I cannot recommend Greyhounds enough as pets

fits

They are walked muzzled as they need to be raced muzzled and they have to be accustomed to wearing one!
No law or need for it otherwise.

ISDW

Tranceypoo wrote: »

Re the muzzling, my understanding is that greyhounds who are kept as running greyhounds have to be muzzled when out being exercised in public, pet greyhounds don't.

No muzzles required, but they must be on a lead, and nobody is allowed to be in control of more than 4 in a public place

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1986/en/act/pub/0032/sec0010.html#sec10

In Northern Ireland they have to be muzzled in public.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1950/13?view=plain

borderlinemeath

TooManyDogs wrote: »

Like Toulouse said some have prey drive but as far as I'm aware greyhounds have to be muzzled by law, nothing to do with being aggressive.

I think it's only if they are being walked in multiples, ie when racing greys are getting walked they must be muzzled and can only be walked in groups of 4 or less. I don't think a single pet greyhound must be muzzled. I could be wrong though:p

boomerang

Nope, muzzling not required by law. It's a common misconception. They do have to be walked on a strong lead in public though, and not by someone less than 16 years of age, if I remember rightly.

To my knowlesge the reason they're muzzled when walked together is that if a row breaks out they can do awful damage to one another as they are thin skinned and have so little body fat. And if it means they can't race for a few months...

boomerang

Oh and I adopted my first greyhound this year and even though I'd known all the positives about greys as pets for years beforehand, it really didn't hit home until Josie arrived. She's incredible!

Totally lovable
Lazier than me - some achievement
Loves to snooze all day
Doesn't bark much (unless excited)
Doesn't shed
A joy to walk on the lead
Gets on with every dog she meets
Loves small children
Placid
REALLY easy to train as she's very foodie

boxerly

Lizabellem wrote: »

Nah, its only the way the breeders of the racers walk with them.

They actually are cat friendly !

That is a VERY sweeping statement .My cat was attacked and almost killed by one I was fostering.He was here about 4 months.You have to be very very careful with them as unfortunately ye dont know their background.They were trained to chase and in some cases they can chase,catch and kill.They are lovely dogs and I always wanted one but Im still paying off a vet bill of 863 and cat isnt in the best of health:(.I take full responsibility for what happened,I was walking him on a lead but with no muzzle.My cat stepped out from the side and well I wont go into details but ............lets just say,please if you have small animals make sure they are tested before you take one xx

bernard0368

I have two, the male is a collie-grey and the bitch a saluki-grey. Fantastic dogs but both are very different.

Male - Bitch
Des not shed - Sheds like mad all year.
Hyper - You nearly have to drag her out of bed
Loves people - Aloof couldn't give a damn for outsiders
Loves to run- Only if she has too.
Cant stay still - Sleeps more than a teenager
Gets on with dogs - Like people she could not care.

Common to both,Rescues, loyal, loving, great on the lead, great with the kids, do not bark. They both have high prey drive and have realised that working as a team gets better results. It can be a joy to watch them interact she will go try flush out the rabbits knowing the male has the greater chance of catching it. They are not working dogs but I let them do what they are bred for every so often.

Vel

boxerly wrote: »

That is a VERY sweeping statement .My cat was attacked and almost killed by one I was fostering.He was here about 4 months.You have to be very very careful with them as unfortunately ye dont know their background.They were trained to chase and in some cases they can chase,catch and kill.They are lovely dogs and I always wanted one but Im still paying off a vet bill of 863 and cat isnt in the best of health:(.I take full responsibility for what happened,I was walking him on a lead but with no muzzle.My cat stepped out from the side and well I wont go into details but ............lets just say,please if you have small animals make sure they are tested before you take one xx

Sorry to hear about your cat Was the dog assessed by the rescue you were fostering him for as being cat friendly?

boxerly

Vel wrote: »

Sorry to hear about your cat Was the dog assessed by the rescue you were fostering him for as being cat friendly?

