The Life Of A Racing Greyhound (Part 4)
This is a continuation of the previous articles, discussing adopting retired racing Greyhounds.
One thing for you to freak out about when it comes to Greyhounds is a sliding glass door. A new Greyhound is likely to run into it, which may cause injuries. If you are opening the door and your dog is excited about going out, they tend to run full speed
into it. The best thing to do is to place large stickers at your Greyhound’s eye level so that they don’t run into it. Also, show the glass door to your dog by placing his paw on the glass, and then knock on it to show that it is solid.
The most important thing to remember about Greyhounds is that they are extremely fast and have no road sense. Whenever you open the door of your house or car, make sure that your dog is either collared or held securely by someone else. They can reach speeds
of over 60 km/h and cannot be taught to look both ways before crossing the street. Also, never take the leash off of your dog when you are out, unless it is a securely fenced area, with the fences at least three feet high. If your Greyhound takes off after
a squirrel or rat, they will not listen to you or care about anything else until they have either caught the animal, it has gotten away, or they are exhausted.
Many people are skeptical about adopting a Greyhound because they fell that they would not have enough time to take the dog on a walk or play with it. This is definitely not the case. It might seem strange since they are retired racing dogs, but once they
find a home, they become regular old couch potatoes. They sleep up to 18 hours a day, and don’t require as much exercise as most people think. A long walk on a leash a couple times of week, along with a play session in a completely fenced area would be enough
for your retired racer. They seem to love soft plushy animal toys and squeaky toys. You will usually find your Greyhound carrying around his favorite toy and snuggling up with it when it’s time for bed.
Grooming your Greyhound is very rare, since they are “permanently pressed.” They have little to no hair and also minimal oil in their skin, so there is no “doggie odor” either. A bath every six months is more than enough to keep your Greyhound clean, but
it is necessary to use warm water, since they have no body fat. Also, it is prudent to never use a flea collar on your dog. The chemicals in the collars can cause nausea and even death in a Greyhound, and only pyrethrin based collars can be used. Any collar
that is safe for puppies and kittens would be safe for your Greyhound as well. Also, make sure to find a veterinarian that knows about Greyhounds. They cannot be anesthetized easily since they normal anesthetics don’t work on them because of their low body
fat.
Greyhounds are great dogs for any family to adopt. They are great with children, and would usually walk away from an overbearing child rather than snapping or growling. Any child under six years of age should be monitored at all times when in contact with
the dog, but they usually don’t present any sort of problem.
These dogs are also great with other animals. Although they were bred to hunt smaller animals, a Greyhound will usually get along great with a cat or small dog once it learns that it is part of his “pack” or family.
All in all, retired racing Greyhounds are great dogs. Aside from being good, if not the best, runners, they are loyal, comical, loving, quiet, and clean. They also tend to be lazy, but appreciate the attention they get during playtime. They also love to
meet new people since they enjoy being the center of attention, but, because of this, would make very poor guard dogs. They would rather make friends with a robber who is breaking in than alert you that a stranger is in your home.
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