Nov
11

Category Archives: Adopt

Please find information about Greyhound Adoption and some of the lovely greyhounds we have looking for a forever home.

Choosing a Boy or Girl Greyhound

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Greyhound dog or greyhound bitch

Are you thinking about greyhound adoption? Have you already decided that you want a bitch? Then you won’t be alone, many people are of the same mindset and unfortunately that choice is often at the expense of the equally deserving greyhound males.

Please take a moment to read on and perhaps when you have finished you might just be a little more open minded about the sex of your potential new greyhound pet.

A common problem within greyhound rescue and rehoming organisations is that the greyhound boys are far harder to rehome than the greyhound girls. Sometimes a greyhound male will see a “production line” of ever changing female kennel mates arrive and be successfully re-homed before his turn finally comes.

Why are the boys harder to home?

Many people might have a pre-conceived beliefs that the girls will be easier and more pleasant to have in the home. Below is a summary of opinions expressed about the boy or girl issue:-

Greyhound bitches are more gentle or loving than the greyhound dogs

This belief is incorrect. There are huge variations in both behaviour and temperament in greyhounds individually. It is therefore unfair to judge based on a greyhound’s sex alone. There are gentle boys and girls, there are extremely affectionate boys and girls and equally there are also some “real handful” greyhound girls and boys.

A greyhound bitch will be less “keen” than a greyhound dog

Simply untrue. There are greyhound boys and girls that are easy to detrain around other breeds of dog and sometimes cats too. There are also several “keen” greyhound bitches and dogs, both of which will require hard work and re-training in order to become safe around other animals.

“I’ve always had female dogs and it’s a female I want again”

A commonly heard phrase. It can sometimes also apply to the males and for that most greyhound homing centres are extremely grateful.

A greyhound dog will be too big and strong

This too is a very generalised opinion. There are size and strength variations amongst the boys and amongst the girls too. There are gentle and easy to walk boys and girls, there are some real “powerhouse” bitches and dogs. Strength and ease of walking out does not relate directly to a greyhound’s size. There are small sized, but incredibly strong greyhounds and there are some huge greyhounds that are extremely easy and pleasant to walk.

A male greyhound will be oversexed or suffer the “wanderlust”

This is possible, every breed of dog will have its share of overtly sexual males, but it is a very rare in greyhounds.There is an effective cure available – castration. Castration (given time for the dog’s hormones to settle) will remove all sexual urges, but it won’t change the character of your dog. Castration is a far less risky and costly operation than that of spaying a bitch.

Greyhound bitches can also suffer from “hormonal moments” and until they are spayed you have the potential problems of changes in temperament, the desire to mate or create a “nest”, the unpleasant mess of a season, the bother of neighbourhood dogs being attracted to your bitch and the worry of a major operation combined with a comparitively more expensive veterinary bill.

Other points worth considering:-

The big greyhound boys are commonly known as the “gentle giants”.

The male greyhound will cause less urine damage to lawns than the female. Boys prefer to mark higher places and the boundaries of their territory. Therefore hedges, fences and trees are favoured above short mown grass.

Bitches can’t physically mark high places and therefore tend to use what is convenient – your lawn. A female’s urine is more concentrated than a male’s and it does cause unsightly burn marks on lawns. However a male with a female companion will overmark wherever the bitch has “been”, so this argument does not apply if you have a bitch already in residence.

A sweeping generalisation perhaps, but one that has been noticed within multiple greyhound households particularly. If the main carer is going to be a woman, it is most often the greyhound boys who form the deepest bond to her. If the main carer is a man, it tends to be the greyhound girls that form the deepest bond with him.

If you have a dog or bitch at home already the ideal combination for a second canine would be one boy and one girl. However some boys can live happily with other boys as can some girls live happily with other girls. There are though bitches as well as dogs that will not accept living with a same sex companion. For households with multiple canines it is better to adopt the dog or bitch who “fits in” the best with your existing pack and that could be a male or a female.

Please do consider the boys as well as the girls and not judge any greyhound’s ability to make a wonderful pet on his or her sex alone. The boys are equally deserving of their chance to experience family life.

