@LuvRedHeads He is just the cutest. I don’t even understand how anyone can find these dogs “ugly.” I feel pretty confident DH will be won over if he just spends time around them. We went through something similar when we adopted our cat (“I don’t want an ugly old orange male cat”), and now I think he’s probably more attached to the cat than he is to me! :lol:
I feel confident your DH will be won over too :D. Greyhounds are so charming and weird. They are their own species entirely. I’ve had dogs all my life and I’ve never been so thoroughly enchanted as I am with my boy. My husband, who was not an animal person and came from a non-animal family, is just as in love with our greyhound as I am.
If your DH needs any convincing, show him this video of a Greyhound in Batman pajamas playing in the snow. This is pretty much what life is like with a greyhound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-fe…M#action=share
This is a super fun article:
https://medium.com/writing-in-the-me…d-5b571dd3662e
Fair warning - this will pull at your heartstrings. Don’t read it if you want to avoid a real downer. But this is what my dog is, a Galgo Espanol. Called a Spanish Greyhound, but really quite different than it’s American cousin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galgo_Español
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/…lling-welfare/
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When I looked into getting a greyhound from a rescue, most all of the rescues picked out the dog for you based on your interview. So, you could say that you were looking for one who was cat-friendly and they could use that as a filter for the dog they picked for you. This is actually the reason why I ended up not getting a greyhound.
I was at an event with about 20 greyhounds and one dog picked me out. While all of the others were aloof with most everyone, this one gh followed me everywhere and would lay her head on me or push my hand with her head if I stopped long enough. The volunteers kept saying “she’s picked you!!”. Well, when I inquired about adopting her, I was told that they would pick the dog they thought I should have and it likely would not be that dog. I decided to pass.
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I don’t have a real issue with the agency choosing for you, only because they know the dogs far better than you could possibly know them in a 15 minute interaction in a busy place. Allowing potential owners to choose “the cute one” that otherwise is a total mismatch for their lifestyle, work hours, other animals, etc., is a sure way for a dog to end up returned. But, all other things being equal, it seems that there might be multiple dogs that match one family/person so some choice can take place.
I’m surprised you didn’t stick around to find out whether you would be matched with that dog, and curious why they were certain it would “likely not be that dog?” To be honest, it seems like you may have missed out on a great dog out of spite.
One of my good friends was chosen by her first greyhound. She has long, very blond hair and this little bitch just stared and stared at her and watched her the entire time she was looking at other dogs. She thought she must have looked like someone from her past because she was enthralled. That was her first of 3 or 4 greys in a row…and she wasn’t looking for a greyhound at the time, but she was chosen.
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I didn’t need another dog, and I wasn’t looking for another dog at that time (I was there to buy dog food), but I had a farm with plenty of fenced acreage and already had 4 dogs who lived both in and out depending on their choice, so adding another wasn’t really a big deal. The only reason I asked about adopting her was because I felt like that dog seemed to be comfortable with me and the staff at the event kept commenting on how she had found her person. I love dogs, and as I said, adding another at that time wouldn’t have been an issue, so I inquired.
The staff knew nothing about me or my situation as they had not asked me one question. I asked about adopting the dog attached to my hip and was told that they would pick the dog for me and it would likely not be the dog I wanted, so I passed. It wasn’t spite, it was not knowing the process up front and then finding out how it worked and not agreeing to those terms.
After that, I looked into other greyhound rescues in my state and they were all the same way.
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My greyhounds never bothered the cats, goats, chickens, but they would sometimes go out into the fields and come back with a deer (usually a fawn), rabbit, etc. The prey drive was there but they seemed to understand what “prey” was absolutely off limits.
@LuvRedHeads --I had no idea about the Galgos and Podencos. I cannot even form words, but I am so thankful that you shared those links. 
Thank you! I am always happy to spread the word about Galgos and Podencos. They make incredible pets and are truly deserving animals. Not all Galgos are traumatized - some are confident, social and outgoing. But a number are fearful, timid and unsocialized, due to their backgrounds. They all seem to lack aggression – it seems to be a very rare trait in the breed. Some rescuers say it seems as if Galgos were born to suffer
My galgo was very traumatized when he first came to us. He had a distinct fear of strangers and men in particular, but quickly bonded to my husband and I. It was clear he had never lived indoors and had no idea how to be a pet. But he was incredibly clean and fastidious about being housebroken - he DID NOT want to have accidents indoors in “his” house. He actually once jumped a 5’ railing to poop on our neighbor’s deck - he had a bad stomach ache and did not want to soil his house or his deck!
He has come so far in the 6+ years we have had him. He is bonded to both of us, but in particular to me more than my husband. He is definitely his mummy’s dog. 
It is kind of nice having a dog that doesn’t love indiscriminately. Strangers will be greeted with a polite sniff, but there is no jumping, licking or barking. It took years before he would let the neighbors (that he sees every day) touch him. But now, for those in his inner circle, he willingly goes up for ear rubs and leans. He’s incredibly cuddly and affectionate - he’s a great snuggler. Many people report Galgos seem to lack spatial boundaries. His main form of dealing with unpleasantness is avoidance. If he feels uncomfortable with a situation, he will try to exit it. If he can’t exit it, he will just pretend he isn’t present for it.
