A second hound??

[SGE1967]

8 weeks ago, I adopted my girl, a 4-year old retired racer. When I adopted her, I received her racing history and pedigree, and happened to see one of her litter-mates was actually running at the local greyhound stadium today, so I went along to watch. 

I got chatting with her trainer, and he was delighted that one of his hounds had found a good home, and mentioned that her sister was running today, and that she'd be retiring as soon as they could find a home for her.

So I'm considering it. 

Has anyone adopted a litter-mate of their hound? Do they necessarily get along? Any advantages or pitfalls I should consider first??

Edited October 9, 2022 by SGE1967

[1Moregrey]

Look up  Help! Timmy's in the well!I think they are siblings that were just adopted one at a time.

Two is always fun.  If you have the space, time and can afford two then I vote yes!  Get your second “Chip” you can not have just one 

[EllenEveBaz]

Just based on reading posts over the years, I think 90% of all greyhounds get along fine.  So littermates who might remember and enjoy each other are just a possible bonus.    

I always say that 2 hounds are definitely 2x the expense, 0x more trouble, and 4x more fun.

[ramonaghan]

2 hours ago, 1Moregrey said:

Look up  Help! Timmy's in the well!I think they are siblings that were just adopted one at a time.

Two is always fun.  If you have the space, time and can afford two then I vote yes!  Get your second “Chip” you can not have just one 

This is me! We adopted Doolin in late June and his sister Willa a month ago (intro here). When she became available, we specifically told the kennel manager that we wanted to meet her but that he should NOT hold her for us since we were unsure about adding a second hound and the drive was 6 hours round-trip. Well, he had his own ideas and would not let any other adopters even look at her until we met her.  Although many people say littermates do not recognize each other, there was no question that Willa was Doolin's favorite of the hounds we met that day. She is a bundle of energy and balances out his shy, calm demeanor quite well. She helped him get over his statuing on walks almost immediately. They get along wonderfully; I couldn't ask for a better match. Is it because they are littermates? I don't know, but it's hard not to think so.

I will say that two hounds has been an adjustment. We've gotten our routine down pretty well now, but there's definitely a learning curve for walks and mealtimes. There are beds everywhere and we move like a school of fish sometimes from room to room, but it's been so fun to watch them together.

Not a pitfall necessarily, but two females may have more "disagreements" than a male-male or male-female pair. Every dog is different, but anecdotally this seems often to be the case. 

Please keep us posted!

Edited October 9, 2022 by ramonaghan
added link

[greysmom]

Take the fact she's a littermate out of the equation and first consider if 1) you *want* another dog; and 2) you can afford all the increased costs (food, treats, vet care); and 3) have the time for two dogs.

If all those come out on the "add another dog" side, then definitely take a look and have the two dogs meet.  Usually greyhounds get along with each other just fine, whether they are littermates or not, but occasionally you do find two that just aren't as compatible.  Popular myth says that two females are more problematic than other pairings, but I have two (unrelated) girls now and they get along just fine.  

The house dynamics change once you have two dogs.  It takes some getting used to and some extra management on the humans part.  Make sure everyone is on board completely with getting another.  But, in general, there just aren't that many downsides and a lot of positives.

[MerseyGrey]

I have no advice to offer on the logistics of having two dogs, littermates or not. But I have been thinking about this since your last couple of posts. We just have Buddy and he has stolen our hearts in the same way that Cara has stolen yours. And when we say goodbye to him he is going to break our hearts. If you have enough time, love and financial resources, I say ‘why not?’ At the very least go and look into it. You’ll never love Cara any less for having a second hound, but being able to spread the love will help soften the blow of loss. Hopefully that won’t be for many years, and who knows, you might even add another to the pack before then  .

The main reason why we haven’t adopted another dog (although we have talked about it a lot!) is because Buddy is a terrible grump with other dogs, and although he is much better with other greyhounds, neither of us are home enough to keep an eye on him. I wouldn’t want him terrorising another dog. Us not being home enough also makes me worry that he is lonely and that our home is not ideal for him - which being able to bring another dog home would solve. We should have been more proactive during lockdown!