Greyhound with Special Needs »

About Greyhound Collars

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Looking at different greyhound collars

Options to consider if a greyhound collar alone is not giving you good control of your greyhound. The following article is based on my own personal experience of exercising my own four pet greyhounds and a variety of very different and then unadopted/unsocialised greyhounds over the past few years. Comments made are my opinions only, applying to control aids that I have used personally. There may be other options available that are, as yet un-tested by myself, but which also work well.

by Marie Harris – Greyhound Lifeline

Please note that the majority of greyhounds are well mannered on a lead and require nothing more than a greyhound collar (plus muzzle until your greyhound is 100% reliable) to walk them safely and easily.
greyhound collar
There are a few greyhounds however that it is not so easy to maintain control of. Perhaps they are consistently strong, perhaps they are unpredictable or perhaps your greyhound is a fearful one that when frightened by something can become a “Houdini” style escape artist.

Even a nicely mannered greyhound can change from being a “dream on a lead” into a contestant for Mr Universe crossed with a circus acrobat if he/she sights a squirrel or cat for example. If your greyhound has any of the above problems or reactions then this page could help you find an aid to control that suits you. Please note that all the suggestions below work well in conjunction with a greyhound muzzle and can be used either on their own or in conjunction with a greyhound collar.

Halti

Halti without a muzzle
halti without muzzle
Halti with a muzzle
halti with muzzle
A Halti is similar to a horses head collar, but designed specifically to fit a dog’s head. A size 2 is a good fit for most greyhounds. Once fitted correctly, I would personally recommend stitching the webbing to prevent the adjustment sliders moving over time.

Positive points of a Halti collar:

:: A kind method of control.

:: Excellent for a strong greyhound, a Halti reduces physical effort on your part considerably and makes it easy to control the direction of your dog. A Halti also minimises strain on any part of the greyhound’s body.

:: Gives excellent head control enabling you to prevent pouncing on un-suspecting sleeping cats in hedges etc.

:: Can be used with a greyhound collar or alone (once you are familiar with your dog’s reactions). If using a Halti with a collar you will either require 2 leads (the shorter on on the Halti and the longer one as a back up on the collar) or you could adapt a “couple” (designed to walk two dogs on one lead) by shortening the Halti end slightly. An adapted couple will allow you to utilise just one lead, but retain two forms of control.

:: Readily accepted by most greyhounds. The nose band of the Halti rests around the dog’s nose and likely feels similar to a muzzle which greyhounds are generally accustomed to wearing.

:: Easy to obtain either from your local pet shop or from internet suppliers.

Negative points of a Halti collar:

:: Not suitable for sole use on “head shakers”, fearful greyhounds or those who tend to back away. These types of dog can escape from a Halti.

Greyhound Harness

greyhound harness
A body harness can in my opinion be very useful to prevent neck injuries from pulling or jerking or on a greyhound who has previously suffered a neck or spinal injury although if this type of injury is known about I would suggest seeking the advice of your vet for a suitable method of walking out in the first instance. There are many different styles of harness available for greyhounds.

Positive points of a greyhound harness:

:: A kind method of control.

:: Good as a secondary method of control for the acrobatic dog, or a sole method for a well behaved dog.

:: Gives good control of the dog’s body.

:: Readily accepted by most greyhounds. Most don’t react at all to wearing a harness, a few are obviously comforted by the feeling of being “hugged” that a harness can offer.

:: If you have purchased the car seat belt variety of harness, it will have the dual purpose of preventing your greyhound becoming a 30kg missile in the event of a motoring accident and it is also ideal for people wanting their greyhound to travel safely when a fixed dog guard or cage is not available.

:: Easily obtained from many pet shops or online suppliers.

Negative points of a greyhound harness:

:: Not suitable for sole use on a determined “escape artist”. To date, I have been unable to find a harness that is 100% escape proof, although for the majority of normal greyhounds a harness would be sufficient.

:: Can rub a greyhound’s sensitive skin if not sufficiently soft or padded.

:: Roughly 2% of the greyhounds that I have walked out, refuse flat to walk anywhere wearing a harness.

:: A harness offers no control of your dog’s head.

Greyhound Canny Collar

canny collar without a muzzle
A Canny Collar is a neck collar fitted with an adjustable additional band that fits around the greyhound’s nose and tightens when pulled. A size 2 will fit most greyhounds. A size 3 will be too big for all but the very largest of greyhounds.

Important note – correct fitting of a Canny Collar is essential in order for the collar to do what it was designed to do. The collar should be snugly fitted just behind the greyhound’s ears with room for just two fingers to be comfortably inserted between the collar and the dog’s neck. Too loose and the dog may manage to slip out of it and too tight your dog could be gasping for air!

Positive points of a Canny Collar:

:: A kind method of control.

:: Excellent as the only form of control on all greyhounds or in addition to other methods if you prefer.

:: Gives excellent head control.

