Adopting pets

[impure]

my friend asked me to help him figure out what type of dog would suit him, and it got me thinking.
when it comes time for me to buy a dog again, what kind of dog would i get?
i know i have my fave breeds such as:
weimeraner
german shepherd (my first dog was a wonderful shepherd named Fallon)
pug
basenji
whippit
boston terrier
schipperke
rodesian ridgeback
pitbull (my second two dogs were pitbulls)
bulldog
and many others that i can't think of right now.

but when you get a dog you don't necessarily buy just the dog that is your favorite. you buy the dog that would be most comfortable in your situation. the dog that most suits your needs, you do this not only for your comfort but for the dogs. (as much as you may love boxers, it's just not fair to keep on in an apartment, it's more appropriate to get a smaller dog that requires less space like a bulldog maybe)

so, in this quest to find the best dog for my friend i started thinking about what dog i would get.
and i decided i would get a greyhound, a retired racing dog.
they're quiet, but large (i'm partial to large dogs), short hair, beautiful, athletic, smart and don't necessarily need a lot of space to run.

here are two of the sites i found in my searches.

http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/

http://www.greyhoundpets.org/

what do you think of the idea of adopting an racing dog?
or of having a greyhound period in comparison to other breeds?
where's the nearest dog track?

any input? or personal experiences?

[charly]

i don't know specifically about greyhounds, but we adopted a schipperke last july.

it worked out well for our needs. my parents already knew the type of dog they wanted, but weren't keen on a puppy. they knew it would be too much work, and unfair to the dog. but we were lucky to find a 4 year old schipperke, who needed a new family. we flew her here, and everything worked out great.

i would really suggest adopting a dog. for me, i see them like children. there's enough of them in this world already who are in need of a family. why not a give a good home to one in need, rather then bring more into the world?

[stabmyhead]

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/

This is an excellent site for your situation. It gives detailed descriptions on the dog's temperament, size, what areas are ideal for them, possible health problems, etc. It even has a quiz on deciding what kind of dog is good for you.

I have a pug at the moment. He's really cute but extremely needy, he gets jealous and upset if I do not pay attention to him - sometimes he cries about it. But they're very affectionate dogs and will really know how to make you feel special.

[impure]

yeah, my bf has two pugs, peachy and harley.
harley is very VERY sick right now, he keeps having strange episodes of extreme internal pain and despite all the vets and specialists and tests they are still not sure what's wrong.
they suspect cushings disease but the symptoms i see don't suggest cushings to me.
i feel horrible for him, he was yelping a few times it hurt so much today. and he can't keep anything down, he vomits everything up, even his meds.

i know a fair bit about breeds and their diffrent "quirks" already (i took the time to take obedience training courses several years ago and became certified to train handlers and dogs) but i'm always wanting to learn more!
thanks for the info!

[wum]

get a wolf. their brains are 50% larger.

Just to see what it would take, Jill wanted to teach Socrates to jump through a hoop. First he wanted to see if the hoop was edible. After he was convinced that the hoop was not a treat, it was a matter of teaching him to jump down from a spool and then to jump while the hoop was "in the way." The whole process took about five minutes -- and a few liver treats.
http://members.aol.com/SiriusPack/Tr.../Training.html

[impure]

noooooooooo
too much hair and i'm not sure the city of vancouver will issue a liscence for a wolf.
plus, despite me going out to the farm several times a week to see my horse, i still don't have enough room for a dog like that.

[LDUB]

I've had a number of friends who have adopted greyhounds. They are very great dogs but you have to understand that you are truely rescueing a dog. These dogs have been mistreated for most of their lives, all they know how and are really allowed to do is run. They can be extremely shy, nervous and untrusting when you first get them, but it can be an extremely rewarding situation working with an animal like that, earning their trust etc. (As well there are always exeptions of dogs that end up not needing any work at all)
One thing I'm fairly sure of as well is when you adopt a greyhound you have to keep them leashed at all times as they have the running instinct still -- and there's no way you're catching a grethound :P

[mapleleaf4ever]

Get a Great Dane! :D

[impure]

i had a friend who bred danes, they were rad, 8 dogs that were bigger than my shetland pony stud running at you.


the running instinct is not because of the racing so much as the breed it's self. they're sight hounds, i found some stuff on a site i would post right now about sight hounds but INTERVENTION just came on now so i must be leavin' ya.

