Greyhounds...

Mike; by all means get a greyhound. We're former owners -- as soon as I stop working/traveling we're getting another, and my partner in the Tim and Bob Show had two.

And by all means adopt a retired racer. In addition to saving the life of a beautiful, sweet, "lean, mean sleeping machine," you'll be getting a dog that's already housebroken as well as trained on the leash.

One concern, however, is that there aren't a lot of fenced back yards in Blighty as I remember, and without one things can get complicated. Greyhounds are playful and their favorite game is "you can't catch me." If they're let off the leash in open ground, you will never get them back. Backyards are great to run off their temporary insanity. If I lived in an apartment or on an open estate, I'd be very hesitant to get one.

One bonus: they sleep like cats -- 20 hours a day or so. Another bonus: they're loyal and funny and loving. Ours died three years ago and I'm still not quite over it yet.

 

Our dog was one of the largest of the breed I'd ever seen and he was very reserved and shy-natured. I suppose that this could have been described as "sheepish," but they're natural entertainers as well so there's a lot of personality at play.

One thing to be concerned about is the leash. The telescoping leashes that are popular are useless. G-hounds move so quickly they'll become entangled. Also, if there's an incident [dog fight in the park or something], don't ever grab a G-hound by the collar. Their heads are so aquiline that they can slip any leash. We used a leather version of a choke-chain. This is the best way to make sure that the leash is engaged all the time.

About exercize ... if you adopt a retired racer, they're really RETIRED. Think of Rosy Grier in the Miller Lite ads sitting by the fireplace knitting. That's about as much excitement as they get up to. They like to sleep, but they also like to play. A lot of G-hound associations have get-togethers to let them play. A littleleague baseball field completely surrounded by chain link affords a great opportunity for them to play with their buds and run off some steam. But, mostly, if you can take them for a walk around the neighborhood every day, that'll be all they'll need.

Let me know when you get close to getting one. You'll never regret it.

 

I was keen on getting a greyhound at one point in time. But ever since my family picked an Australian terrier as our dog. It's the only dog I'll ever consider getting again. They're not a well-known breed, which is a shame because they happen one of best dog breeds ever.

Intelligent, confident, and well-mannered (they're not the yapping kind of terrier). They have hair not fur, so they don't shed. And love to please you. But they will chase any vermon at will, so you have to watch them when they are off the leash. That was what they were breed for and to herd sheep.

I know you probably have your heart set on a greyhound, but if you need to go the smaller dog route. The Australian Terrier is the way to go.