When I win the lottery I am buying a house with extensive grounds and I am going to have loads of them!

[FiveRoooooers]

 FiveRoooooers here. I've had six hounds at a time including two sets of littermates who turned out to be sired by the same Oswold Cobblepot. We had the best time ever. You're asking a group of enablers here  Keep us posted!

[BatterseaBrindl]

You’ve been given lots of sound advice to take into consideration, but I always say ‘the more, the merrier’  

[SGE1967]

We've gone from "maybe" to "no, it's not practical" to "possibly" to "our minds are made up, just one dog" and are back to "let's sleep on it" in the space of a few hours.

Money's not a problem. Space might be... I can't conceive of two hounds doing morning zoomies simultaneously in a relatively small space. One of us is usually working from home, but the logistics of getting not one but two hounds out the door for morning walks when they're blocking doorways/excitedly prancing around/generally arsing about instead of standing still to get their leads on...could make logging in to work on time stressful.

Thinking about it, but thank you all for the advice and sound words.

Thinking about it...

Edited October 9, 2022 by SGE1967

[ramonaghan]

Just now, SGE1967 said:

We've gone from "maybe" to "no, it's not practical" to "possibly" to "our minds are made up, just one dog" and are back to "let's sleep on it" in the space of a few hours.

We did the same.  And if you do adopt the sister, you'll probably still do it! It's tough when the first hound is so recent and you're just settling into the new normal. Suddenly that's upended and you're starting from scratch again (she says after she's cleaned up a stealth Willa pee on the rug). It's a lot of work but it's also heaps of fun.

[FiveRoooooers]

Another option may be to foster with intent.

We will have the toast and jam ready 

[MP_the4pack]

I adopted Diamond 4 months later simply because she was Pearl's littermate.  Never regretted it. I think they did recognize each other but personality wise, totally different.  Diamond was quiet,  borderline shy. Pearl was outgoing and confident.  

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. 

[Time4ANap]

Can you still see your carpet?  If so, there's room. 

Good luck! 

[1Moregrey]

When I had two I used a coupler for walks, they had to stand still to be hooked up.  Did not take them long to figure out what made the door open.  They also had a yard to potty in to so that helped.  Just be consistent in asking for them to be calm while you get leashes on.  I know if you really to it will work out.

Fostering with intent is a great idea and if it does not work out no harm she would just have a better start in finding her perfect home.

If money, vet care is not an issue,  if there is a will to have two there is a way to make it work.  Might involve training, lots of management and a new approach but it can be done.   
 

ps.  I am a big greyhound enabler.  Sorry if I help lead you down a path to multiples.  They are so much fun and worth every bit of it.  

[EllenEveBaz]

Quote

When I win the lottery I am buying a house with extensive grounds and I am going to have loads of them!

With greyhounds, I think you need extensive couches.

[SGE1967]

We've decided not to.

Cara is still getting used to being a pet and even though this would be her sister, and from the same racing kennel, I don't think it would be fair to her to have to adapt from being the dog to being a dog, if that makes any sense?

There's still a part that wants to, but it's not shouting as loud as the part saying that now's not the time.

[Remolacha]

If your feeling is now is not the right time, then now is not the right time! There will be opportunities to add another hound later if you want, maybe not a sibling, but go with your gut feeling. You can just spoil  pamper Cara all the more 

[MerseyGrey]

On 10/10/2022 at 12:18 AM, EllenEveBaz said:

With greyhounds, I think you need extensive couches.

 Wise words!

I think Greysmom hit the nail on the head - if you weren’t seriously considering it before you knew her littermate was available, then hold off for now. You can do this all again at a later date. 

[HeyRunDog]

You'll know when the time is right and the right hound comes along. It took 4 years of deciding before I got my second.

 

[zimsmom]

On 10/9/2022 at 1:39 PM, FiveRoooooers said:

Oswold Cobblepot

I don't know why but this name just cracks me up.

[ramonaghan]

1 minute ago, zimsmom said:

I don't know why but this name just cracks me up.

It's a great name!  All three of mine have been Cobblepot descendants.