<p>I just read the email quoted in number 51. It’s true the agency we used gave the dogs right off the track. With the first dog it wasn’t a problem. The dog had been in somene’s home and returned. The home was the problem, not the dog. He was fully housebroken and used to being with people.</p>
<p>The second greyhound did come right off the track. There were several minor problems in addition to going after small little furry things like the neighbor’s silky terrier. Greyhounds live in cages on the track, which they keep clean. Living in a home takes some getting used to. Many greyhounds are in fact kept in their cages in their adopted homes until they become acclimitized. Additionally, racing greyhounds may not know how to climb stairs. Think about that. It’s not something they ever have to do on the track. Also the pads on their feet are very soft, which means they may have some soreness while their pads harden up walking on sidewalks. One other problem–teeth. They eat soft food on the track. You really should brush their teeth several times a week to protect against infections.</p>
<p>However, none of these is really much of a problem. Greyhounds adapt very quickly to family living and prefer to be inside. They are not outside dogs. With no body fat they are suspectible to extremes in temperature.</p>
<p>On a completely different note - I’m wondering how fair it is to introduce a dog into the household of a 20 year old cat. I have both dogs and cats and recently have had to put down both an 18 year old cat and a 15 year old dog. The last years of the lives of both animals were spent trying to make things as comfortable and secure and pain free for both of them.<br>
Realistically, the cat is definitely at the far end of its life expectancy. I just wonder if it wouldn’t be better for everyone to wait until the cat has passed away and then a new pet would help the children get over the loss of their old friend.</p>
<p>Hahaha. Good for the greyhound. Silkies yap too much. :p</p>
<p>GAmom, I don’t think’s it’s right to do that to an old cat. However, you might want to start the search anyway. Some of the rarer breeds can be hard to find, and even visiting pet rescues takes some time.</p>
<p>Isn’t there anyone here who likes whippets? I think they’re so much more graceful/attractive than greyhounds. Very high-strung, though.</p>
<p>We have a cocker that is the silliest creature on the planet.</p>
<p>A border collie that runs the house and everyone in it.</p>
<p>And a Bouvier des Flanders that protects and guards the house, the people in it, the other two dogs, two cats and a bunny.</p>
<p>They all play well together and over the years have developed a great comraderie with each other. They are however, slightly afraid of the oldest, meanest and fattest cat. They move out of her way and give her a wide berth. She loves to hide around corners and whack them good and hard when they least expect it.</p>
<p>All 3 dogs shed but we have them cropped close so not so much shedding. All 3 have also turned out to be great with kids (my 5) and my two very young niece and nephew.</p>
<p>Good luck OP on your doogie adventure. Before Dolly (our bouvier) I had a blue-tick coonhound (Dixie) and she too was lovable when my kiddos were babies and did not shed much. She didn’t bark either!! Just bayed at the moon. Never had a more loyal or loving dog.</p>
<p>I’ve been doing alot of research these past few days and are narrowing down to Maltese or Bichon Frise. My husband still wants a Westie but I think they’re too nervous for me. (Since I’m like a Westie myself!) We have several neighbors with retired greyhounds (as there’s a track in town) and they are darling…A bit too big for us, though.</p>
<p>dke:
4-1/2 years into our canine experience, we’ve found our Bichon to be smart, loving, great with kids, fun to play with, non-yappy (except when he sees squirrels), and non-allergenic. And when he curls up in your lap or on the foot of the bed, the only thing missing is a purr. He’s actually a very good watchdog, too.</p>
<p>thanks for the heads up, driver…My husband’s pushing back on the bichons because he says they’re “frou frou” but I’m pretty determined…think it would be a good fit. Aren’t I fortunate to have gotten four pages of responses on this…thank you everyone!</p>
<p>i hope this won’t offend any bichon owners –
i have heard they can be hard to potty train and that has been true for my brother’s bichon.
but i don’t know how much of that is anything to do with the breed and how much is the fact that since they are so small that people put up with it and don’t train enough. i know my brother hasn’t ben the most diligent in this dept and whenever he complains, i point out that if he had a st. bernard, he’d probably be a lot more careful about how he was training!! :)</p>
<p>dke and anyone else:
Those frufru Lion cuts are an abomination! Bichons are so much better looking if you let them go natural! The name Bichon Frise (should have an accent over the e) means “curly Maltese,” so I say let the curls show. My bichon thinks he’s Rin-tin-tin, and spent a couple of hours climbing to the top of Mt. Cadillac in Acadia with us last month. 1500 feet above sea level, not bad for someone with such short little legs.</p>
<p>I’m not sure about bichons, but poodles are very sturdy dogs who historically were bred to retrieve water fowl from cold water areas. I have a friend that has a bichon, and two who have three bichon-poodle mixes. All are lively and friendly family pets. </p>
<p>The only down side to their non-smelly, non-shedding coats is that they need alot of grooming. Malteses do also. They really have hair rather than fur, and it grows like human hair. Be prepared for alot of brushing and for a bath and clipping every 4 to 8 weeks. </p>
<p>Maybe if you husband thinks a bichon is to frou-frou, you could consider a standard poodle or a labradoodle. A miniature poodle is about 15 inches at the shoulder and about 20 pounds…a bichon is probably similar. A standard poodle is similar to a lab at about 18 to 23 inches and 55 to 65 pounds. Definitely not frou-frou.</p>
<p>I think a standard poodle can also get an all over short clip that looks more “sporty” than “frou frou”. I would imagine that would minimize the grooming. </p>
<p>I started a dog thread a month or so ago and was thinking hard about a greyhound. Now that S1 is gone (and DH is traveling) I think I really need a dog that will make a little noise.</p>
<p>On the male vs. female question, it is best explained in Danes by the following: Female Danes say “Love me, love me, love me.” Male Danes says: “Let me love you, let me love you, really, let me love you.”</p>
<p>We are big dog lovers (as in size). We now have an SPCA adopted australian shepard mix, Wendy, who is so sweet and a pure bred australian shep, Clyde, who is a sketch! Our beloved Bonnie (a border collie) sadly died two weeks ago from old age, we had her for 15 wonderful years. We have decided to look for another australian shepard. They are very smart, loyal, and fun, but extremely ACTIVE! That’s ok, I will play frisbee all day long!</p>
<p>My S, in junior high, did a report on the “intelligence of dogs”. There is actually a dog IQ test that can be administered, and the book that he got the information from had rankings by breed and by group. The smartest dog (according to this book) was a standard poodle, followed by Rottweilers and German Shepards. The smartest group was the working dogs. I don’t know if any of it is true, but it was interesting.</p>
<p>Thanks for the fun link, lkf. I think my bichon would love tracking…I’m going to look into that. I’ve never seen such an acute sense of smell in a dog, and he clearly loves to use it. He seems to be part bloodhound.</p>
<p>BTW, although Great Danes are not academic superstars, they are of above-average intelligence and very athletic – making them great candidates for Ivy League schools needing to fill out their rosters!</p>