Retired racing greyhounds

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/advice/guide.html

This url is from the State of New Jersey. Hopefully it has some good advice for you.

Greyhounds are beautiful animals. There was a group in Florida who took their rescued animals to the track in Tampa so folks could interact with them. Best of luck, and thanks from an animal lover!

I really want a dog and I"m thinking of going this route. I mean it's a few years down the road but I like to plan ahead

No greyhounds, but we've rescued two dogs so far.

Most important consideration is training. Plan on joining an obedience school almost immediately.

Cow Hooves - These are safer than rawhide and satisfy the chewing urge.

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Um, not sure why they're safer except ours tend to choke on the rawhide if it hasn't chewed it small enough, but cow hooves STINK!

A friend of mine adopted one. She called him her "fifty-mile-an-hour couch potato."

The one thing she learned the hard way was that she couldn't have cats around him. Cats are too much like the mechanical rabbits they're trained to chase on the track and he went after the neighbor's cat like a shot (fortunately the cat was next to the fence and got away, but still).

Not all greyhounds are trained that way and I understand there is a "training-breaking" they can do to keep them from chasing small furry things at top speed. If you have cats or neighbors have outdoor cats, I'd check into it. No reason not to get a greyhound, but it is something to be aware of.

DeleyanLee said:

The one thing she learned the hard way was that she couldn't have cats around him. Cats are too much like the mechanical rabbits they're trained to chase on the track and he went after the neighbor's cat like a shot (fortunately the cat was next to the fence and got away, but still).

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Pretty much all dogs will chase a cat, especially if its in their yard. They are the size of a prey animal.

Cats - Introduce your greyhound to your cat indoors with the greyhound muzzled and leashed. Hold the leash in your hand. Leave the cat on the floor.

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Shadow_Ferret said:

Pretty much all dogs will chase a cat, especially if its in their yard. They are the size of a prey animal.

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Actually it depends on the upbringing and training of the dog. Our dogs (lab mix, beagle mix and pure beagle) were raised with cats, so cats in the yard only get trailed, sounded (for the beagles) and attempt to play with. Cats running away from them just confuses the daylights out of them. Cats are family and should play with them, after all. You can see it on their confused little doggie faces.

Rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks in the yard, OTOH, get trailed and chased if they run, with plenty of noise in the offering. Those are prey animals.

*shrug* my experience, at least.

My best friend rescued two. One later died (much later - he was a good pet for a long time, but had a seizure disorder). I found them to be relaxed, sweet natured and intelligent dogs. Other than the occasional need to sprint, they pretty much just laid around the house all day.

We had one for several years, she died when my son was under a year old. Some of them are safe around cats. Ours actually cohabited very well with 5 cats, but the first day she came home she curiosly took a bite out of one, and that resulted in some stress and a couple of stitches for the cat (most of the stress was mine, but the cat wasn't happy either).

They are very sweet and beautiful but they can be needy and high maintenance, and I know lots of dogs are, but these can pose dangers to themselves, you have to be sure they can never take off running or they will never find their way home.

The folks that I know that have had them have said that a well fenced yard is essential. They are very beautiful dogs, and I commend you on thinking of adopting.

My friend with the retired greyhounds has a cat. They don't chase her.

We had a retired racer for 10 years--she passed away at the ripe old age of 12 and we just loved her. Slept with my cats. Couple things you must know:

They can NEVER be let off their leash, unless your yard is completely fenced. They WILL bolt and you WON'T catch them. Our girl got away from me a week before she died and you would've thought she was a pup.

The initial training period is different than that of other dogs. Grey rescues will never have been in a house, so you have to teach them about stairs and windows. They are often a little hard to house break, and a crate is a must.

Look for the book, "Adopting the Racing Greyhound" and read it cover to cover before making your decision. These are fantastic dogs, but have quirks unique to the breed that aren't for everyone. As much as we loved our girl, we opted not to get another greyhound after she died.

=D One of my relatives takes care of retired greyhounds. I only ever saw hers at our family reunion but they were so low-key and gentle!
Being retired I suppose they aren't as active as they once were, if that's an issue.