Nope :(his trainer and owner was sending him and his brother to the pound so they needed foster asap.Poor dog was in an awful state at first:(.I dont blame him at all its the way they have been trained,used and abused .He came out of his shell after a few weeks and was such a lovable lad .Greys are beautiful dogs and if I didnt have cats or chickens he would have stayed.He used to sleep on his back with his paws in the air hehe.He even came on holidays with us and was amazed to see the sea and feel the sand on his feet:).Greys are treated so bad in this country its terrible

boxerly

boxerly wrote: »

Nope :(his trainer and owner was sending him and his brother to the pound so they needed foster asap.Poor dog was in an awful state at first:(.I dont blame him at all its the way they have been trained,used and abused .He came out of his shell after a few weeks and was such a lovable lad .Greys are beautiful dogs and if I didnt have cats or chickens he would have stayed.He used to sleep on his back with his paws in the air hehe.He even came on holidays with us and was amazed to see the sea and feel the sand on his feet:).Greys are treated so bad in this country its terrible

What makes you say greyhounds are treated badly? Any I've seen at the track are looked after better than humans. They are fed the best, kept warm, exercised, massaged, regular vet checks. They feel the sand under their feet at tracks, so that's why they like it at the seaside.

boxerly

Deleted User wrote: »

What makes you say greyhounds are treated badly? Any I've seen at the track are looked after better than humans. They are fed the best, kept warm, exercised, massaged, regular vet checks. They feel the sand under their feet at tracks, so that's why they like it at the seaside.

Take a visit to a rescue :)Ive been fostering for 7 years and have seen so much cruelty especially with greys.Once they finish racing alot are killed, dumped sent to pounds etc.There are some owners who keep them but majority dont.This is not my opinion its fact and ask any rescue centre or pound in this country and they will tell you the same.

Dirk Gently

Deleted User wrote: »

What makes you say greyhounds are treated badly? Any I've seen at the track are looked after better than humans. They are fed the best, kept warm, exercised, massaged, regular vet checks.

For a couple of years while they're young anyway, until they're dumped in pounds or shot.

TooManyDogs

boxerly wrote: »

Take a visit to a rescue :)Ive been fostering for 7 years and have seen so much cruelty especially with greys.Once they finish racing alot are killed, dumped sent to pounds etc.There are some owners who keep them but majority dont.This is not my opinion its fact and ask any rescue centre or pound in this country and they will tell you the same.

And don't forget the ones that don't make it to the race track and 'disappear'??? Isn't there something like 8,000 disappear each year? They're registered with IGB but are never raced and never appear anywhere else

Magenta

TooManyDogs wrote: »

And don't forget the ones that don't make it to the race track and 'disappear'??? Isn't there something like 8,000 disappear each year? They're registered with IGB but are never raced and never appear anywhere else

They are shipped off to Spain where regulations are less strict about how healthy a dog has to be to race. Or they get shot. I think the figure is closer to 20,000.

Zillah

Over a year ago a friend of mine that was visiting from the US showed me a picture of his dog and I was noticeably disappointed because it was a greyhound and I thought she looked a bit mank being so scrawny. A couple months ago I met her and she was the sweetest, most gentle and friendly dog in the world, and I think she is great, and I think when I'm in a position to get a dog I might get a greyhound rescue.

morton

Thought you might like this photo I saw someone posted on the 'sighthound strolls' Facebook page. They raise awareness of the plight of sighthounds through their site and their walks . I haven't been able to go on these walks but look forward to it someday so I can see and mingle with these gentle giants!

I don't have greyhounds but multiple of the smaller version of them like the photo, whippets , a.k.a mini couch potatoes:D

CleoD

Deleted User wrote: »

What makes you say greyhounds are treated badly? Any I've seen at the track are looked after better than humans. They are fed the best, kept warm, exercised, massaged, regular vet checks. They feel the sand under their feet at tracks, so that's why they like it at the seaside.

This is wrong information unfortunately, I foster for a greyhound rescue and the dogs that come in are not in any way looked after. Thousands upon thousands are bred every year for racing, and the ones that dont make the cut are culled, have their ears cut off to prevent identification or let loose to roam. Check out any of the animal welfare websites, there is one that protests regularly at greyhound tracks due to the cruelty. I used to love going to the dogs and was of the same oipinion as you, but since I began working with the rescue and learned about it, I refuse to go or contribute in any way to the owners greedy pockets. And its due to greyhound racing and the hold that they have over the government that there has been no legislation regarding puppy farms. Racing tracks are bad news all round.

With regard to the OP, I have had both greyhounds and lurchers living here and they are the most amazing dogs. Each and every one of them have been a pleasure to have had under my roof and when I am in the position of being able to adopt permanently they are a dog that I will definitely be taking. Such gentle classy dogs.

chris2008x

Why was the OP banned, man in a dress?

Nody

chris2008x wrote: »

Why was the OP banned, man in a dress?

Shilling appearantly (post 19 is the explanation of the ban by Gordon; the ban is based on post 5 I'd guess).

"Thousands upon thousands are bred every year for racing, and the ones that dont make the cut are culled, have their ears cut off to prevent identification or let loose to roam. Check out any of the animal welfare websites, there is one that protests regularly at greyhound tracks due to the cruelty."