[lou_belle]

If your friend doesn't have a place for the dog to run around in...like I mean a huge field for the greyhound to chase balls or something..he shouldn't be thinking about a greyhound. Have you seen greyhounds at the beach? They run like three times as fast...they love running. Just because they are retired racers doesn't mean they just gave up on running. If having open space for the dog is a problem he should look at small lap dogs. Any large breed dog should get a good two hours a day of running at the beach, even if it's a dosile breed like a Great Dane or greyhound..they just need some good company to get them riled up;P
I get really scared when people say that they want a dog that suits them...I mean...you have to think about each dog as a young child, they take a lot of work. You can't really choose any large breed dog that suits a small living space without having two hours at a park EVERY day. Waking up at 9am every morning to let them go for their run when they hafta go to the washroom. Every morning I wake up I have to dedicate my first 1.5hours to Bella no matter what. Having a car that your dog can go with you in is also important if you want to let the dog go for trips to the forest and new adventurous places. A small dog can always be put right in those cute little dog carriers;P

[impure]

Originally Posted by lou_belle

If your friend doesn't have a place for the dog to run around in...like I mean a huge field for the greyhound to chase balls or something..he shouldn't be thinking about a greyhound. Have you seen greyhounds at the beach? They run like three times as fast...they love running. Just because they are retired racers doesn't mean they just gave up on running. If having open space for the dog is a problem he should look at small lap dogs. Any large breed dog should get a good two hours a day of running at the beach, even if it's a dosile breed like a Great Dane or greyhound..they just need some good company to get them riled up;P
I get really scared when people say that they want a dog that suits them...I mean...you have to think about each dog as a young child, they take a lot of work. You can't really choose any large breed dog that suits a small living space without having two hours at a park EVERY day. Waking up at 9am every morning to let them go for their run when they hafta go to the washroom. Every morning I wake up I have to dedicate my first 1.5hours to Bella no matter what. Having a car that your dog can go with you in is also important if you want to let the dog go for trips to the forest and new adventurous places. A small dog can always be put right in those cute little dog carriers;P

you really need to read my post better.
i said my friend asked me for help, but i was the one who decided that when it comes time for me to get a dog again, i would get a greyhound.
and read up on greyhounds.
my friend wants a toy dog.
something like a pug or a boston.
my friends have retired racers, and any expert will tell you that CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF GREYHOUNDS DO NO NEED ALOT OF SPACE TO RUN, they do need regular exercise, but are not high strung dogs that need huge yards, they would actually be happier with you taking them for long walks instead of turning them loose.
i'm not sure if i said this in my post but i own a horse, and therefore i go to ride her at the barn i board at, i do this all the time (use to be every day, but now i go several times a week) so my dogs get tonnes of exercise running in the fields at the barn.
oh, and getting up at 9 am!???
WTF that's not early!
when i was 18, 19 and 20 my boyfriend and i had farm of our own, 20 acres and 7 horses, a dog and a cat.
and i had to be at work at the racetrack between 5 and 5:30 am every day.
so that means that i got up at 4am or earlier every day to take out my dog and feed all my horses.
so please, please, know all the facts before you go preaching about getting up at 9 in the fucking morning to let your dog out.
btw, most people are at work at 8am, so 9am is by no means a hardship.

[lou_belle]

So the people who have to work at eight or nine should wake up at six to walk their dogs for an hour or two...see where I'm going with this? I just care a lot about animal cruelty. I think that even if it's a small dog they need to run every morning before nine...NO LATER. Earlier isn't the problem here...HAHaha*

[lou_belle]

Impure you're ridiculous...I've trained horses too, but I won't bore you with the facts of how old I was, what time they needed to be fed or if I had a boyfriend at the time..HAhaha*

[lou_belle]

My favorite breeds of dogs are as follows:

White Shepard
Timberwolf
Rodesian Ridgeback
Husky
Great Dane
Pitbull
Boxer
Blah
Blah
Blah..

