. He just found everything a fun game. 

Everyone above is correct - any dog will potentially run off through an open door, not just a grey. 

[Moo]

Having just gotten my greyhound, your husband couldn't be more wrong about them being "complicated". Sort out your door situation and you'll be fine. A second lock so your son can't open it might be another option to add to the spring door? I'm fortunate that the house I live in has a vestibule, and a small back kitchen so both entrances are double doored.