If he was a person, I would picture him being a quirky, polite British man. I just adore him and his weird, quirky personality.
If you are interested in learning more, here is another great link with some very good information:
http://greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=living-with-galgos
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So you object to them matching dogs? Why?
Just because one dog seemed attached to you doesn’t mean it was appropriate at all for your situation - which, as you say - they didn’t even know. Maybe this dog needed an owner that was home all day. If you weren’t able to be that person, why would you object to the agency wanting it to be met?
I didn’t say that I objected to them matching dogs, I just stated that that is the way that the GH rescues I’ve spoken with worked. I only said that I was interested in adopting that dog and it wasn’t possible due to their matching rules, so I didn’t go through with an adoption. They can do whatever they want and I have the choice to participate or not.
I’m not quite sure why you’re like a dog with a bone with this (excuse the pun). I didn’t say “seemed attached”, I said “comfortable” and “attached to my hip”, which is a common phrase to insinuate that the dog was physically attached to my hip, in case you didn’t know.
For the record, I have someone who sits with my dogs when I am gone, which they would have known had they asked any questions at all. They didn’t, and that’s fine. I’m not upset that they match dogs, I just didn’t know that bit in advance or else I would not have asked about adopting. I’ll just keep volunteering with my local rescues and city shelters for my extra dose of doggie goodness for now. Cheers
I’m with RR - I feel I’ve been around dogs (and horses and farms etc.) my whole life. I feel l can pick a dog that I would like to have around better than any body else.
The shelters often are so keen on the perfect home, nobody ever qualifies… we believe we offer dog heaven.
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I’ve dealt with some crazy dog rescues in my life. So I totally get that. Reading the adoption contracts of the greyhound rescues, they don’t seem too over the top. In my current situation, I’m okay with a rescue picking a dog for us if they can do everything in their power to assure it won’t eat my cat.
Although in our move, it seems we have acquired an outdoor cat with the house/barn. Outdoor kitty will need to go if we get a GH, because everything I’m reading says even the cat friendliest of GHs can be tempted by a cat in the yard… hmmm…
For the record, I have acquired 2 equines, a fish tank, and now a cat with this move. My husband is about ready to lose it. Probably will hold off a little longer before making him seriously consider a dog. :lol:
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the first thing that popped into my head was that GH was already selected for another person.
I have fostered one greyhound so my experience is fairly limited… The one I fostered had low prey drive and was cat safe. I think as someone else mentioned rescues generally prefer to play it safe than sorry as I can’t see it going well if one killed the family cat. The thing that I don’t think they exaggerate is about how they can struggle with stairs, different types of flooring etc. The one I fostered never figured out how to go upstairs in the couple months I had her, and really struggled with my laminate flooring. The fear of shiny floors never went away (saw an update on her about 7 years after fostering).
One other thing which I am sure you are already aware of with the reading you have done is that they are not the easiest to train. The foster I had was very sweet, walked calmly on a leash, was good with other dogs, easily house trained so had all the basics needed to be a lovely house pet. She was however a struggle for me as I was used to the trainability of a herding breed so was stumped when I couldn’t teach a dog “sit” (she sat on her own when she felt like it so there wasn’t anything physical preventing her from being able to). I only had her 6 weeks but in less than a day had my ASTCD able to reliably respond to “sit” and “down” by the end of the first day I had him.
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I know this is old, but you aren’t too far so I thought I’d at least include a plug for the place I got my greyhound. It’s National Greyhound Adoption Program (https://www.ngap.org/index.html) in Philadelphia. They have the largest amount of dogs available locally and offered the most follow up support. You can go and walk the dogs there, and include any you particularly like in your application, but they ultimately contact you with a couple to chose from. I accepted their first choice for me, even though he wasn’t one I’d requested, and he’s turned out to be a perfect fit for the longish list of lifestyle requirements I have. Their questions genuinely seemed to be about picking the best dog for you, not weeding people out, and I know they do adopt out of state.
Mine was 3 and had raced for a year and a half, and would indeed instantly chase anything he thought should be chased. That list included small dogs, squirrels, deer, remote controlled cars, low-flying drones, anything that squeaked, and blowing trash. He’s afraid of cats and seems to think horses are large dogs worthy of great respect. He’s since figured out that small dogs are just dogs, and that it’s no longer his job to chase everything, but it took a while. He’s been to Devon and Plantation Field and was well behaved, comes to restaurants and all that.
They are good at obeying rules but not at learning tasks. Mine won’t go up my house stairs and gets cut looking at sharp grass, but likes hikes and being outdoors in all kinds of weather if he’s with people. For the most part he’s dog on easy mode 
They are kind of funny looking but I think a lot of guys are won over by how visibly athletic they are.
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So, Texarkana, are you still considering adopting a greyhound? I think you should, so that I can live vicariously through you
@LuvRedHeads Considering it, yes. Acting on it, no. Which is a shame with the Florida situation. But my life has been especially crazy at the moment, which would be unfair to any dog. DH is still not behind the idea of a GH. And something I didn’t realize when I started this thread, but we “inherited” an outdoor cat with the property since the previous occupants left her behind. While the setup is perfect (apart from the outdoor cat), the timing for me is not. 
