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Sighthounds
& Gazehounds
About
the Breed
Sighthounds hunt by sight rather than by scent. These breeds are
ancient and were usually owned by royalty. They were used to bring
game to the table and the larger hounds were used against large game
and also in battle. They can be distinguished by like features, such
as elongated noses, deep chests, long powerful legs, flexible spines,
and rapid gait when at full throttle. They have been known to attain
speeds up to 45 mph.
Sighthound breeds include the Afghan, Australian Greyhound, Azawakh
(Tuareg Sloughi), Banjara Greyhound (Congo Dog), Borzoi (Russian
Wolfhound), Chortaj (Eastern Greyhound), Galgo Español
(Spanish Greyhound), English Greyhound, Ibizan, Irish Wolfhound,
Italian Greyhound, Lurcher, Magyar (Hungarian Greyhound), Pharaoh
Hound, Rampur Greyhound, Portuguese Grande & Medio Podengo,
Rhodesian Ridgeback, (Lion Hound), Saluki (Persian Greyhound),
Scottish Deerhound, Sicilian Cirneco Dell'Etna, Sloughi (Arabian
Greyhound), Taigan (Kirghiz Borzoi), Tasy (Asiatic Borzoi) and Whippet.
Sighthound
Adoption
Our
Organizations Purpose and Intent
Primary
Purpose:
To watch out for the welfare of homeless sighthounds, by retrieving
them from animal welfare agencies or other sources, fostering when
necessary and locating suitable homes for their placement.
Ancillary
Purpose: To
assist in sighthound rehabilitation. To help animal welfare agencies
with sighthound rescue and provide lost and found assistance. To
further public education on sighthounds, foster support for
neuter/spay programs of over breeding and prevention of cruelty to
animals. Education will be directed solely toward this organization's
primary charitable purpose and made available to all interested
persons on a nondiscriminatory basis. These ancillary functions shall
not include any political action on behalf of any candidate for
public office or to influence legislation.
Greyhounds
Are you looking for a nuzzler, cuddler, lover and a lifelong
companion? If so, you might want to consider a retired racing
greyhound. Yes, these ex-athletes that are bred for speed, health,
intelligence, and socialibility make excellent house pets. Because
they have been in bustling kennels and a racing environment that
requires extensive handling they crave human company. As pet owners,
we don't care about speed, but the breed's gentle, loving personality
makes it a compatible family member for those with children, cats and
other dogs. But remember, no dog likes to be scared or tormented by
small children.
Do you have a gender preference? There is no difference in the
personality of the male or female greyhound. From a size standpoint,
males are one to two inches taller and ten pounds heavier. Most
females are in the 55 to 65 pound range while males generally weigh
between 65 and 75 pounds. The dogs stand 23 to 29 inches tall.
If you had to pick one word to characterize this ancient breed, it
would be polite. It is eager to please, delights in you attention and
prefers to be alongside you at all times. In essence, it's your shadow.
Because of being constantly handled and moved from one track to
another, the greyhound adapts readily to change - i.e. home life.
However, everything in the home will be new - stairs, sliding patio
doors, linoleum floors, and so forth - and some time will be required
for adjustment.
The greyhound is basically a quiet dog and will spend much of its
time sleeping in the corner of the room or may even bid for part of
the sofa, if allowed. It loves to go for car rides and we suggest
that you take it wherever you go.
While it does very well on a leash and doesn't require a lot of
exercise, the greyhound makes an excellent jogging companion. Because
it wants to be everyone's friend and seldom barks, it is not a good
watch dog.
Short coated, it is a clean breed known for having no smell and
shedding minimally.
On the track, these dogs are fed raw beef and high protein dry food.
Vegetables (for iron) and corn oil (for coat maintenance) are also
ingredients in most kennels' feeding programs. You should feed you
pet greyhound four to six cups a day of any good grade of dry product.
Greyhounds come in a wide array of colors, with various shades of
brindle being most common. Grey, which is called blue by some
breeders, is somewhat rare.
The average racer is worth $2000.00 by the time it ventures onto the
track. Our dogs typically range from two to five years old, and
barring accident, will normally live to be twelve to fifteen years old.
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Greyhound
Ownership Quiz
Is the retired racing greyhound the right breed for you? Please take
the following quiz to find out. Answer Yes or No I want a gentle,
loving pet good with children and most small animals. I want a
companion, not a guard dog. My yard is completely fenced. The fence
is in good repair. My fence is four feet high or taller. I am willing
to keep my greyhound on a leash at all times unless it is in a
securely fenced area. I understand that the greyhound is an indoor
pet only, and that as a sighthound it can never be confined to a room
with no view (garage, basement, laundry room, etc). I have patience
and time available to help my former racer adjust to its new life (on
average it can take up to three months for an ex-racer to be
completely settled into its new home) I understand that a minimum
non-refundable cash donation of $175.00 is required to adopt a
greyhound from Sighthound Adoption.
I understand that a home visit may be required before I will be
allowed to adopt a dog. I agree to allow future visits to check on
the dog, and I agree to allow Sighthound Adoption to repossess the
dog if at any time in their opinion the dog is not being properly
cared for.