[lou_belle]

(the white shepard is my favorite because it's the dog me and my boyfriend have right now)

[impure]

^^an example of what happens when small minded people are proven wrong^

you can't truly form a well rounded opinion unless you have all the facts, or at least that is my opinion.
so before you go jumping to conclusions or bitching about boring facts, consider WHY they're there.
who did you train under? (under FEI and CEF regulation, if you are to keep your certification you MUST have a teacher training you at least once a week, regardless of your level)
what discipline did you train?
where did you show?

[impure]

Originally Posted by lou_belle

Impure you're ridiculous...I've trained horses too, but I won't bore you with the facts of how old I was, what time they needed to be fed or if I had a boyfriend at the time..HAhaha*

the time was not based on what time they needed to be fed, it was based on my work schedule.
i was just trying to bring some perspective to things. that i know the realities of owning animals, your post indicated that i had NO clue what i was getting into.

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by lou_belle

I think that even if it's a small dog they need to run every morning before nine...NO LATER.

Dogs adjust to routines like us humans. I don't think there needs to be a magic time that he/she has to go out to run, just as long is it follows a regular routine. Am I a horrible pet owner because I just let my dog out to go to the bathroom at 9 and don't run him until early afternoon?

[impure]

i don't think we are in any place to judge people on their abilities as a person and pet owner.
no one is perfect.
until that day that you become perfect i do not feel it is fair to pick apart the inner workings of a persons life and ridicule them for what you feel is "wrong"
i did not create this thread to judge people or to be judged. i created it to get opinions and personal experiences about adopting pets, particularly racing greyhounds.

[lou_belle]

Originally Posted by LDUB

Dogs adjust to routines like us humans. I don't think there needs to be a magic time that he/she has to go out to run, just as long is it follows a regular routine. Am I a horrible pet owner because I just let my dog out to go to the bathroom at 9 and don't run him until early afternoon?

yes..

[wum]

[wum]

[lou_belle]

Originally Posted by impure

i don't think we are in any place to judge people on their abilities as a person and pet owner.
no one is perfect.
until that day that you become perfect i do not feel it is fair to pick apart the inner workings of a persons life and ridicule them for what you feel is "wrong"
i did not create this thread to judge people or to be judged. i created it to get opinions and personal experiences about adopting pets, particularly racing greyhounds.

Chill out...I didn't judge anyone..I just said that contrary to your beliefs that geyhounds don't need to run, they are actually a lot like a great dane, they need to have similar sized dogs that they can really get going with. Tempo, a retired racing greyhound, my dogs best friend, is the best fetcher EVER...but only if it's thrown far and straight along the ground:)

As far as judging a person on their ability to be a parent to an animal...I think its fair to say that someone that can't wake up at eight to take their dog for a run before they go out of the house isn't suited to be an owner. Dogs usually wake up ate around seven and if no one is up they fall back asleep. If they see their parents leave the house without taking them they get depressed if they haven't had a run. There is such thing as a depressed dog;P

[wum]

^ truf. i hate it when ppl buy fancy dogs and then totally neglect it. you need lots of energy and enthusiasm to give a dog a good home.

[impure]

Originally Posted by lou_belle

Chill out...I didn't judge anyone..I just said that contrary to your beliefs that geyhounds don't need to run, they are actually a lot like a great dane, they need to have similar sized dogs that they can really get going with. Tempo, a retired racing greyhound, my dogs best friend, is the best fetcher EVER...but only if it's thrown far and straight along the ground

i wasn't directing that post at you.
i was just stating the way i feel.
do you realize that greyhounds are SIGHT hounds, do you know the chacteristics of sight hounds?
do you realize that greyhounds, when trained for racing, are trained to chase a lure, that goes way ahead of them and is close to the ground like a rabbit?
do you realize that greyhounds don't know HOW to socialize with other breeds of dogs usualy because they've never seen other breeds? they usualy won't even recognize a smaller dog as a dog, they will disregard it and socialize with humans.
i am talking about retired racing dogs.