Any young families with greys?

[GretchenEvelyn]

We have a 5yo boy and 16mo daughter and are considering adopting. No other animals in the house. As with most families right now we are mostly homebound and feel like it would be a good time for a dog. Husband WFH now (and always), I stay home with the kids. I’d love for the kids to grow up with a dog. Anyone have a good or bad experience to share? Thanks!!

[GreytMom2020]

Hi Gretchen,

I recently adopted a 4 year old male greyhound. I have a very rambunctious one year old who regularly visits me and will often stay for a week at a time. My greyt does really well with her and has never jumped on her. I allow her to give him treats (she throws it but has let him take it out of her hand) and pet him. He loves to sniff and lick her. I'd also like to mention that he has moderate energy levels and will jump when he gets overly excited but has never done it to the baby. When he first met her he seemed to get really stressed when she cried and would always go to make sure she is ok but now he just ignores her crying lol. If he was showing too much interest in her (intently staring, etc.) I would say no baby and instruct him to lie down. There was a couple of times where I felt he wanted attention when she was around and he would take something that belong to her (shoes, toys, etc.). I would just say drop it and he immediately did and I would reward him. He's been around kids at the park and did really well. There was one time he was overly excited and a 7 year old kid ran up to him and he kind of bumped the kid a little. All dogs are different but I'm sure you could find one that will be great with your children.

[GretchenEvelyn]

14 minutes ago, GreytMom2020 said:

Hi Gretchen,

I recently adopted a 4 year old male greyhound. I have a very rambunctious one year old who regularly visits me and will often stay for a week at a time. My greyt does really well with her and has never jumped on her. I allow her to give him treats (she throws it but has let him take it out of her hand) and pet him. He loves to sniff and lick her. I'd also like to mention that he has moderate energy levels and will jump when he gets overly excited but has never done it to the baby. When he first met her he seemed to get really stressed when she cried and would always go to make sure she is ok but now he just ignores her crying lol. If he was showing too much interest in her (intently staring, etc.) I would say no baby and instruct him to lie down. There was a couple of times where I felt he wanted attention when she was around and he would take something that belong to her (shoes, toys, etc.). I would just say drop it and he immediately did and I would reward him. He's been around kids at the park and did really well. There was one time he was overly excited and a 7 year old kid ran up to him and he kind of bumped the kid a little. All dogs are different but I'm sure you could find one that will be great with your children.

Thanks for sharing this.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I am going to say that your home may not be ideal for a Greyhound  - or any other dog - a this time.  You have already expressed concerns about your 5 year old leaving the door open!

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

[GretchenEvelyn]

2 minutes ago, BatterseaBrindl said:

I am going to say that your home may not be ideal for a Greyhound  - or any other dog - a this time.  You have already expressed concerns about your 5 year old leaving the door open!

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

Right, I did. But I think the self-closing hinge might solve the problem.
I’m mostly just looking to hear others’ stories about greyhound temperaments. On one of the boards here, someone said “They won’t let kids do whatever to them —they’re not golden retrievers!” That scared me. I’m working with an adoption agency and have spoken to 5 individuals from the group and they’ve all been supportive of a greyhound joining a family with small children. I wanted to do my due diligence and ask a wider internet audience since we’re afraid the agency is in “sales mode.” Hope that makes sense. Thanks!

[HeyRunDog]

Take your time and find the right dog as they all have different quirks temperaments. In your situation consider a slightly older dog with less "bounce".

Most reputable adoption agencies will check every few days to start with after adoption to see if everything is going OK. Don't be afraid to return him/her if for any reason you feel uncomfortable with that particular dog. Your children come first.

[BatterseaBrindl]

10 hours ago, GretchenEvelyn said:

Right, I did. But I think the self-closing hinge might solve the problem.
I’m mostly just looking to hear others’ stories about greyhound temperaments. On one of the boards here, someone said “They won’t let kids do whatever to them —they’re not golden retrievers!” That scared me. I’m working with an adoption agency and have spoken to 5 individuals from the group and they’ve all been supportive of a greyhound joining a family with small children. I wanted to do my due diligence and ask a wider internet audience since we’re afraid the agency is in “sales mode.” Hope that makes sense. Thanks!

I'm not sure what you mean by "won't let kids do whatever to them". 

If you mean laying / jumping on them, tugging on ears, and other such rough housing... NO dog should be treated this way. 

'Some' breeds... like Labs... may tolerate this behaviour from children, but most Greyhounds will not. 

All of my Greys have been certified child-safe Therapy Dogs and they love children, but rough handling is not tolerated by them.  

Children need to be taught how to act kindly to all dogs.  

[GretchenEvelyn]

Thanks, all!

[greysmom]

You seem to have found an adoption group that will consider you and your family, but I have to tell you that many would not.  The group we work with does not adopt dogs to families with kids younger than 5 years old.  This is for the safety of all involved, and was put in place after a family sued the group after the greyhound they adopted bit their child in response to roughhousing.  Even many all breed rescues, shelters, and humane societies have restrictions on adopting to homes with young kids, so it's not just greyhounds.

