Greyhounds:

Anyone have any experience with them? The wife and I want to get a dog when we buy a house, and being "first time dog owners" in the sense that we've never had to take care of a dog wholly by ourselves, we want one that doesn't require a ton of attention or training. Most of the lists we've seen of breeds for new and/or lazy dog owners include greyhounds. Apparently even though they can run at 45mph, they're essentially couch potatoes by nature and sleep up to 18 hours a day. They don't even need to run that much and are pretty content with a 30 minute walk each day. Obviously, we'd try to go retired/rescue before going the breeder route. I think it's perfect, and Erin wants to name our first dog "Seabiscuit" so it'd definitely be appropriate with a greyhound.

So, anyone dealt with them/own one? Anything to look out for? We're talking 6 months before we get one btw.

Now for some cuteness:


awwwww!

oldpbnoob wrote: I don't have any direct experience with them, but an ex-coworker of mines mother used to run a rescue shelter that specialized in taking them in and finding new homes for them. One of the side issues with dog racing is finding homes for all the ones that are past their prime. Pretty much everything you have said above is what I have heard as well.   My second vote would be for a mutt. They often times are more hardy than pure breds and easier to maintain. Just try to make sure that whatever breeds they think they are dont have traits you arent looking for. While I love our Cocker/Dachsund mix, he has some breeding tendencies that drive me crazy.   Good luck in your search.

Yeah, the problem with mutts in our area is that almost all of them have pit in them. I know what people say about it being the owner and not the breed, but I've seen pitbulls brought up by rescue people that have a mean streak a mile long. Our downstairs neighbor was a prime example.

I would go with an Irish Wolfhound.

evillepaintball wrote: I would go with an Irish Wolfhound.

Those don't usually make it to shelters/rescue organizations.

having a dog is awesome, and I have no regrets getting one, but it sucks sometimes that me and the lady can't just have an impromptu day or weekend trip w/o worrying about what to do with him.  All is forgiven though when I come home from work and the little guy is running laps around the house because he's so excited to see me.

Friend of mine went through the motions towards adopting a Greyhound, but had to cancel right before taking the dog due to a sudden change in housing. I was sorely disappointed, as I'm a big fan of the breed given how chill they are. For a short while we looked into getting one ourselves... but despite their ability to simply veg for long hours, we still felt bad leaving a dog (any dog) alone in the house for 12 hours out of each day.
We have a few that we see walking around the neighborhood.

Would definitely adopt, rather than go through a breeder. There are plenty of former racers out there in need of good homes.

Glad to see you looking into stepping up towards a REAL animal companion.
Cats suck!   

Cat advantages: Clean animal (besides the fur), can leave alone in house/apartment, not too noisy.

Dog advantages: does the opposite of cats. personable.

deadeye007 wrote: Are you set on Greyhounds? Boxers are pretty friggin awesome

Boxers have MAJOR health issues and require beaucoup training my friend. Greyhounds have only minor health issues and require little training, especially if they're retired racers.

I personaly prefer Basset Hounds. Strong robust dogs, great with kids, big boned so can handle rough play with toddlers (grandkids). Loyal to a fault, but a little stuborn when required.

Other than ear cleaning monthly self sufficient and realitivly shed free, other than spring undercoat shedding. My older guys are just fuzzy doorstops till grandkids come over, then play to exhaustion with them. Our recent addition a rescue basset female is still kinda standoffish probably due to treatment at the 'puppy mill' she was rescued from.

I have had bassets since I was a kid, hounds are great, they are great 'watchdogs' and will vocalize whenever they hear anything out of the norm. And when I was on truck ole 'Duke' was just a great companion, he is still around at 11yrs+ and every now and then when grandkids are here turns into a big puppy. Ole 'Duke' now and then requires his dog 'wheelchair' and watching him power around the yard, front paws flaying and the dog tracking big wheeled rear end bouncing around is a classic. He invented dog 'drifting'.

oldpbnoob wrote:   Actually this part of dog ownership is awesome.