Rescue greyhounds - the facts, not the hype.....

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As there appear to be an awful lot of misconceptions about rescue greyhounds amongst forum users, I thought it might be useful if I posted my experiences of 20+ years of sighthound ownership, which includes 12 years of owning rescue greyhounds. I have also volunteered extensively for GRWE, so have come into contact with more than the average number of them!

Any rescue greyhound can make a great pet following it's racing career, if it is placed in the correct home. That is why you need to go to a reputable charity such as GRWE, who are very experienced at matching a dog to the right home, rather than your local animal sanctuary who may have the odd greyhound in to re-home.

Most greyhounds are retired from racing for a number of reasons: (1) they have no chase instinct/are not fast enough on the track, (2) they sustain an injury which means they cannot continue racing or (3) they are retired after a successful racing career - old age gets to us all in the end :)

Some greyhounds can and are successfully re-homed with cats/chickens/rabbits/guinea pigs and other small furry creatures - every dog is different, in the same way that every human is different, hence the need to get the right dog to suit your personal circumstances. Although I don't have children myself, all my rescue dogs have been 100% with my niece and nephew (and other children) over the years without any need for special training or socialisation, although obviously they have been only allowed contact together with appropriate supervision on both sides.

They are not "kill on sight" dogs in any way (apologies to the user for selecting that one quote, however it was one which concerned me most on this thread) and they are do not usually find adapting to a new lifestyle stressful at all - I have had 7 rescue greyhounds so far, all of which have adapted with little fuss and bother to my lifestyle. As other posters have said, they are an absolute joy to live with and are the original couch-potato hounds, loving to sleep as much as possible :) Mine always get a walk off the lead every day, although there has been one rescue who was not able to be let off the lead due to a total lack of recall - she was not remotely bothered by being walked on-lead every day and enjoying racing around the garden (even after she lost a leg), as this is the experience they have when in training.

As usual in these matters, the fault is with the owner not the dog itself, so please do not tar all greyhounds with the same brush - my four are all completely dissimilar in temperament, as any 4 people would be, so you cannot apply generalisations of this kind to the breed. They make loving, faithful and fantastic pets who will reward good ownership a million-fold during their time with you.
 
Thank god someone has put something positive about greyhounds on here :-)
I too have had 7 ex-racers and all have been lovely affectionate dogs without a nasty bone in their body. Yes they can chase small furries to start with but all of mine got to the stage where they couldn't be bothered. Greyhounds are a very lazy breed of dog and do not need a lot of exercise and they are quite happy to be on a lead the whole time. Having said that, all of mine have had fantastic recall so are only on a lead when they are street walking.

Unfortunately people tend to assume the worst with greyhounds. For instance, my dog was accused of killing a kitten in someone's front garden, supposedly she was meant to have climbed through a hole in the hedge and savaged it. The only proof the owner of the kitten had was that it was a black dog that killed it and my dog used to roam around the farmyard adjacent to his garden. It soon went round the village that poor Mollie was a dangerous dog and there were petitions out to have her destroyed. It only came to light several months later when the owner of a black labrador finally came clean that it was his dog that had killed the kitten and he'd been too scared to come forward at the time. Surprisingly enough no petitions were signed to get his dog destroyed and children were not kept away from it for fear of being bitten.

I still own an ex-racer now and will continue to do so until it is not physically possible for me to look after a dog. They are the easiest and best natured of all breeds to look after but then I am biased.
 
Mitchyden said:
Thank god someone has put something positive about greyhounds on here :-)
I too have had 7 ex-racers and all have been lovely affectionate dogs without a nasty bone in their body. Yes they can chase small furries to start with but all of mine got to the stage where they couldn't be bothered. Greyhounds are a very lazy breed of dog and do not need a lot of exercise and they are quite happy to be on a lead the whole time. Having said that, all of mine have had fantastic recall so are only on a lead when they are street walking.

Unfortunately people tend to assume the worst with greyhounds. For instance, my dog was accused of killing a kitten in someone's front garden, supposedly she was meant to have climbed through a hole in the hedge and savaged it. The only proof the owner of the kitten had was that it was a black dog that killed it and my dog used to roam around the farmyard adjacent to his garden. It soon went round the village that poor Mollie was a dangerous dog and there were petitions out to have her destroyed. It only came to light several months later when the owner of a black labrador finally came clean that it was his dog that had killed the kitten and he'd been too scared to come forward at the time. Surprisingly enough no petitions were signed to get his dog destroyed and children were not kept away from it for fear of being bitten.

