Rescuing a Greyhound Part 2

Note: This is part two of two blog posts written by my friend, Bill Waites who in the creator of the Second Chance for Greyhounds website.  He is also an avid blogger.

All of our greyhounds, and every greyhound we have known about, has been an instant bounder. It is like they pick you out, with their soulful eyes and their docile demeanor. Then they will approach and give you the “greyhound hug.” She leans against you with such reliance that, if you move, she will fall over.

You have been chosen. You have been adopted.

If you are reluctant to go down that road, her are 5 myth-busters about greyhounds:

1. You must have large yard for them run in. Wrong. As indicated about they would rather sleep. They actually are more behaved in apartments than many smaller dogs
2. They don’t like water. Wrong. They like shallow water, as at the beach. Because they have so little body fat, however, they are not good bets for swimming in deep water.
3. They can’t be leashed. Wrong. We have always kept ours on a leash, rarely letting her off-leash and always only when under control.
4. They attack cats and small animals. Wrong. In fact, they are trained to chase rabbits, but also not to kill them. (If you owned a track, you wouldn’t want the dogs destroying your mechanical rabbit if they caught it.) Taos just gums her toys. We have never seen a tooth penetrate the surface of a chewy.
5. They will run away if given a chance. Wrong. They do have a prey instinct. Something running from them can get their attention. But they also are highly trainable and will respond to commands.

Here are some other things it might be helpful to know.

Males stand about 27 to 29 inches and weigh from 65 to 70 pounds. Females stand about 25 to 27 inches and weigh about 60 to 65 pounds. The coat is smooth and short-haired with some but very little dander. Colors include brindle, fawn, white, black, red and gray or combination’s thereof.

There simply is no more loving dog on the planet. At least, not on our planet.

Thank you, Bill for allowing us to understand Greyhounds better. Jennifer