Learn me retired racing greyhounds.

We are getting close to adopting a retired greyhound. They seem to be great dogs, without many major health issues. Our only requirement is that he or she is good with cats, in that we are a cat family first off. Any advice? Seems to be a great way to get into a wellbred dog... Sort of the p71 of the canine world.

Joey

A coworker got one and had to return it when he and his wife got divorced. The dog had mental issues,

My friend had one and it was the most lazy, relaxed dog I've ever seen. You would have thought that she was half Basset Hound.

They have the speed to compete in the $201X dogsled challenge, but not the torque to pull the loaded sled or the endurance.

If I had a Greyhound, I would name it Turbo.

In reply to Woody:

They're incredibly mellow dogs, especially for a breed that runs. Personality wise they're almost cat like, only the like being near you at appropriate times. Santa's little helper would also work for a name, and the namesake has lived almost 30 years.

Let them run for a few minutes every day and they are a couch potato the rest of the day.

I don't know anything about greyhounds, but your question made me remember some of the afflictions we used to see in Afghan hounds (they are bred for long snouts, which is not a normal shape for their skull, and brain disorders are common).

I looked to see if there were any such similar issues with greyhounds- I didn't find any, but I did find this article- pretty interesting:

Health Concerns in Retired Racing Greyounds

Looks like their #1 suggestion is to find a vet familiar with the specifics of racing greyhounds.

Good luck!

We've had 3. Contact me at geo.l.rooney at gmaildotcom with any questions. Awesome dogs, a little prissy, and as rescues can come with a little baggage easily dealt with. Some are okay with cats. High prey drive ya know.

A friend of mine had a couple of them, plus this bumper sticker on his Miata:

I have little direct experience with them, other than being hired to walk a pair of them while I was in high school. As has been said, very mellow, lazy dogs.

What I learned very quickly was that they have a strong affinity for deer. There are lots of deer in CT. Any time we saw one on our walks, the dogs would want to go play with the deer, which meant going from at my side to the end of their leashes in 3 or 4 shakes. Not pleasant on the arms. Other than that, they were very docile walkers. Great personalities.

When I get the space and a less-intense work schedule, I hope to adopt a pair of greys.

Woody wrote: If I had a Greyhound, I would name it Turbo.

Santa's Little Helper..

I currently have one greyhound, a retired racer. My recently departed greyhound, the brown & white goofball , was what's called a lurcher (not 100 grey). He believed himself to be a cat.

This is what 98% of a grey's life in my house consists of:

And there's about 2% of this:

40mph flybys in the snow are pretty impressive:

He was exceptional in many ways, one of them being that we could 'kind of' trust him off leash. I could never do this with Lucy, who is a racer. Most greys will accelerate away at 40mph once they sense freedom, and require multiple ground teams and a helicopter to keep up with and capture (only a slight exaggeration, the helo would be helpful)

An opening door/gate is like a starting gate, and they just launch.

Prey drive is definitely variable . The organization will usually bring over a small herd of greys to check out your house and family; I can't find the pic of that event right now.

Also, the rescue orgs can be variable. There's one near us we call the Greyhound Nazis.

My neighbor is active in a local GH Adoption club, she's had 10 or 12 over the years. She has 3 now, all are snow white.

I'm told they need to have a fenced in yard as they are sight trained, they see something two blocks away flick its little tail and they're OFF! They cannot be off leash for the same reason, they go from 0 to 40mph in 3 kicks.

They are couch potatoes....

Dan

My grandmother had one, and while I'm not too sure if she had to have it treated for any health problems, it was a very well behaved dog. Having a fenced in back yard for it to run around in appears to be a must. They don't seem to be capable of barking, but can make a few other noises.

My dad has a pair.

40mph couch potatoes. They need a walk or two every day, and just lounge around the rest of the time. Very mellow and affectionate. Prepare to be head-butted in the crotch regularly.

I'd be a bit worried about one with cats. The prey drive can be strong with them. No way to really tell until you meet the actual dog in question.

Watching two greyhounds run around a field at full speed is pretty impressive.

Awwww.....

I had a friend with one; he also had cats. They let the dog and cat out in the yard at the same time once. Seems that when they were in the house together, the prey drive wasn't an issue. Once they were outside, as soon as the cat moved, it was game on.

Cat survived, and they were still buddies. Definitely a sight hunter: if it moves, it will be chased.

Nothing to add other than the 3 I've lived with over the years would not have worked well with a cat.

P71???? No they are the F1 or top fuel of dogs. A friend has one and playing fetch with it is fun. The dog can out run just about anything you through. Really entertaining and absolutely amazing to watch.

Great well minored dogs.

A friend has one. They also have a couple cats and 5 Border Collies that his wife trains for agility competition. Usually when I go there the Greyhound is sleeping on "its sofa". The cats never go out so no problems there.

When the Grey goes out several of the BC's go out also. They have 5 acres for them to run over. Usually the Grey wears out and comes back to the house before the Collies do. Or they will call the Collies and the Grey will come along.

Guys thank you! This is all really great information, just what I was looking for! Seems to be really variable wether the dog will be good with cats.

Has anyone heard stories of them suddenly turning? Like "spot was great with the kitties for years and then she ate fluffy"?

Also, I didn't mean to compare a greyhound to a p71, I know they are much more like f1 cars, (maybe Indy cars do to the oval they run...?) I was just highlighting how they are great well bred dogs who are retired from the work they do but still have a lot of life left in them. Just like a p71!

Also, seperation anxiety? How long will the chill alone for? The adoption group said 9 hours or so. My wife's schedule overlaps mine so it shouldn't be more than 8, never more than 10 hours

My anecdotal experience with greys and cats: things improved over time; I think they get socialized into the 'pack' at your house. I would initially be very cautious with the cats around, and keep them separated during the day, as well as during feeding time. For about the first summer after we got Lucy, she went out with a muzzle on if our 'outdoor cat' was outside. Never had any issues. However, she goes after squirrels and deer pretty aggressively.

My current grey is home with the cats during the day and does fine. Usually at least one cat will hang out with her downstairs during the day; if it's sunny, they all kind of pile up in the sunbeam. We leave the radio on so she has music.

Orion, our first one, was kind of a mess when we got him, and had horrible separation anxiety. That's not really representative of what you'd get from a grey rescue. He was at a kill shelter and needed to get out quickly.

XLR99 wrote: My anecdotal experience with greys and cats: things improved over time; I think they get socialized into the 'pack' at your house. I would initially be very cautious with the cats around, and keep them separated during the day, as well as during feeding time. For about the first summer after we got Lucy, she went out with a muzzle on if our 'outdoor cat' was outside. Never had any issues. However, she goes after squirrels and deer pretty aggressively. My current grey is home with the cats during the day and does fine. Usually at least one cat will hang out with her downstairs during the day; if it's sunny, they all kind of pile up in the sunbeam. We leave the radio on so she has music. Orion, our first one, was kind of a mess when we got him, and had horrible separation anxiety. That's not really representative of what you'd get from a grey rescue. He was at a kill shelter and needed to get out quickly.

Interesting.

Thoughts on crates? Seems most people say they like the crate, as the dog was raised living in them.

I feel an obligation to keep anything in my house safe, and since my cats were here first, I don't want to bring something into the home to make them unsafe.

Thanks!