:: Ideal on a strong, fearful or acrobatic dogs.

:: Excellent for a strong dog, a Canny Collar reduces physical effort on your part considerably and makes it easy to control the direction of your dog. A Canny Collar also minimises strain on any part of the dog’s body.

:: Readily accepted by most greyhounds. The nose band of the Canny Collar rests around the dog’s nose and likely feels similar to a muzzle which greyhounds are generally accustomed to wearing.

:: Generally supplied with a 30 day money back guarantee, if you should not be pleased with the result.

Negative points of a Canny Collar:

:: Not easily obtained from pet shops, but a Canny Collar can be purchased from a selection of internet stockists and it often comes with a 30 day money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied.

harness halti collar and canny

A Cautionary note:

Please never use a flexi or retractable/extending lead on a greyhound. These leads are highly dangerous for greyhounds regardless of whether they are attached to a collar, a harness, a Halti or a Canny Collar and I believe this for the following reasons::

Please remember the speed capability of a greyhound 0-40mph+ in around 3 seconds! By the time you have reacted to your greyhound “taking off”, he/she has reached the end of the extending lead which could result in one of several possibilities:

:: Your greyhound could break it’s neck by coming to an abrupt stop by neck pressure alone. Your greyhound could also injure its neck or back as a direct result of the jarring caused by the abrupt stop.

:: You could suffer shoulder injury and lose your grip on the lead resulting in a trip to A & E, after of course you have once again found your greyhound and perhaps already taken him to the vet.

:: An extending lead case is held only by your fingers, you cannot wrap the case around your wrist as extra security against dropping it. A loose dog with extending lead attached could get caught on just about any obstruction and your greyhound could severely damage any part of his/her body trying to escape the “cheese wire” style lead wrapped around him.

:: Your greyhound could literally “run his/her heart out” trying to escape from the noisy and frightening bouncing thing that is clattering along behind him (the extending lead handle). Exhaustion, collapse and/or bleeding paws are a distinct possibility and that is not even allowing for the mental condition of the poor greyhound who has been utterly terrorised.

:: An extendable lead and case doing 40mph attached to a panic struck greyhound could do a tremendous amount of damage or injury to any persons, other animals or objects that are unfortunate enough to be whacked or lacerated by it as it speeds past.

Greyhounds as Pets

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Greyhounds make great pets!

greyhounds-make-great-pets

Greyhound Lifeline Greyhound Lifeline is an independent Retired Greyhound Rehoming group run by volunteers.

Our Mission is to find good pet homes for ex-racing greyhounds in the UK.

We have our own retired racing greyhounds to find homes for but we also assist other independent homing groups too wherever possible to place greyhounds into loving homes.

Our aim is to raise the public’s awareness that Greyhounds can and do make wonderful pets and to see as many retired greyhounds enjoying life as a much loved pet as we possibly can.

Our volunteers are dedicated to achieving the lifetime comfort and welfare of our greyhounds. They give of their time freely and are unpaid, often using their personal funds to ensure the comfort and health of the retired greyhounds in our care.

The future welfare of the greyhounds in our care is of paramount importance to us and as such, no adoption will proceed until a successful home check has been completed.

The Greyhound Lifeline Mission

Our reward as a team is purely that of being able to say “We have helped a greyhound to find its lifetime home.”

Greyhounds – Choosting a boy or girl »

Special Needs Greyhounds

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Adopting the Special Needs Greyhound

Let us first state that each and every greyhound is special and that they all deserve a long, comfortable, safe and happy future with their own families to love and care for them.

This feature however is aimed at benefiting those extra special greyhounds still waiting for home offers. These extra special greyhounds are likely to have “special needs” in some form or possibly they just don’t seem to “stand out” when people come to visit with a view to adoption and they are overlooked time and time again.

Examples of these “special needs” greyhounds could be:

  • The excessively timid or fearful greyhound
  • The over-exuberant “Zeberdee” greyhound
  • The exercise restricted greyhound
  • The older greyhound
  • The ‘keen’ greyhound
  • The not-so-handsome greyhound
  • The black greyhound
  • The big greyhound
  • The reticent greyhound
  • The un-mannered greyhound

Any or all of the above could be the cause of a greyhound not finding the home it deserves quickly. In some cases a particularly special or experienced “doggy home” will be a requirement for that dog or bitch to ever be adopted.

The timid or fearful greyhound

A greyhound like this will often benefit from several visits from his/her potential adopters to allow it time to get to know them a little and begin to trust them in an environment it is familiar with. It can also be extremely beneficial to the nervous dog to have another calmly confident dog in the household already.