I still own an ex-racer now and will continue to do so until it is not physically possible for me to look after a dog. They are the easiest and best natured of all breeds to look after but then I am biased.
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That is awful Mitchyden, poor Mollie :( I know a lot of breeds have similar misconceptions about them - GSDs and Staffordshire Bull Terriers come to mind - but as a committed greyhound fan I wanted to set the record straight as it were :)

I totally agree with your last two sentences, I find greyhounds particularly addictive and frequently have to overcome my instinct to collect them.... :D
 
Thank you ... I'm not a greyhound owner but I do know several people who've got rehomed retired GHs and there's not been a problem. One sadly died suddenly quite recently and was replaced with a far less sociable JRT ;)
Surely these beautiful animals deserve a chance at the ends of their racing life.
Dog before breed.
 
So glad you posted this. The other thread came up with some very strange misconceptions. Greyhounds are fab dogs and rehomed ones make great pets. Like with any dog, the owner needs to understand the needs of not just the breed but the individual dog.

On every animal forum there seem to be people who think that 'the public' are stupid and that no creature should ever be rehomed because everyone else is a numpty.

(And breathe....:))
 
Let's put this into perspective... My op stated that I was furious that the greyhound had been placed in an inappropriate home. If you google Cornwall and greyhound rescue you will see the main centre in Cornwall it is this centre that did the rehoming... Not just some random rehoming centre, so no, "experienced" greyhound rehoming centres don't get it right, this was a rush job in my opinion and to the detriment of the woman who he was with, the dog itself and my cat. These dogs are bred with this instinct, it is then fuelled my their training, that's not to say they can't make great pets, never said they couldn't. But ignorance, and negligence is not on. Not every greyhound can be stopped from wanting to chase down and kill a cat or rabbit and to use a sweeping generalisation that they can is wilfully ignorant in my opinion. There is a reason these animals are called sight hounds and built like a cheetah. What would people reasonably expect a recently retired/ ex racing greyhound to want to do after years of being asked to chase a lure? They do have this instinct, they do have this training and any responsible owner should be aware of this and act accordingly, furthermore they should be able to control their dog in a public place, and any experienced rehoming centre should ensure they do a full and thorough assessment on any dog they get and place it in an appropriate home. I never said there was anything wrong with the breed, I love all my sight hounds, but there are things you need to be aware of with this breed.

I'd also ask out of interest, there are people on here who have rescued a number of greyhounds. Would you take a greyhound out in public especially when you had just got it and didn't know it's temperament without a muzzle?
 
Where did I make any generalisation to say that greyhounds could all be re-trained Queenbee? I certainly didn't make that assumption, I said it very much depends on the individual dog.

I'm not sure why you appear to have taken my post as a personal attack on you (although that you think that way IS an assumption by me based on the defensive tone of your reply) it was more in response to replies from other users on that thread - I felt your original post was entirely fair given your experiences, I would have felt the same way as you if I had experienced the same situation. As I have consistently said, the fault is with the owners not the breed, and it seems we agree on that idea :) I also have stated in my reply on your thread that a breed which is trained to do a certain 'job' for many generations will be likely to replicate that behaviour in any re-homing situation, which is another concept you appear to agree with.

As a multiple greyhound owner, yes I would most definitely take a rescue greyhound out in public when I first got it however it would not necessarily be muzzled unless I had been specifically warned by the rescue organisation that the dog was not safe with (for example) small dogs. My big fawn boy is muzzled every time he goes out in public for that particular reason. However I also would not let a newly-acquired dog off the lead for a number of weeks/months (depending on how long the dog took to bond) which would give me enough time to assess it's behaviour before making the muzzle/no muzzle decision. Ultimately I am ever unsure, the dog is ALWAYS muzzled out in public.
 
Lévrier;12626279 said:
……..

As a multiple greyhound owner, …….. .
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So seven count as 'multiple' do they? I'm really sorry, but with so little experience, you're hardly qualified to judge those who think, before they type. Your constant, and often contradictory arguments do little to support your theorised nonsense! I've no wish to hurt your feelings, but were you to consider your thoughts, for a while, and before posting, then others may accept your points.

Alec.
 
Just to make it easier for you Alec, I have googled the word 'multiple' to define it clearly for you....

"multiple
ˈmʌltɪp(ə)l/Submit
adjective
1.
having or involving several parts, elements, or members."

