Adopt a Greyhound month
Greyhound Rescue’s kennels are full! If it’s time for you to get a dog, it’s time to consider a Greyhound…
Greyhound Rescue (GR) has declared April to be Adopt-a-Greyhound month. So, this seems like a perfect time to talk about greyhounds as a family pet.
Greyhounds don’t need huge expanses of living area. A suburban backyard is fine and they can live in units with daily exercise. They are dogs which must sleep inside due to their very fine coat. This means they are sensitive to extremes of temperature.
Some greyhounds are cat and small dog friendly, while all are low maintenance and unlike many large breeds, have no hip problems. Like all sighthounds (examples of which include the whippet, the borzois and the Afghan hound), greyhounds should only be let off the lead in enclosed areas. Otherwise, you won’t be able to catch them if they take off!
They make great pets for all ages and are gentle 70-km per hour couch potatoes. They only need a 20 minute walk each day, unlike most other dogs, but will enjoy more. They have no doggie smell, shed little hair and seldom bark, being calm in nature.
NSW state laws require greyhounds to wear muzzles when in a public area. This is based on the assumption that the dogs have been trained to chase (and possibly harm) small animals. If you see a greyhound with a muzzle on – try not to judge!
Greyhounds can become Greenhounds to avoid muzzling requirements. They wear a green collar to indicate they don’t need to be muzzled, having satisfied various requirements. There’s lots of information on the web about this process. All states, except the ACT and Tasmania, have similar programs.
View Comments (2)
Dear Dr Jo - you're truly a lifesaver. No doubt someone who reads your blog will adopt or foster one of our guys! Thanks from Greyhound Rescue and a big, smoochy kisses from our hounds.
I can heartily recommend getting greyhounds - I had my two for just over six years and they're everything that the post says they are.