Greyhound Rescue??

golden egg · Post by **golden egg** » 23 Oct 2008, 20:38

Hey all,

really really really want to find out any info on rescuing a retired racing greyhound - but know little about it...

does anyone know anything - such as any organisations, how the dogs are treated etc?

many thanks - Paddy.

jo68 · Post by **jo68** » 23 Oct 2008, 20:52

hi paddy

i have rescued 2 greyhounds in the past one was a stray found in wales the other was retired from racing.

we got them from greyhound rescue west of england i know that is nowhere near you but im sure there will be a place close.

they came to my house and checked us out then we had to wait for the right dog to come along, as we had cats and kids we needed one that would not chase or be scared of the children )t'

our first one gypsy was by far the best dog iv ever had she was kind loved the kids and cats she was great on and off the lead,but she had an accident and died that was 7 years ago (i still miss her)

then we had charly 3 years later when i felt ready for another he was a lovely dog but didnt like the kids much and was bed obsessed so we could not trust him he was better off with just one person so he had to go back to grwe sadly.
i could not face getting anotherone so after 4 years we now have a jack russell
if i didnt have kids or cats i would love another greyhound they are lovely loyal dogs.

jo x

Post by **wendy** » 23 Oct 2008, 21:29

There is an organisation over here

www.retiredgreyhounds.co.uk they may be able to help.

They are such a lovely breed. Spencer rehomes quite a lot as he works for Battersea Dogs and Cats home.
We will have one the next dog, everything is at such a convenient level as well. Beautiful dogs.
Wendy

jo68 · Post by **jo68** » 23 Oct 2008, 21:35

hi again

my Gypsy used to try and sit on my lap like the cat and one day i caught her trying to get in the cat bed :shock:

i forgot to say that when both my greyhounds first came home they had never seen stairs so didnt know how to go up or down them we had to teach them how to do it as we had a 3 story house with the sitting room on the middle floor.

jo x

Dave · Post by **Dave** » 24 Oct 2008, 03:11

my mate runs a greyhound rehomeing kennel
he always has about 14 dogs in stock
as soon as one goes he gets another one in
he has been involved with the rehomeing program
for a few years
but he has only had his kennel for about a year
well his wife runs it he has just built and payed for it :shock:

Post by **Mad Chick** » 24 Oct 2008, 12:06

Mu Mum has mentioned rehoming a greyhound. She looked into it before she rescued her last dog, however, she was told that as she lives and walks in the woods that are full of rabbits, deer and monkjacks, that a greyhound would be unsuitable.
Can they be trained out of their chasing instincts? Or is it a case of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" confused>

They are lovely dogs...

Lucy x

Dave · Post by **Dave** » 24 Oct 2008, 12:13

you can mussle them
i might be wrong but
i think if you let a greyhound off the lead you are surposed to mussle them

jo68 · Post by **jo68** » 24 Oct 2008, 13:03

hi

dave your right my friend has one and if shes taking him for a walk in the field she muzzels him, i didnt need to with Gypsy she wasnt a chaser but Charly i did and i couldnt let him off the lead if he saw somthing small he was gone they have very good sight.

jo x

Post by **wendy** » 24 Oct 2008, 15:08

Some they can train the chase out of them, some they can't. Some have to wear muzzle's some don't. It is the dog.
I have a girl that comes to my classes that can get her greyhound to drop to the floor, on command, if he chases squirrels. With a lot of training you can get them under control. But you need a lot of time and a good sense of humour....they are a hound.
Wendy

bluebell · Post by **bluebell** » 24 Oct 2008, 19:56

I LOVE Greyhounds. They are the Rolls Royce of dogs when walking, running is a completely different matter! :shock:

chickenchaser · Post by **chickenchaser** » 25 Oct 2008, 10:16

A family up the road from me have a beautiful, good natured greyhound but when she saw my cat she caught him and shook him like a rat.

She'd never done anything like it before.

The owner was very apologetic and offered to cover any vet bills but Dusky was never the same again.

I don't thinkl they can be trusted without a muzzle. They're just following their instincts.

bluebell · Post by **bluebell** » 25 Oct 2008, 11:19

Jackie - remember the guy from the Greyhound Rescue - Beastly Hounds - he has a website. Just google them.

thehenhouse · Post by **thehenhouse** » 27 Oct 2008, 20:57

My brother and his wife have recently rehomed a retired greyhound.

They did come to visit he was an absolute poppit. Sop quiet and didnt bark!! they said cause he had been trained not too... a gentle giant sized beast.. he got on well with our dog.. and th eonlt problem was chasing our cats..we had to kinda seperate them .. after all thats his nature.

cats werent too happy.. but better that then.... no cat!

The didnt let him off the lead as they hadnt had him long, cause of the chasing thing....but were going too soon. And yes his eyesight was amaizing.. not just his eyesight his hearing also seemed pretty good.

whereas our bearded collie cross.. we see the rabbits before him.. lol )ot:

good luck, maggi :-D

let us know how you get on ...

Post by Mo » 28 Oct 2008, 12:23

thehenhouse wrote:
The didnt let him off the lead as they hadnt had him long, cause of the chasing thing....but were going too soon. ...

I don't know much about dogs, Wendy is the expert

But I wonder whether the chasing can be reliably trained out at this stage. Not only is it their nature, but it has been the object of their lives and training up to now, as a racer.

Post by **wendy** » 28 Oct 2008, 14:20

I think you need to first of all let him off somewhere like a tennis court. So you can see what his recall is like.
I know the chasing bit is a worry, even with a muzzle on they can hurt a small animal if they catch it.
But more of a problem is getting the little devil back. Some of them will just run and run, that is why the race track is fully enclosed. It is a hound and that is what they are bred to do. I had someone with an Afghan Hound that got off and they found him, eventually, 6 miles away.
Not worth the risk until they have really worked on a recall.
Also if he is a cat chaser, which it seems, not wise anywhere near where cats could possibly be.
Wendy