Sorry you weren't able to understand this complex word
 
Personally I'd prefer that toy breeds were muzzled in public, but then it's probably more to do with the owners than the breed. My neighbours greyhound is far more laid back than another neighbour's Chihuahua. Poor postman had a such a problem getting past that aggressive little emperor that the owner was forced to put a post box on the gate.
 
dogatemysalad said:
Personally I'd prefer that toy breeds were muzzled in public, but then it's probably more to do with the owners than the breed. My neighbours greyhound is far more laid back than another neighbour's Chihuahua. Poor postman had a such a problem getting past that aggressive little emperor that the owner was forced to put a post box on the gate.
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I now have a vision of a chihuahua like the rabbit from Monty Python, going for the throat.... :O
 
They make terrible pets and should certainly never be trusted with children......

jess.jpg
 
I should think half the trouble with ex racing greys is the same as ex racing tbs. There are hundreds of them around, in the case of the horses they tend to be dirt cheap, and therefore some idiots will get them. My brother-in-law had an ex racer and it was quite the most devoid of personality dog I have ever met, but I assume that was from lack of attention when it was young. It was certainly no trouble and living on a farm and many years ago it had plenty of off lead exercise.
 
What a wonderful picture PaddyMonty. I think my greyhound/whippet would do that given half a chance especially if it was a sunny spot! She is also brilliant with my grandchildren but I expect people can give plenty of examples for and against sighthounds and any other breed come to that (except the perfect flatcoat ofcourse!!!!) Well done Levrier for redressing the balance. I am sure the poor OP will hate any sighthounds and most people for a while after such a horrid experience.
 
Lévrier;12626279 said:
Where did I make any generalisation to say that greyhounds could all be re-trained Queenbee? I certainly didn't make that assumption, I said it very much depends on the individual dog.

I also did not take this thread as a personal attack on me, but it clearly was a reaction to the content of the thread I started. I also thought it was reasonable to put another perspective into the mix.

I'm not sure why you appear to have taken my post as a personal attack on you (although that you think that way IS an assumption by me based on the defensive tone of your reply) it was more in response to replies from other users on that thread - I felt your original post was entirely fair given your experiences, I would have felt the same way as you if I had experienced the same situation. As I have consistently said, the fault is with the owners not the breed, and it seems we agree on that idea :) I also have stated in my reply on your thread that a breed which is trained to do a certain 'job' for many generations will be likely to replicate that behaviour in any re-homing situation, which is another concept you appear to agree with.

As a multiple greyhound owner, yes I would most definitely take a rescue greyhound out in public when I first got it however it would not necessarily be muzzled unless I had been specifically warned by the rescue organisation that the dog was not safe with (for example) small dogs. My big fawn boy is muzzled every time he goes out in public for that particular reason. However I also would not let a newly-acquired dog off the lead for a number of weeks/months (depending on how long the dog took to bond) which would give me enough time to assess it's behaviour before making the muzzle/no muzzle decision. Ultimately I am ever unsure, the dog is ALWAYS muzzled out in public.
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I'm sorry, I thought you had generalised and said they all can be retrained, you actually said can make great pets if placed in the right home... My mistake and your statement is something I agree with.

My personal view is that when taking on a dog... Any dog, one should not rely purely on the say so of a rehoming centre, or the previous owner. Certainly in the case of sight hounds that have been raced, I would muzzle initially whilst I make my own assessment about the dog in my care. There is nothing like relying on someone else's word to your own detriment. Greyhounds that have spent time on the track are perfectly used to wearing muzzles, it does not distress them and therefore I see no reason to not use them as a precaution with a dog you do not know. Just my personal opinion. However, I don't know you but I'm thinking that perhaps you have a little bit more knowledge and understanding of the breeding and are stronger than an eighty year old frail woman and should a dog react to a cat you or I would stand a damn sight better chance than she would of keeping a hold on it and calming it down. :/

<<<as you can see from my avatar, I love my sight hounds too ;)
 
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Queenbee said:
I'm sorry, I thought you had generalised and said they all can be retrained, you actually said can make great pets if placed in the right home... My mistake and your statement is something I agree with.

