I've been wanting to adopt one for a long time, and with the move to Florida I may finally be in a position to do so. I'd be curious to hear from anyone that has one of these lovely creatures along for their Airstream trips...
Showed several Greyhounds to their AKC Championships and really loved the breed. They are gentle creatures, BUT they take up lots of room on the sofa (which they will take over from you). They don't necessarily have to run for exercise; however, you will have to let them out once and a while to play around. Long walks will be in your future to be sure. They are not always a breed to trust to stay with you or come when called, so unless you raise one from a puppy and know him well, don't think your Greyhound can just be let out anywhere and he will come back to you.
__________________ Judy and Bob
At Home in Oklahoma
I have a friend with two rescues greyhound's. They are very gentle, sweet dogs. They do lay around a lot and do take up a good sized "footprint" when they are lounging. She takes them for a long walk every day. One of them has needed shoulder surgery a couple of times.
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Steve "Centennial Man"
1966 Airstream Safari - Her name is "Aunt Bee"
My son has one. Lovely dog, very gentle but not very bright. There are many retired greyhounds available for adoption.
They are accustomed to sleeping 23 hours a day. They (the retired runners) weren't raised with alot of human contact so they may be skittish around people and other non-greyhound type dogs. They need to be taught to do simple tasks, like climbing a staircase.
We have two retired rescue greyhounds. They are wonderful gentle creatures. They do love our Airstream. When we are not in the camper, they will sleep on the seats, but we usually have them on the floor on dog beds. We also have a screen tent and they can lay on their beds in. Rescue greyhounds have to either be on leashes or in a fenced in area when not at home. So, even in the screen tent they are on their leashes. They do not need much exercise, but we walk them twice a day when camping. They are very friendly and help us to meet so many people. We were worried about their ability to camp at first. They do not like to lay on the ground and like their routine at home. We started by acclimating them to the camper, but they instantly loved it and took to the whole camping thing wonderfully. They get very excited when they see us packing up for a trip. We live in Michigan, so we take their coats along when we camp in the spring and fall. We are delighted that you choose a greyhound to adopt. We would love to answer any questions.
Anna and John
My wife and I have two greyhounds…Italian Greyhounds.
We love the breed and they've traveled with us many times. We'd certainly like to adopt a full-sized greyhound at some point, but with so many dogs of just about every breed in rescue organizations around the country, there are plenty of rescue options.
Just make sure that whatever breed you rescue fits your lifestyle and how you live. We ended up with IG's after looking at many other breeds we thought we wanted. Now we're Iggy people and couldn't imagine not having them around.
When you get to Florida, you can look up Vera Filipelli. She works for (or did, she may be retired now) Derby Lane Greyhound track in St. Petersburg, and is a volunteer for Greyhound pets of America.
Over the years Dad has had six....two at a time. But he has large fenced in citrus groves. These dogs need space. They are everything a companion dog should be. Side benefit...we do not have a Jack Rabbit problem any more. It is something else to watch them running the tree row at 50 mph as a pair...then split when prey is seen (sight hounds) and end the chase with a high speed intercept similar to an air to air. A great dog you will love.
I have had my greyhound Anna for almost two years now. What a sweet, abeit BIG girl (whopping 80 lbs.). My neighbor has a petite female at 58 lbs. Not only are their sizes vastly different, so are their personalities. Mine being quite outgoing and excitable. She's what I call an *easy keeper*: happy with any & every thing. She loves to play with toys and lay in the sun! I walk her about 1-1/2 miles a day. Very slow - as she suffered a career-ending hock injury. She and my whippet get along well and travel like real troopers.
My retired racer came directly from the track (my knowing the trainer) rather than through one of the adoption agencies. So, I've had to do all the training and learn of her personality. However, I highly recommend the adoption agency route. Prior to adoption, the grey is taught basic skills (like climbing stairs) and acclimated to a home environment. Their personality is observed and you will know if the grey is safe with other pets, cats, etc. Mine is not so good with cats, small dogs or birds, rabbits, hampsters, etc. She is very good with kids and other large dogs though!!!!
Good luck in finding one to share your life with -- they're truly grateful for a loving and attentive home!
Laura
I currently have my third adopted greyhound. All three have been great travelers. All three have been wonderful rally participants. They are gentle, quiet, friendly and get along fine with other dogs. My current one, Gentleman Jack, prefers people to other dogs but he is getting to know the the dogs in our group and he does fine with them. Greyhounds do need to be on a leash or in a fenced area. Among the reasons others have stated, they can take off so fast they can get hurt. They are used to running in a nice clean area, not through sagebrush or other obstacles.
Here is the link to photo galleries of my greyhounds. Pictures of them at rallies and other events.
They do take up a lot of space but when we rearranged our Airstream (moved the couch to the side) we ended up with an ideal pet spot under a table in the front corner - just perfect for a greyhound. There are pictures in the photo galleries.
All in all greyhounds, at least in my experience are fantastic dogs, intelligent, easy to train, andvery appreciative of a good home, a good couch to sleep on, and a fenced yard to lay in the sun. I would highly recommend adopting one.
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Judy and Bob
Hybrid Mode