I agree to keep identification on my dog at all times with my name
and address on it, and the Sighthound Adoption tag as well; to call
Sighthound Adoption if my dog becomes lost or missing, and to keep
them informed at all times of the dogs wherabouts, and to return the
dog to Sighthound Adoption if for any reason I cannot keep the dog.
If you answered "yes" to all of the above questions, the
retired racing greyhound is a breed that will probably work very well
for you. If you answered "no" to any of these, but are
still interested in adopting a greyhound, please contact us. We are
very willing to discuss your situation to see if we can help you make
your home a suitable place for a greyhound. If you decide that a
greyhound is not the breed for you, we strongly encourage you to
adopt another breed through your local animal shelter or purebred dog
rescue group.
Why
Do Greyhounds Make Good Pets?
Greyhounds have been bred to be fast, healthy, intelligent,
sociable, and good tempered. Greyhounds spend most of their lives in
the company of other dogs, their trainers, and handlers. Greyhounds
have all the advantages of breeding and training when it comes to
being a good pet. Their sociability makes them great with other pets
(including cats!). Their temperment makes them wonderful around
children and friends. Their intelligence and breed make them perfect
house pets, clean, quiet, and a loving companion.
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What
Should I Expect If I Adopt A Greyhound?
The most common misconception concerning greyhounds is that they are
hyperactive. It is actually the opposite. Greyhounds are a gentle,
mild, quiet animal by nature. A greyhound coming into your home will
be very puppy like, curious, and affectionate. Everything is brand
new to a retired greyhound, but remember they are very smart. Certain
house manners will have to be learned as greyhounds have never seen
anything of family life. Stairs, cats, mirrors, cars, etc. are all
things you will have to teach your greyhound. When going up stairs,
you will need to place your dogs feet one at a time and help it
along. Going down stairs requires a firm grip on the collar and a
very slow walk down. For any correction, a firm NO! is all that
should be needed. If your greyhound even looks at your cat, jump
right in and say NO! It will quickly learn the right behavior towards
a smaller animal. Never leave your greyhound alone with your family
cat until you are sure they get along. Your tone of voice and a firm
NO! will quickly let your greyhound know how to behave around your home.
Are
Greyhounds Housebroken?
Greyhounds are kennel trained. This means that they are taught not
to soil their own space. At the track greyhounds are used to the
routine of being let out in a turnout pen to answer the call of
nature. A greyhound has never had to tell anyone it has to go out.
Until you learn each others body language you will need to be
patient. There may be an accident or two, but this is best avoided by
taking your greyhound out frequently and giving lots of praise when
he/she finds the right spot. It is important to know that greyhounds,
although leash trained have to be taught to go to the bathroom while
on a lead. This requires a little more time that teaching them where
the door is. When letting your greyhound into your yard to go, don't
distract him/her, as you want to let him/her focus on the reason for
being outside. When all business is done, then comes playtime.
Does
My Greyhound Need A Special Space In The House?
In the kennel, greyhounds always have their own kennel crate. This
was a space where it felt safe and secure. By using a crate in your
home or making a special bedding area, you will help your greyhound
adjust to the new freedom of your house. Indeed, by using a crate,
you can help your greyhound feel safe and secure while left alone.
This will help to prevent any problems associated with separation
anxiety. You can think of a crate as a large dog bed that you
greyhound will be happy in.
What
Kind of Food And Medical Care Does My Greyhound Need?
When you adopt a greyhound, it will be at "racing weight".
Most will reach "pet weight" in about a month. This is
usually a gain of 5 to 7 pounds. It is recommended to use a low
protein food - approximately 20% to 26%. Initially, you will want to
feed you greyhound 6 to 8 cups daily- half at breakfast, and half at
dinner. We recommend using a dry food covered with water, as canned
foods are too rich for a greyhound. Dry dog foods come in either
chicken/corn mix or lamb/rice mix, which ever fits best with your
budget. As your dog begins to add weight and eats less 4 to 6 cups
daily should do for weight maintenace. For general checkups and
shots, your family vet will need to know some important things about
greyhounds. Greyhounds have a sensitivity to certain types of
anesthesia and internal flea medications. It is important that your
vet check with your Greyhound Pets representative if they need
further information. Greyhounds are not plagued by confimation
diseases such as hip displasia. If given good care, your greyhound
can live 12 - 15 years, a delightfully long life for you and your family.
How
Do I Excercise My Greyhound?
You must have a fully fenced in yard for your greyhound. Greyhounds
can never be trusted off leash. A loose greyhound is a dead
greyhound. Raised in such a sheltered life at the track, a greyhound
has no street smarts when it comes to cars. By nature of a
sighthound, greyhounds can run at speeds of up to 45 mph and will
chase fast moving objects. This would be tragic if this were a car or
a neighbors cat. Because greyhounds are sighthounds (not scenthounds)
a loose one would run so fast and so far that it would just get lost.
Exercising your greyhound with several walks and chances to run
around its fenced yard is all that's required. At the track,
greyhounds are used to running every three days - so you may see a
pattern to your dogs energy peaks. You are the best playmate your
greyhound could have and it will take your lead to how much exercise
it gets.
Top
SIGHTHOUND
ADOPTION CENTER
Roy
& Kathi Merritt
BOISE
IDAHO
208-362-1147
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