thinking of adopting a greyhound...

[sana]

i know getting a dog is a huge committment... how many days should i sit on this thought before i make the next move?

ideas? i think i'm going to at least head down to philly to walk the dogs they have at the kennel this weekend...

[sana]

i need someone to love... look at this face...

[Gongshow]

dogs.....so much work....but good luck

[Dizzy]

Beautiful dog....but a big grey hound in an apt.??

It's got good pec and deltoid development.

[sana]

Originally posted by Dizzy
Beautiful dog....but a big grey hound in an apt.??

It's got good pec and deltoid development.

i was on the phone with the lady from the national greyhound adoption program and i asked her about the fact that i live in a small apt, and she said that greyhounds are very couch potato-esque dogs

i have a 2 acre fenced in dog park like 10 minutes from my house that i can take it to for it to run free.

i dunno... i need to know how many days i should think about it before i act... like to make a sensible decision

[Puddles]

Sana...borrow a friend's dog for a week and see how that goes. If you enjoy the company and don't have a hard time fitting the dog's needs into your schedule it will be a wonderful thing. Keep in mind the extra costs with owning a dog too...vet visits, grooming, food, pet-sitting whenever you want to go away, etc.

I love dogs, but I don't have what it takes to care for them on a daily basis...so I just enjoy my friend's dogs and help my daughter pet-sit in the neighborhood. I have an 18 y.o. cat however and we just took in a stray who's about 5 yrs. old. My older cat is simple to care for and we used to be able to go away for a week and just have a friend come in and change his water once while we were gone...the new cat "Gavone" eats and shits like a racehorse so we won't be able to do that anymore...he needs daily maintenance.

[dreamgirl]

i heard greyhounds from the adoption places are GREAT dogs. I've never owned a dog at all, so I'm not the best one to tell you. I guess though greyhounds are loving and they are past the "puppy"stage and they like kids... only heard good things about that breed.

[Mad4Iron]

sana;I've seen quite a few adopted greyhounds and they are wonderful animals.

They are very calm in the house but that comes with proper exercise.Aggression in the breed is almost non-existant and they are easily trained.

Most of the dogs are in the 2-5 year old range but there are exceptions of course.

I wouldn't talk you out of the breed but you need to ask yourself if you have time for a dog and the exercise the breed requires.

Good luck,

Mad

[andy420]

I have a Rotti and they do take sometime and money to keep up with, but just like kids there is no monetary value to their effection. Bucca (my rotti) was a handful in the beginning I had to crate her, potti train her, and the vets. As far as how often to take the dog out I would say if you can once aday when you get home but I don't know your schedule. I would recommend a dog to anyone who loves animals, and if your going through a pound even better your saving a life and you can't put $$$$ on that

[sana]

Originally posted by Keiser
My only advice: Don't get a weimaraner.

i love weimaraners... and to tell you the truth, the only other dog i would think of getting is a weimie, but i don't have time for a dog that's going to be ADD and have seperation anxiety. my ex had a german shorthaired pointer and they're supposed to be very similar in temperment - or so i heard - and Banyan tore his sofa up twice and pee'd countless times on his roommate's bed :p

i remember you posting the pics your dogs up at FG

i know the cost that would be incurred with getting dogs... though i've not owned one myself, my ex and i bought a pug together to keep the pointer company. the pug was basically my dog, vet bills and such i paid for. food and such was usually whomever was heading to the pet store... so i know it's an expensive propsititon...

that's why i gotta find the right amount of time to sit and marinate on this decision before i act. i don't want to be too spontaneous and end up with more responsibilty than i can handle.

i guess to go with MrsP's advice, i can always have my ex bring down the two dogs for a week to let me have them at my house. i miss those stinky bastards.... (not the ex, just the dogs )

i don't mind getting an older dog either, i think that they're all already kennel trained so it would be easy to housebreak them once i get them home.

the more i talk about it, the more i want to do it

[goliath]

Originally posted by Keiser

My only advice: Don't get a weimaraner.

lol - energetic little bastards aren't they?

[THE BOUNCER]

Originally posted by Keiser
most people overlook how much $$$ they cost.

exactlly!!! my 2 rotts including the knee surgery of my male, food bills, vet bills, putting in a fence for them to play and got to the bathroom, over the 2 years that I have had them has easily cost me over 15 thousand dollars. dogs are expensive and a huge commitment. i personally dont think a greyhound would be happy in a small apartment.

[Shibby]

Get this kind of greyhound since you have a small apartment :p
http://www.ustrotting.com/newsroom/bt030826.htm

[trip]

Sana,

Greyhounds are couch potatoe-esque, and in general are very very timid. They also hardly ever bark. And they just love companionship.

Most of the time they will reccomend you take two, they just do better when they are not alone.

One negative, historically they are prone to lots and lots of weird health problems after age 5-6.

My sister has done this program for a decade and has lost three dogs to weird diseases. Not only was this costly, heartbreaking.

Must say though, if it was me, and I was too get another dog, would seriously consider it, they are that lovable.

