Greyhounds

[wolflady]

Originally posted by Logan

Staci, your memories of Shai brought tears to my eyes this morning. I still miss her too, just knowing how much you loved her. I know that one day, Keegan will bring you that much joy, but never replace your Shaianne.

I was just thinking the same thing after reading your post, Staci. What a precious dog Shai was and I know she will always be with you. The part about Keegan visiting the grave gave me chills. I think Big Sis must have been talking to little sis

Hi Tigeress, and Welcome to Pet Talk! No doubt you will get addicted just like the rest of us. Your Baley is absolutely gorgeous!! I've been contemplating getting a dog for a long time now, and I have been thinking a lot about a rescued greyhound!! They such sweet and gentle dogs, and everytime I see one, my heart melts.
Give him a huge hug for me! The pics were great!!!

[jennifert]

Baley is beautiful! Greyhounds are such graceful dogs! I see a few at the dog park I go to in the spring and summer. It's surprising how BIG they are in person, very tall! A friend of mine has 3 rescued ones and she is very active in the local group. I thought about getting one before I adopted Duncan but one trip to the SPCA and I was head over heels for my BBD(big, black dog! )

Welcome to Pet Talk! You will love it here. My name is Jennifer (obviously) and I have Duncan, a mix adopted from the local shelter in July 2001 at 6 months old. The other dog in the pic is my roommate's golden/lab Jack who is an absolute sweetie too.!

[Tigeress]

Tats- I can handle disagrements, I just don't feel that personal attacks are needed. Oh well. I think I will be hanging around this forum for a while. I've been working with animals of all kinds for over ten years now so I've learnt a thing or two. In a year or so (I need a break from school before I go back!) I'll be applying to Vet School so hopefully I can be Dr. Tigeress. Heehee

Kobi- Greyhound are far from fraile! Trust me Baley can play with the best of them. Their legs look so thin because there is actualy very little muscle in the lower section (it is all in the upper leg and hip) so what you see is mainly bone, which is just as thick as any other dog their size. However he really isn't into rough housing. They are discouraged from playing at the track so that they don't play when they should be racing so he really doesn't understand 'play'. He is just starting to learn tug a war with the rope, but it really isn't in the Greyhound nature. And FORGET fetch. You throw something and he just looks at you like "Why did you do that?"

Baley is unusualy large for a greyhound. They average 45-60 pounds, but I've seen them at 90! And not because of fat (muscle also wieghs more than fat and since they have a very low % of body fat it can make them look lighter)! When Baley puts his paws on my shoulders he is almost six feet high. Which is why he was a 5 year champion. Greyhounds can only legally race for five years, but few ever make it that long.

You see if a Greyhound fails to place, win or show in three races in a row then he is bumped down a class (there are several 'classes' of Grey so that you don't get uneven races). If they are already in the lowest class they are 'out'. Some of these 'out' dogs get homes, most are euthanized.

Baley not only ran for his full five years he was also bred to a top female. Again few Greys are bred because it is a bussiness and people only want the best in the breeding stock. This is why Greyhounds have very few genetic diseases such as hip and bladder problems that are prevelent in highly bred dogs like Lab, Dalmations, and Shepards.

Wolflady- If you are into the strong silent type then I suggest you follow your instinct and get a Grey! Here are a few tips - get an older dog, 4 to 5, they are calmer and harder for the rescue people to place. I got Baley when he was just turning 6. Also concider a black coloured greyhound. I say this because they are also very hard for people to place because people like the look of the other colours better.

If you have stairs you will have to teach your Grey to climb them, for the most part they have never seen stairs. I had to carry Baley up any stairs we came to for three months before he learnt to do it himself. Also many Greys like to have a kennel crate to sleep in. They spend 21 hours a day in crates and it is all they know. Baley hates it when we take him on trips and he doesn't have his crate to sleep in.

When I went to the rescue people I said bring me your hardest to place dog. The woman said that that would be a large, old, black male. I thought that was perfect, I like my men tall, dark, and hansome! Heehee.

Jenni- Ah! There is nothing like a Mutt!! If I didn't live so close to the track I'm sure I would have endded up with a mutt. I'll give Baley a squeez for ya! As for your friend with three, Greyhound are like potato chips -it is hard to have just one! I simply don't have room for another right now, but the moment I do....

[lizbud]

Tigeress,

Welcome to Pet Talk. Your posts have been interesting
and informative. I have a 9 yr old Shep/Husky mix and
assorted kitties(4 Inside/3 Outside). Dog Buddy was
adopted from the local HS, and the cats were rescued
& adopted from my neighborhood. Hope you hang around.
Think you'll like this forum. Liz & Buddy.

P.S. Pictures of the furkids at;

http://community.webshots.com/user/lizbud4

[Angels3]

"Angles3- I'm sorry about your friends young greyhound. It is not so well known but greyhounds can not be put under regular anaesthetics..."

Tigeress, thanks for this information. Our friend's blamed himself ever since that he didn't take Boofy to one of the vets who specialize in treating greyhounds. We keep trying to reassure him that none of us, including him, were aware of the problems of anaesthesia & greyhounds.

I'm glad you like the word 'Dishlicker' which is our slang word for greyhound.

One of the homes for the elderly here have a greyhound which the old folk own collectively & which still races. On race nights, the elderly people pile into a bus & go watch their dog race. The people who run the greyhound racing always put the races with the nursing home dog in it, at the beginning of the schedule of races for the night. That's so the old folk can see their dog race & then get back to their home early.