The “dog to dog” bond will help the new and nervous arrival feel more secure and quite often the fearful dog will attach itself to the calm one as though he/she were a “security blanket”.

People considering the adoption of a fearful greyhound will need at huge amount of patience and understanding of the dog’s fears and they should not expect the dog to show its affection for them for a long time.

Depending on the extent of the dog’s fear it might take several months for your gentle encouragement to pay off and for you to receive that first wonderful nuzzle or cuddle from your nervous dog. Once the nervous greyhound does trust you however and it will come to you happily, you will get the most amazing sense of achievement for yourself and you will feel incredibly proud of your dog.

Each “little step” on the route of confidence building also gives you a happy “goose bump” sort of feeling. Please also be aware that there will always be the possibility that something you do may trigger an episode of panic and you and your greyhound may find your relationship taking several steps backwards again.

The “Zeberdee” Greyhound

People can find being faced with a greyhound who just does not seem to stop leaping and jumping at them extremely off-putting. Quite rightly so as on some occasions being jumped at can be painful or even cause injury if the dog unintentionally scratches, bruises or sends you falling to the ground.

Please bear in mind though that a dog in kennels is often incredibly pleased to see people. His/her leaping around is commonly just a case of pure uncontrollable excitement at the prospect of some “people time” and a bit of fun. Whilst a kennel environment does provide time and attention to each dog, it cannot do so to the same extent that a dog would enjoy if it were in a home, with daily remedial training and a family of it’s very own.

Try to see past the initial exuberance, give the dog sufficient time to settle down calmly and then get to know the dog. Never reward jumping up, it only encourages the action. Even persistent jumpers can be re-trained. Often just turning your back every time they jump up is sufficient to cure the problem. In other cases reward based training may help or the services of a dog trainer.

If the only thing stopping you from adopting a “Zeberdee” dog is it’s bounciness, do remember that it can be cured. Having said that a “Zeberdee” dog with young children is not necessarily a good idea, there might be too high a risk of the child being hurt or the child developing a lifetime fear of dogs from his/her experience.
Perhaps in this case a calmer greyhound would be the better choice.

The Exercise Restricted Greyhound

Occasionally there are greyhounds who for life will require limited or restricted forms of exercise. If you enjoy an active lifestyle then the injured or exercise restricted greyhound is probably not suited to you. If you are perhaps retired or just not into long hikes and are seeking a faithful companion animal then this greyhound may be the ideal companion for you.

Regardless of injury, greyhounds are loyal and gentle companions and they will adore just having someone of their one to keep company with.

The Older Greyhound

The older greyhound is not usually a difficult dog to find a home for from a behaviour or temperament point of view, but sometimes placing an older greyhound in a home can prove extremely difficult. Obviously people consider the length of time they may have with the dog, and the older greyhound obviously will have less time than a much younger dog.

However, the older dog is a deserving case, they want only decent meals, a little exercise and a lovely soft bed, some warmth and companionship so they can contentedly snooze most of the day away. The older greyhound may suffer from age related problems, perhaps his eyesight or hearing isn’t as good as it was, perhaps he suffers from arthritis or just aches and pains, but many of these problems can be alleviated effectively and quite cheaply.

Older greyhounds can make the most gentle of pets and they are often an ideal companion for people who just enjoy a gentle stroll around the park. They can also be great pets in family homes, making fewer demands on you than a younger one who may want more exercise and frequent playtimes.

If you have children however, the children must understand that an older greyhound will simply want to sleep for much of the day and not play ball or chase with them too often.

The “keen” greyhound

Greyhounds are members of the sight hound family, their instinct is if it moves, chase it. Most can be successfully re-trained so that smaller dogs or even cats do not trigger their chase instinct. Some however, will prove difficult in this respect and they may well need a very special family who are familiar with the chase instinct and who take every precaution to ensure no unfortunate incidents occur.

We strongly recommend using a greyhound muzzle for all outings with newly adopted greyhounds anyway, at least until you are 100% sure your greyhounds reaction to other breeds of dog is always friendly. For the particularly “keen” greyhound, people prepared to utilise a greyhound muzzle long term are essential. Additional forms of control are also recommended in some cases. Just because your new greyhound is keen, it does not mean you cannot enjoy the other aspects of his/her character to the full.