My personal view is that when taking on a dog... Any dog, one should not rely purely on the say so of a rehoming centre, or the previous owner. Certainly in the case of sight hounds that have been raced, I would muzzle initially whilst I make my own assessment about the dog in my care. There is nothing like relying on someone else's word to your own detriment. Greyhounds that have spent time on the track are perfectly used to wearing muzzles, it does not distress them and therefore I see no reason to not use them as a precaution with a dog you do not know. Just my personal opinion. However, I don't know you but I'm thinking that perhaps you have a little bit more knowledge and understanding of the breeding and are stronger than an eighty year old frail woman and should a dog react to a cat you or I would stand a damn sight better chance than she would of keeping a hold on it and calming it down. :/

<<<as you can see from my avatar, I love my sight hounds too ;)
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At the risk of sounding like a sheep :p I agree totally with everything you have said QB :) I must admit that holding 100kg + of assorted greyhounds does take some doing sometimes if they all see something at the same moment, but we have never ever had a problem and that is not something I would ever allow to happen.

I was incredulous that my tripod (the one who I never let off the lead) went on to kill 2 cats after I sadly had to rehome her due to my divorce - a classic case of the wrong dog being put with the wrong people in her case - I never had a problem with her :(
 
ester said:
Well it isn't single :p

There is usually a limit to the number of pet dogs some can have ;)
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Unfortunately I have limited myself in terms of the numbers of dogs I have been able to own due to my careless habit of giving my rescue dogs a home for life (except for two sad cases due to my divorce) rather than treating them as commodities which are disposed of when I have no further use for them. My bad :p
 
Lévrier;12626620 said:
Unfortunately I have limited myself in terms of the numbers of dogs I have been able to own due to my careless habit of giving my rescue dogs a home for life (except for two sad cases due to my divorce) rather than treating them as commodities which are disposed of when I have no further use for them. My bad :p
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I'm sure you could have therapy to help you ;)
 
Great thread.

I had greyhounds from GRW years ago, two completely different types, we adored them. Fabulous family dogs :)
I never walked mine unmuzzled, and they never ran free unless it was on my own fenced property.

I had to give them up when I emigrated, handing them back to be rehomed as per the adoption agreement, sadly that was not a pleasant experience as GRW were horrid to me. I had had the dogs for years and they had never bothered to check on them, I sponsored classes at fundraising show, I gave them free rosettes for their shows and promotions and when it broke my heart trying to do the right thing I was accused of being heartless and abandoning them. Being accused publicly in their monthly newsletter was very upsetting. They think I liked giving up my pets?

April2007016.jpg
 
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I had the same when I had to hand back two of mine Enfys when I got divorced - in my case no-one said anything explicitly, but there were numerous comments about people would rather live in cardboard boxes than give up their dogs etc. Sometimes rescue people can be over-zealous I guess :(

Lovely picture, I wish mine would lie together but they are really anti-social :D
 
Enfys said:
Great thread.

I had greyhounds from GRW years ago, two completely different types, we adored them. Fabulous family dogs :)
I never walked mine unmuzzled, and they never ran free unless it was on my own fenced property.

I had to give them up when I emigrated, handing them back to be rehomed as per the adoption agreement, sadly that was not a pleasant experience as GRW were horrid to me. I had had the dogs for years and they had never bothered to check on them, I sponsored classes at fundraising show, I gave them free rosettes for their shows and promotions and when it broke my heart trying to do the right thing I was accused of being heartless and abandoning them. Being accused publicly in their monthly newsletter was very upsetting. They think I liked giving up my pets?

April2007016.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh dear I have just rehomed a dog from them.
 
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I have 3 sighthounds (although mine are Saluki and Whippet not GH) so really like my lurchers. I have to say though yesterday I experienced just how dreadful some "rescues" are when it comes to rehoming dogs.

I had just finished teaching and was heading home when I was flagged down but a lady I know asking if I could help catch a stray dog. The dog in question was a Spanish Galgo and has slipped her lead and the owners were unable to catch her.

It transpired that the owners had only had said dog for 8 days and had gotten her from a rescue dedicated to Greyhounds. He was 80 and diabetic. She was 78.
This dog was found on the streets in Spain and "saved". Donations were given and the dog brought to the UK with 3 others for rehoming.
Somehow it was deemed that this couple were a suitable match for this 2yr old dog.

The dog whilst appearing very sweet was completely terrified and hand shy. It came to light whilst talking to the owners that they can't even pet her in the house! They have never been able to even stroke her so far although she will follow the lady around the house and garden.
The lead (a slip lead) can only be put on when the dog in lying in her basket and then it is dropped like a noose around her neck.

