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Here's some pictures of my alarm clock. 44 wins out of 142 races, grade AA with several stakes races. now he just derps around, sleeps, and roos at 6:00 on the dot every morning.        I highly recommend greyhounds, especially retired racers, for anyone who is looking for a dog that is low maintenance and very loving. They would make a great first dog for anyone. Note that you will need to keep them on a leash at all times, when not in an enclosed area. And some may not be safe with cats (though the adoption agency should be able to find you one that is). Training is a little more difficult than with, say, a lab, but if you adopt a retired racer, they usually come very well behaved already, and simply need adjustment to life in a house/apartment. Recall is critically important; if a greyhound gets away from you in a non-enclosed area, it can be bad news. An injured rabbit call is very effective at training recall, as they are used for sprint training on the track, and most dogs will have the sound burned into their memory, even several years later. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 17:44 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 17:39
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Trauma Tank posted:Apparently he was not treated very well as a racer, and was kept in some sort of stable setup. Do you happen to know what track he raced at? If that kind of thing happened here (Southland), the kennel would most likely be banned from racing and evicted from the premises. It may be possible to have that kennel investigated. Though I am not pro-racing, most racing greyhounds (in the USA) are treated extremely well, though there are a few tracks that are known for allowing bad kennels. Unfortunately, I think in the UK/Ireland it's a different story. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 18:02 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 17:46
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Trauma Tank posted:I don't know where he raced, and my searches for what his ear tattoos showed yielded nothing (Right ear: IY and left ear: MRU if you want to try), however I know it was somewhere in Ireland, and the way the rescue person talked the hounds were rescued as the track was shut down. Ok yeah Ireland is a whole different world for racing greys. I apologize for being US-centric. I am glad to hear that he got rescued and is getting adopted 
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May 19, 2013 18:03
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Amberlyn posted:He is just gorgeous! What was wrong with his leg in this picture? Thanks. Just a casualty of running across the yard at 40MPH. The torque they generate at top speed is unlike anything that we could imagine at our slow running speeds, and greyhounds have very thin skin and no fat either. So the smallest rock or anything can tear them wide open. He has actually torn a toenail clean off, just from running on the patio, before. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 18:11 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 18:06
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Here are some play pics:    And this one, only a greyhound owner will understand  And one before I knew him:  (I am not the photographer, but I have permission to use this photo) Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 18:16 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 18:10
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In some countries (AU is the big one), it's law that greyhounds be muzzled in public. Silly? yes. But its a holdover from bygone days where greyhounds weren't really domesticated pets in the regular sense. Racing dogs are bred and trained specifically to increase their prey drive. Once they get used to civilian life, they can be as safe as any other dog really, but greyhound rescue hasn't been prolific until the last 15-20 years. Unfortunately until recently, when dogs were retired, they were euthanized. So there was simply not such a thing as a domesticated greyhound. The laws just haven't caught up. But I think there is value in any grey owner having a muzzle. At playdates with other greys, ideally they should always be muzzled. Greys have a behavioural trait of liking to nip socially. It's generally not a problem except when they're with other greys, because their skin tears and they bleed very easily. If introducing to cats or small dogs, muzzling is a good idea as well. Generally I don't muzzle at the dog park, when he is likely to be with unmuzzled dogs. And I won't muzzle at a grey meetup if there is a single other dog unmuzzled. On the rare chance that some kind of roughness breaks out (it never has), he would have no way to defend himself vs an unmuzzled dog. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 01:12 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 01:09
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Well with a retired racer, they not only have the entire history of the breed being dedicated to chase something as fast as possibly possible, but they are trained that way too before you get them. It's not like a pit bull, which despite it's long ago breeding history probably hasn't been trained as a fighting dog, or a chow or something where it may have a primitive nature from generations ago. Also a regular dog won't have much chance of catching a cat or something. A greyhound can go from 0 to literally 40MPH in about 3 seconds and jump about 8 feet in the air. They also can corner a whole lot better than most other dogs. On a side note, when I had just the lab, it was funny when she chased squirrels. It's not really so funny anymore, because the greyhound catches them, and then she wants to share with him. Don't get me wrong, they are absolutely great dogs, and not a high maintenance breed at all, but the prey drive is nothing to joke around with. On another note, every greyhound owner with a fenced in yard should have a lure pole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3AwPcEhvoU Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 03:37 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 03:30
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You think dumb dog adopters are uncommon? We have had new adopters let their greys off leash after being told not to, and as soon as they see a plastic bag or something on the horizon, they are in the next zip code before anyone can turn their head. All my other dogs have been fat labs who basically have no chance at chasing a cat I guess. I just mean the breed instinct is stronger in a dog who has been specifically trained for chasing it's whole life, is all. I don't really know too much about pits themselves, but I have never met one that was aggressive at the dog park. These days most pits aren't trained to be fighting dogs, even though they have that history. Not saying a pit who has been a (non-abused) pet all of his life won't aggro, but he is less likely to than one who is trained to fight. Almost all greys are trained to chase, some have been reinforced for up to half their life, and they are very good at it. There are dumb dog owners of any breed, and everyone should be a cautious and responsible dog owner, of course. But I think it's important that people know that racing greyhounds (may) differ from your typical dog. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 04:25 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 03:38
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Helicopter Dracula The Champ Mr Pancake (when he is doing like he is in the last pic of the first post that I posted, which is most of the time)
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May 20, 2013 20:13
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To add, greyhounds generally love routines, whatever the routine is -- as long as it doesn't change very much, they're happy. If you adopt a retired racer, they're probably used to a midday turnout. The most painless (for you and the dog) way to break them of this, if necessary, is of course crate training. The good thing is, retired racers already love their crates. You're getting a huge head start compared to housebreaking a random dog from the shelter, to be honest. Fake Ken Rockwell fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Jun 2, 2013 |
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Jun 2, 2013 21:25
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Also you may be able to get videos of your grey's races at http://www.trackinfo.com . Mine still gets excited at the sound of the bell.
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Jun 4, 2013 23:41
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Some just try to dig through water: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=131743700201533 (hope this will work) At the track here, they get hosed down at the end of every run. Mine doesn't swim, we have a kiddie pool and he thinks it's a giant water bowl.
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Jun 8, 2013 19:05
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