Hoped That Helped
Good Luck

[sana]

Originally posted by Keiser
What breed of dog was trip?

greyhounds...

keiser, having the two dogs together doesn't help with your weim's seperation anxiety?

when we got the pug to keep the pointer company, it took the seperation anxiety down one notch. and as he aged (he's now 7) he's got calmer. i don't know how old your dog is... but, that's my biggest concern with certain breeds.

[sana]

Originally posted by trip
One negative, historically they are prone to lots and lots of weird health problems after age 5-6.

My sister has done this program for a decade and has lost three dogs to weird diseases. Not only was this costly, heartbreaking.

that's what i would be afraid of... what kind of diseases is the breed prone to?

there are quite a few greyhounds that go to the dogpark near my house. maybe i should go visit without a dog just to talk to some of the owners to get an idea. they are absolutely the most beautiful when they are sprinting....

[sana]

if i get a puppy, i might end up with another pug

[Dizzy]

Get a cat...

They're clean animals...they don't stink up the house (if you have the right litter). You can play with em' without tearing up your little apartment. I used to hate cats, until I was in the same predicament as you are now. I lived alone in an apartment and couldn't confine a dog to a little place like that. It's not fair to the dog. Now I fuggin' love cats...I'll always have two of those furry headed bastards running around.....with the damn stinky ass dogs outside. They're smarter than dogs IMO too. Much more independent...perfect for someone who spends most of the day away from home.

Just a thought foo....

[sana]

i'm allergic to cats... plus i'm a dog person anyway pookie :p

[Gongshow]

Originally posted by goliath
lol - energetic little bastards aren't they?

lol

[flexygrl]

This is from an article:

Your dog is use to being inactive for long periods, so leaving your dog to go to work or tend to other activities is not a problem if you spend some time helping your dog to understand it has not been abandoned.


Here's the article:

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


According to this article these dogs spend most of their days in a crate and get turned out 4 times a day. If you adopt one, he will probably have full run of your place, which is more than he ever had. As long as you do excercise him, I'm sure it'll be just fine!

I think you should go for it. I have 2 stinky dogs, that I love. I also have 4 cats.

[hitmansb]

Forget the greyhound....get a rottweiller puppy: cutest puppy there is, are fine being left alone for a workday (lazy buggers who aren't all that interested in getting up to no good), and from a year old on you'll never have to worry about whether your door is locked.

[trip]

Keiser,

Trip was a........French Poodle.

Neighbor had him for eight years and moved to Bahama's and couldn't take him with her, I'd known him for five at that point, so he moved in with me for another eight.

Sana,

The disease's were neruomuscular in two, and cancer in one.

They are extremely think skinned and have super high metabolism's, ( ever see an over weight greyhound ) , so when they pick up an infection it just spreads like wild fire, and then not much you can do.

[VeggieLifterGal]

Greyhounds don't need very much exercise at all (compared to other breeds).
They are couch potato dogs - low energy - that are perfect for an apt. BTW, IMHO any dog is fine in an apt if you give it the exercise it requires - and with a greyhound that shouldn't be tough. They have a reputation for being totally sweet and loving. Also, housebreaking is a very easy thing to do if you use a training crate - it should be done in a mattar of days.

I just adopted a mixed breed (doberman/pit bull) 2 months ago. She's almost a year old. (the black dog in my avatar). She is a very sweet, affectionate, and intelligent dog. The biggest drawback of owning her is that there are certain things I cannot do now because of her. Like I can;t go to the beach all day, or go out right after work/class, or be totally spontaneous in my plans. I have to make sure I come home right after class/work to walk the dog and spend time with her. Because the dog is sitting in her crate when I'm gone, and its not good to leave your dog alone more than 8 hours at a time. They are very social creatures who need companionship and affection. I had a neighbor who just ignored those responsibilities when he got a dog and the thing turned out totally neurotic.

Plus, I can't leave her out of the crate when I'm not around, because she tears shit up - not separation anxiety, just likes to chew.

There are several potential advantages of an older dog rather than a puppy: usually they're beyond that chewing everything stage, they don't require constant supervision, they've usually calmed down and matured in temperment. Also, my experience is that a dog will bond to you just as tightly when its an adult as when its a puppy. And when you rescue a dog from a shelter (like Jane) or a racing life (like you) they are often especially affectionate and happy to be with you. My dog experienced most of her puppyhood with other owners (who gave her up) and yet she follows me around everywhere, won't run away, and even insists on sleeping on my bed.

[VeggieLifterGal]

More on that responsibility thing...you really couldn't get trashed, come home real late, and pass out. You'd have to walk your dog and feed it and be able to supervise it as well. If you have a roommate, its really helpful if they want to help you out with those kinds of responsibilities. On Tuesdays, for instance, I have class 11 - 4:30 and then work from 8 - 3 am. If I lived alone my dog would totally suffer. But my roommates walk her and spend time with her at intervals when i'm away, so it works out much better for her.

[sana]

thanks VeggieLifterGal

i'm completely familiar with the limitations that owning a dog would place on my social life (or should i say, lack of social life :p)... i'm not too concerned with that. it's more about whether i do want to make this committment for a good ten years. and whether RIGHT NOW is the time to do it.