If you do adopt a “keen” greyhound seek help or advice from your rescue or homing organisation, consider socialisation or even one to one training and use every opportunity offered to get your greyhound familiar with other breeds. If necessary explain the situation to people you meet, ask for their help with socialising your dog and assure them that your dog is under control and muzzled so he/she really is totally harmless even if he/she appears to be aggressive.

Meeting feisty little dogs is often of great benefit to your greyhound and sometimes it helps them to realise that it doesn’t matter how large or small another dog is, it might have “attitude” too, a voice and it is therefore a dog requiring respect.

The not so pretty/handsome greyhound

Sometimes much like people, greyhounds are not always blessed with instant “wow” appeal. The not so handsome or pretty greyhound is often overlooked. OK, he or she may not be a beauty contest winner, but they, like all greyhounds have character and affection in abundance if people take the time to find it.

Please consider the not so attractive greyhound along with those with instant “wow” appeal. They have loving hearts too and just need the opportunity for their beautiful characters to shine through and snare you forever.

The black greyhounds

Unfortunately statistics prove that black greyhounds are the hardest to home. Why? A black greyhound in superb condition is absolutely stunning. A black greyhound in need of some T.L.C. is unfortunately not so stunning and they can look far worse than other colours.

Having a black coat means that curable problems like dandruff, bald patches or simply a winter coat can be off-putting, everything seems to show more on a black coat. Give a black greyhound a chance and a few months of grooming, possibly cod liver or evening primrose oil (to improve dandruff and general coat condition) and before long you will have a gleaming, shiny stunner.

Black greyhounds seem to predominate the greyhound world and unfortunately some people associate black dogs (like cats) with evil, others find them too common and want something a little more unusual. There are many varied reasons why a black greyhound can be overlooked for adoption.

Please give the black boys and girls a chance and judge them more on character than coat colour. None of us had any say in the colour of hair we were born with, nor do greyhounds.

The big greyhound

Sadly a lot of people only want a small greyhound, they feel that a big one will take up too much room or perhaps be too strong for them. Well, if your space truly is that limited then maybe a smaller greyhound is essential in your circumstances, but many people would be surprised at how small even a big greyhound can become when it curls into a sleepy ball.

The big guys/girls can indeed have a problem finding a home, but there are a few homes out there that only want a big greyhound. We have known particularly tall people want a tall dog (they feel they would look silly with a little one), we know people that have always had large or giant breed dogs before and truly adore the big ‘uns.

Again, we suggest you do not pre-judge any greyhound. Take the time to meet them and make a decision based on not just the size of the dog or bitch, but on the overall “greyhound appeal” that dog gives you.

The reticent greyhound

Often an individual greyhound fails to “sell itself” to people. It might be reserved, aloof or careful about showing affection to people. These types of greyhound are often the ones that show outstanding loyalty to those people who have taken the time to know them.

Even in homing kennels there are greyhounds that initially “do nothing” for the helpers, but given a few more meetings and a chance for the dog to show it’s real character, those dogs frequently become the favourites.

For the reserved or non-demonstrative greyhound it often pays off to pay a few visits to him/her and truly get to know the dog before making a decision. Very often a greyhound will pick it’s own home and sometimes an aloof greyhound will transform into a “cuddle bunny” when he/she decides the right family has finally arrived to adopt him/her.

The “unmannered” greyhound

On occasion you may find a greyhound who has failed to learn any walking manners whatsoever. This is rare, but it does happen. These greyhounds too, often find it hard to find a home. A strong greyhound is by no means impossible to manage if you have the right aids to help you and the determination to succeed.

Our Greyhound Collars page would be useful reading for this type of dog. Perhaps this type of greyhound is not suitable for the older folks or the children to walk and if the dog really is too strong for you to manage safely then look for one less determined to take you off your feet.

By using aids like a Canny Collar or Halti in addition to a standard greyhound collar and lead even the strongest of dogs can be handled with minimal physical effort until you have succeeded in teaching them some basic manners. Perhaps you could train him/her yourself, perhaps you would benefit from the assistance of a dog trainer.

In all cases regardless of the dog’s age, they can all learn to walk along politely. Once achieved, you and your greyhound can then both enjoy your walks out without worrying about sore, aching muscles or a stiff and bruised neck. Patience and consistency really pays dividends with the unmannered greyhound.

Summary

We hope this feature has helped to “open your eyes” to those greyhounds who do not necessarily have the instant appeal of some of their companions and that perhaps if your circumstances are right you might give consideration to adopting one of the harder to home greyhounds.

If you have any questions please leave a comment, thanks.

Greyhound Frequently Asked Questions »