So it's not just a matter of the dog fitting in with the kids.  The kids have to be taught how to interact safely with the dog - don't approach the dog when it's laying on it's bed; don't bother the dog when it's eating; no roughhousing or crawling on or pulling on various appendages; never leave dogs and young kids without adult supervison *ever*; and the (already addressed) responsible dog management of keeping doors and gates closed.

So you as the parent need to first objectively evaluate your kids - are they mature enough to follow instructions and be compassionate with a canine companion (of any breed).  And you also need to decide if *you* are willing to do the work of monitoring both dogs and kids.  Patricia McConnell is a trainer who I recommend here frequently.  You should get her books "Family Friendly Dog Training," "How to be Leader of the Pack," and "Play Together Stay Together."  See what a professional trainer recommends as far as training basics, and if you feel up to the task.

You haven't mentioned if your husband will be involved in all this.  How tolerant is he of the noise and mess a dog will add to his environment?  Is he willing to be your partner in monitoring your kids safely interact with a dog?  Is his WFH situation very formal?  What happens if a dog or kid burst in unexpectedly on a zoom meeting?  Is he fully on board with bringing a dog into the house?

Finally, there are many, many families out there who have dogs and kids.  It can be done and it can be done safely.  If we here on GT seem to be steering you away from dog ownerswhip at this time, it's really not anything personal.  Our perspective will (almost) always be for the safety of the dog, not the humans involved.  Only you can really evaluate and determine whenther your family is ready for a canine companion.  It can be tough to separate out your own desire for a dog and if that's the best move for everyone involved.

[GretchenEvelyn]

1 hour ago, greysmom said:

You seem to have found an adoption group that will consider you and your family, but I have to tell you that many would not.  The group we work with does not adopt dogs to families with kids younger than 5 years old.  This is for the safety of all involved, and was put in place after a family sued the group after the greyhound they adopted bit their child in response to roughhousing.  Even many all breed rescues, shelters, and humane societies have restrictions on adopting to homes with young kids, so it's not just greyhounds.

So it's not just a matter of the dog fitting in with the kids.  The kids have to be taught how to interact safely with the dog - don't approach the dog when it's laying on it's bed; don't bother the dog when it's eating; no roughhousing or crawling on or pulling on various appendages; never leave dogs and young kids without adult supervison *ever*; and the (already addressed) responsible dog management of keeping doors and gates closed.

So you as the parent need to first objectively evaluate your kids - are they mature enough to follow instructions and be compassionate with a canine companion (of any breed).  And you also need to decide if *you* are willing to do the work of monitoring both dogs and kids.  Patricia McConnell is a trainer who I recommend here frequently.  You should get her books "Family Friendly Dog Training," "How to be Leader of the Pack," and "Play Together Stay Together."  See what a professional trainer recommends as far as training basics, and if you feel up to the task.

You haven't mentioned if your husband will be involved in all this.  How tolerant is he of the noise and mess a dog will add to his environment?  Is he willing to be your partner in monitoring your kids safely interact with a dog?  Is his WFH situation very formal?  What happens if a dog or kid burst in unexpectedly on a zoom meeting?  Is he fully on board with bringing a dog into the house?

Finally, there are many, many families out there who have dogs and kids.  It can be done and it can be done safely.  If we here on GT seem to be steering you away from dog ownerswhip at this time, it's really not anything personal.  Our perspective will (almost) always be for the safety of the dog, not the humans involved.  Only you can really evaluate and determine whenther your family is ready for a canine companion.  It can be tough to separate out your own desire for a dog and if that's the best move for everyone involved.

Excellent points. Very telling to know that other groups don’t adopt out to the <5 yo crowd. Thank you!

[cleptogrey]

i have a friend who has had GH for many many years. she now has  2 & 6 year old daughters. She did have a problem w/ personal space needs for her last foster and her toddler falling on the dog. he didn't bite, just growled but toddlers are toddlers and one needs a bomb proof dog with them. It just didn't work, not safe enough for the kids.

So, I suggested a puppy. She found a 6 month old- but this person has had GH for a good 15+ years already.  It's perfect, working at home, kids are home and she is doing(as I suggested and it's working) a really regimented training regime with both the dog and well- it's not working w/ the 2 year old(but a smart feisty 2 year old is always a challenge).  if you have lots of dog experience and can be regimented then this situation can work. but if you are a novice then stay clear. GH at the farm & track do the same thing at the same time daily-boring but it works. 

[ShebasMom]

In the first year of my having Sheba, she bit my then 3-year-old great-neice near her eyebrow. Apparently the wee one either got too close to Sheba or tried to take a toy or treat away. My fault, wasn't paying attention. All ended well but it was really scary at the time. I think the kids need to be older.