So upshot is dog is loose and with no harness, collar or lead on. No interest in food or another dog - well not enough to get her close enough to capture anyway.
At one point the dog panicked and changed direction and ran straight into the lake where it appeared to get into difficulties. One of the "rescuers" went in after the dog and made an attempt to grab the dog by the scruff and pull her back to shore. As soon as the dog could touch the ground again though she wriggled out of the hold and bit the woman holding her.

The dog ended up on a main road and the police were notified. In the end the dog was caught as the owners took their car up to the road where the traffic was now at a standstill and the exhausted dog jumped into the boot.

Such a range of emotions.

I'm pleased obviously that the dog was caught and is safe although I have reservations over her future if I'm completely honest.
The woman who she bit needed 22 stitches. It was a fear bite but it wasn't a warning nip.

How could any "rescue" put a dog like this with this couple? Whilst lovely they are completely out of their depth!

I gave them the number for the lurcher rescue that I support and whilst the dog didn't come from them I know the founder will offer them some help and advice and support should they ask for it.
I suggested they contacted the rescue that the dog had come from but they advised that it was just an office really and then the dogs go into kennels paid for by the donations.

I suggested that they should seek help with this dog and until she is no longer terrified of being in the house and garden I said that personally I wouldn't be trying to walk her. I suggested that the dog needs a collar and possibly a harness and potentially double leads as the thought of her getting loose again doesn't bear thinking about. This Sunday morning dog walk ended up with a 4hr rescue mission, paramedics and police!

The only one not to blame here was the poor dog :-(
 
That is why I personally wouldn't consider re-homing a galgo Baileybones - there is unspeakable cruelty that goes on towards these dogs I know, but they are often brought over here for re-homing by people without the necessary knowledge to care for them properly :(

It seems to me that a recurrent theme from this thread and QB's thread is that generally people don't have a problem with greyhounds (or other dogs) but do have a problem with rescue organisations; that is a great shame
 
Baileybones said:
I have 3 sighthounds (although mine are Saluki and Whippet not GH) so really like my lurchers. I have to say though yesterday I experienced just how dreadful some "rescues" are when it comes to rehoming dogs.

I had just finished teaching and was heading home when I was flagged down but a lady I know asking if I could help catch a stray dog. The dog in question was a Spanish Galgo and has slipped her lead and the owners were unable to catch her.

It transpired that the owners had only had said dog for 8 days and had gotten her from a rescue dedicated to Greyhounds. He was 80 and diabetic. She was 78.
This dog was found on the streets in Spain and "saved". Donations were given and the dog brought to the UK with 3 others for rehoming.
Somehow it was deemed that this couple were a suitable match for this 2yr old dog.

The dog whilst appearing very sweet was completely terrified and hand shy. It came to light whilst talking to the owners that they can't even pet her in the house! They have never been able to even stroke her so far although she will follow the lady around the house and garden.
The lead (a slip lead) can only be put on when the dog in lying in her basket and then it is dropped like a noose around her neck.

So upshot is dog is loose and with no harness, collar or lead on. No interest in food or another dog - well not enough to get her close enough to capture anyway.
At one point the dog panicked and changed direction and ran straight into the lake where it appeared to get into difficulties. One of the "rescuers" went in after the dog and made an attempt to grab the dog by the scruff and pull her back to shore. As soon as the dog could touch the ground again though she wriggled out of the hold and bit the woman holding her.

The dog ended up on a main road and the police were notified. In the end the dog was caught as the owners took their car up to the road where the traffic was now at a standstill and the exhausted dog jumped into the boot.

Such a range of emotions.

I'm pleased obviously that the dog was caught and is safe although I have reservations over her future if I'm completely honest.
The woman who she bit needed 22 stitches. It was a fear bite but it wasn't a warning nip.

How could any "rescue" put a dog like this with this couple? Whilst lovely they are completely out of their depth!

I gave them the number for the lurcher rescue that I support and whilst the dog didn't come from them I know the founder will offer them some help and advice and support should they ask for it.
I suggested they contacted the rescue that the dog had come from but they advised that it was just an office really and then the dogs go into kennels paid for by the donations.

I suggested that they should seek help with this dog and until she is no longer terrified of being in the house and garden I said that personally I wouldn't be trying to walk her. I suggested that the dog needs a collar and possibly a harness and potentially double leads as the thought of her getting loose again doesn't bear thinking about. This Sunday morning dog walk ended up with a 4hr rescue mission, paramedics and police!

The only one not to blame here was the poor dog :-(
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I have a feeling I know which rescue this would be & sadly they’re still operating in the same way.
 
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