Do you have actual proof of this, or is it just hearsay? Greyhounds can be traced through their DNA. They were always traceable from their tatoos, but due to an incident of a greyhound having its ears mutulated to hide these, DNA was introduced. This has been done for the past 10 years or so. I live in the countryside and have never seen any dog, let alone a greyhound roaming loose. Animal welfare groups make a nice living from the grants they get both from the Government and Greyhound Board. Some have the sole aim to close down greyhound racing, but they'll be the loosers when these grants are stopped.

Do you know the most famous greyhound in the world? Santas Little Helper on the Simpsons!

i71jskz5xu42pb

Deleted User wrote: »

Animal welfare groups make a nice living

I lost it at this point.

Braylon Greasy Comma

Braylon Greasy Comma wrote: »

I lost it at this point.

You got the gist of it so!:)

ISDW

Deleted User wrote: »

"Thousands upon thousands are bred every year for racing, and the ones that dont make the cut are culled, have their ears cut off to prevent identification or let loose to roam. Check out any of the animal welfare websites, there is one that protests regularly at greyhound tracks due to the cruelty."

Do you have actual proof of this, or is it just hearsay? Greyhounds can be traced through their DNA. They were always traceable from their tatoos, but due to an incident of a greyhound having its ears mutulated to hide these, DNA was introduced. This has been done for the past 10 years or so. I live in the countryside and have never seen any dog, let alone a greyhound roaming loose. Animal welfare groups make a nice living from the grants they get both from the Government and Greyhound Board. Some have the sole aim to close down greyhound racing, but they'll be the loosers when these grants are stopped.

Do you have actual proof of this? gosh, I wish i made a nice living from being involved in animal welfare, instead of it costing me all the time. Hmmm, maybe I could afford to have the heating on during the day instead of a couple of hours at night. such an extragavant life that i lead.

I also live in the countryside and see dogs roaming loose every single day. An incident of a greyhound having its ears mutiliated? A single incident, seriously? I think I'd like to move to where you live, sounds like a lovely place to live, all dogs being kept responsibly, none out roaming, obviously not in ireland

ISDW

ISDW wrote: »

Do you have actual proof of this? gosh, I wish i made a nice living from being involved in animal welfare, instead of it costing me all the time. Hmmm, maybe I could afford to have the heating on during the day instead of a couple of hours at night. such an extragavant life that i lead.

I also live in the countryside and see dogs roaming loose every single day. An incident of a greyhound having its ears mutiliated? A single incident, seriously? I think I'd like to move to where you live, sounds like a lovely place to live, all dogs being kept responsibly, none out roaming, obviously not in ireland

Obviously different parts of the Country! Seriously, though, how many cases of greyhounds with their ears mutilated have there been? I know one is too many, but has anyone actually seen more? What about the DNA? I thought that was a requirement for all greyhounds? Don't they have a database, so any mutilated dogs can be traced? I don't want to get in to an quarrel about pros and cons, just would like to see actual proof before painting all greyhound followers with the same brush.

Magenta

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't want to get in to an quarrel about pros and cons, just would like to see actual proof before painting all greyhound followers with the same brush.

Now Maryanne, you didn't bother getting any proof before tarring all animal welfare groups with the same brush.

Magenta

Magenta wrote: »

Now Maryanne, you didn't bother getting any proof before tarring all animal welfare groups with the same brush.

Touche, Magenta! Sorry, point taken.

toadfly

Maryanne are you really that naive to think that when a greyhounds "career" finishes that he spends the rest of his days being cared for and part of the family as a pet? Or that the pups that aren't good enough racers are kept as pets if a good home isnt found?

I'm pretty sure that many do 'disappear'. But the impression given is that they all have their ears mutilated beforehand.
The point I am trying to get across and maybe I am being naive, but if there is a database of all DNA, surely the mutilating of ears is of no benefit to the owner? Some welfare organisations get grants to home ex racers. Is the best value being got for this money? Are the dearest Vets being used or do they shop around?
There is an article in the Irish Times about how much CEO's of charitys get in salary each year. Is the same true for animal charities?

toadfly

I have no idea about a DNA database, I have never heard of one existing but I dont know much about the industry.

CEO's/staff of some animal rescues would be paid (mainly DSPCA, Dogs Trust, the bigger well known rescues) but the smaller/homerun rescues dont get paid. They get an annual grant from the government but doesnt amount to much at all and is a tiny percentage of the overall running costs of a rescue.