An Australian film has just been made based on this idea...& it's been a great hit here. Everybody loves the star...a greyhound, of course. And I think the name of the movie might be...you guessed it!...'Dishlicker'.
Marie

[shais_mom]

Shaianne was about 21-24 inches tall. I am 5ft4in and when she stood beside me I could rest my hand on her back. She weighed 79 lbs a month before she died. She was a big girl!
Shai had none of the "fears" of stairs and mirrors, she was adopted out before I got her but the lady didn't have time for her and brought her back. She didn't know how to play, we had to work on that, she was a snuggle bug!
Keegan is only 6 1/2 months old and about 60 lbs and is by far stronger than her sister was!
I hope when Keegan visits her sister Shai is telling her to be patient with me, cuz Mom will get the hang of it eventually!
2 days after Shaianne died I was at the fair and the local Humane Soc had a booth in the same building I was at and I saw them bringing in a dog and my heart stopped. It was a small red fawn female. She was about half the size of Shaianne. Probably only 40-50 pounds. I went and petted her the poor thing was scared to death and just looked like she had been beaten up by other doggies. I wanted to take her away and spoil her rotten, but I couldn't bring myself to it b/c it was too soon and she was too much like Shaianne, I felt I would be replacing her and I can never do that.
They are a wonderful breed and I would recommend anyone who wants a snuggle bug to get one!
We have a member who hasn't posted since around Christmas, her name is Jessica and her sign in name is 3-greys-and-a-mutt. She has 2 female greys, 1 male and 1 female mutt. She made the most awesome Christmas cards that had reindeer antlers on the greys and Pup the mutt was Rudolph! They were great!

Yes this board is a very special place, we all love each other. This is our PetTalk Family, and we welcome you and Baley and your other furkidz to it.
If you have aol instant messenger, my signin name is Xradeu, alot of us have it

[Tigeress]

Shais-mom -Shaianne sounds so special. I'm so sorry to hear of her passing. It is always hard to get a new pet after one passes on because of the thought of 'replacement'. But don't think of it as replacing the lost pet, think of it as saving another life in place of the one that you have lost.

There is no greater feeling than that of saving a life. I'd take them all under my wing if I could!

Thank you for trusting me with your aol instant messanger name, but I'm not an aoler anymore. I had this problem, everytime I went to get on-line to do research I would end up instant messaging for hours and hours instead!! So I had to go Cold Turkey. Heehee!


Cheers,
Tigeress

[wolflady]

Originally posted by Tigeress ...
Wolflady- If you are into the strong silent type then I suggest you follow your instinct and get a Grey! Here are a few tips - get an older dog, 4 to 5, they are calmer and harder for the rescue people to place. I got Baley when he was just turning 6. Also concider a black coloured greyhound. I say this because they are also very hard for people to place because people like the look of the other colours better.

If you have stairs you will have to teach your Grey to climb them, for the most part they have never seen stairs. I had to carry Baley up any stairs we came to for three months before he learnt to do it himself. Also many Greys like to have a kennel crate to sleep in. They spend 21 hours a day in crates and it is all they know. Baley hates it when we take him on trips and he doesn't have his crate to sleep in.

When I went to the rescue people I said bring me your hardest to place dog. The woman said that that would be a large, old, black male. I thought that was perfect, I like my men tall, dark, and hansome! Heehee...

Awwww...you're getting my cravings churning! LOL I bought 2 really good books on greyhound adoption quite awhile back, and have read them through a couple of times already! I guess when I feel I have enough time to spend with a dog, I'll definitely be ready!! At least in the knowledge department! LOL LOL

I was really excited to see that there was a greyhound adoption place literally just down the road from where I live! I actually called there when I first moved into my house to see if there was any volunteer stuff I could do, so I could just see what it was like to be around a greyhound. At first the lady told me there was a bunch of fun stuff I could do, and that she would call me back and give me details about an open house I could attend, but she never did. So, I called her back and she was actually a little rude to me and said she had been sick and then was going on a trip. Sorry! How was I supposed to know that. I haven't heard anything since, so I was a little discouraged at the whole adoption agency thing. I guess I had the misconception that these non-profit places would appreciate free help. I guess I was wrong But, that won't stop me from going to a different organization should I choose to adopt a greyhound later! It's not the dog's fault this lady wasn't very nice and turned me off from her organization!

[Tigeress]

I've had trouble with some non-profs before as well. One wildlife center in Indiana that I went to help at the main lady was so nasty, I told her I had ten years in the field but she practicaly refused my help.

Oh, well you can't help people who won't help themselves.

But your right you must never give up on the dogs just because of evil masters!

This post is coming to you from Nashville, Ten!! I'm visiting a friend in Law School.

Cheers,
T

[shais_mom]

Karen, no don't be discouraged, you may find another rescue group to help with. The guy that runs our Humane Soc is a total nutball in every sense of the word and I was so scared to go and get a dog from there but I did and the rest as they say is history.
(The guy is such a nutball I was afraid when Shai passed that they would want her body back, and I was gonna throw 3 shades of a fit, b/c she was in her final resting place and was not moving.
But they didn't make me)
Tigeress, sorry to hear about the aol I totally understand! Totally! Its cool tho!