I know don’t worry
further to what numbers man sais, while i’ve been looking most rescue shelters have a lot of recommendations of their own. they’ll say if dogs can be alone or around cats, how much walking they’ll need, if they need anything particularly paying attention to behaviour-wise.
As mentioned upthread, my brother and his partner are getting a retired greyhound in a couple of weeks, and we were chatting about it at the weekend. My brother’s partner also works with a dog charity full-time, so has a lot of experience with re-homing and training etc.
The thing to remember is that they will all be totally different in temperament and training, and that it can be very difficult to alter these in the same way as you could a puppy (you can’t teach an old dog new tricks isn’t just a saying). Don’t be upset if a dog you like in the shelter doesn’t warm to you, or isn’t appropriate for you. Provided that you are upfront and honest about your lifestyle and accommodation, a good shelter will be able to pair you with the most appropriate dog for your circumstances.
Things they’ll want to know are:
- how many of you are in your home?
- how big is your home?
- do you have any kids?
- do you have any other pets?
- how often will you be around to walk the dog?
- will you be using someone else to walk and/or let the dog out during the day?
You should also ask why they are in a home - it’ll give you a lot of clues as to their potential behaviour and whether there are likely to be any issues.
Another thing to look for is long-term health conditions. Pure breeds are susceptible to these, and many rescue pets were abandoned in the first place because the demands for treatment became too much for their owners in the first place. Taking on a pet with a condition can be very rewarding, but it can be very expensive. Retired greyhounds are usually okay - they’re in the shelter because they’ve reached the end of their ‘working’ life, not because they’re ill.
Yes, this too. Very much so.
this looks a bit sinister
Really helpful post, thanks
Yeah the reason greyhounds have been mentioned is there’s a fairly consistent pattern to their rehoming (as you say, reaching the end of their working life). Just in general too, I’ve heard quite a lot of anecdotal stories about the nature of greyhounds, which would probably suit our lifestyle.
TV surprised me today with Lyra. She’s from Borrow My Doggy and she’s beautiful and v well behaved. We had a wonderful time in Brockwell Park.
Oh he’s lovely! How has he been with the fireworks? How old is he? We’ve two rescued black greyhounds, 6 & 8 years old, the older one has been great but the younger has been pacing about all night
Nawww
He settling in alright?
Fuck right off, this is ridiculous
https://twitter.com/CuteEmergency/status/926983656572375041
& @wonton.
He’s two, and is apparently settling in fine. I’ll have to ask my brother how he’s been with the fireworks. They don’t really have any big displays near where they live, I don’t think.
We passed a black lab in the street the other day so I explained to my daughter what it was called and how there were three colours including the brown one that we called ‘chocolate’, which obviously she loved to hear.
Then a few days later we saw a big Golden Retriever in the street and she said, “Look a Labrador” so that was cute. I tried to explain she was sort of right but it had shaggy hair so we called it a Retriever.