Chased a cat :(

[lurcherlot]

Perhaps you haven't 'read' this forum correctly? This is a forum for the rescue and rehabilitation of ex-racing greyhounds, ex-working lurchers and whippets, the majority of whom were going to be euthanised. As I pointed out to you previously, it is our duty to keep all these dogs safe and the majority of our forum members appreciate the need for muzzles on high prey drive and reactive dogs.

[gramps]

Fair enough I came on here to see if I could help by adopting a troubled hound but as I don't have what you are looking for I see no point in staying and will look for somewhere that needs me. Bye

I see too many lovely hounds that are kept on leads even with a muzzle on and only walked for 20 minutes a day because the owner are too scared to let them run anywhere because they might run off or might chase something.
What life is that for a running dog, that I think is cruel to the hound.
With the life these dogs have it might have been better to be PTS. Thanks for your time.

[Ted]

Obviously you do not know that when racing they are out of their kennels for a very short time less than 20 minutes the rest of the time they are kennelled the lucky ones having a small running paddock. The retired ones only need a 20 minute walk twice a day and they like to sleep in a comfortable warm dry home the rest of the time only waking up for their meals and going out in a secure back garden to do what is necessary. If you want a dog that under complete control off the lead then Greyhounds, Whippets and Lurchers are the wrong dogs for you. Two of mine are very safe off the lead but only in non-traffic areas, if there is any traffic around like yesterday there was illegal off roaders using the park I had to keep all four on the lead for their safety. Two of mine are always on the lead because one is a wanderer with No interest in coming back on recall and the other one is blind and diabetic and is kept on the lead for her own safety. I have in the past found I had to have a muzzle and lead on one Greyhound I was walking for a rescue as he would attack other dogs by grabbing them. He also did this when he was in a different rescue who had kennelled him with a female Greyhound and he nearly skinned her. I have been lucky with all my Greyhounds that I have had since 2001 in that they did not need muzzles on because they were completely safe with all other dogs of all types and sizes, however because of previous training none of them were safe with furries such as cats, rabbits, squirrels etc so in areas where cats are likely to be they were always kept on the lead for their own safety as well as the cats, it only takes a split second for them if off the lead in traffic areas to run across a road and be hit by a car or other vehicle.

[dash4misty]

Our hounds are always muzzled and also lead walked ( very bad mummy here then ) years ago we met a lovely man who had to have his greyhound PTS because it ran after a rabbit and badly injured itself , one of my hounds has had the choice to run on a private paddock and guess what ? He didn't want to run so it goes to show "running dogs " don't always want to run

[gazer]

Jan 3, 2016 14:41:40 GMT -5 dash4misty said:

Our hounds are always muzzled and also lead walked ( very bad mummy here then ) years ago we met a lovely man who had to have his greyhound PTS because it ran after a rabbit and badly injured itself , one of my hounds has had the choice to run on a private paddock and guess what ? He didn't want to run so it goes to show "running dogs " don't always want to run

Same here with my girls, muzzled and lead walked.  Billie goes off lead now and again, when the situation allows for it.
As for running, well my 'running' dogs only want to run when they have something to chase, I would say there is even more truth in that statement where greyhounds are concerned.  Put a greyhound in a field and unclip his lead, unless he alerts to something he will not run, I've heard many an owner say this.  The greyhound is actually a very lazy dog and they don't need hours of exercise every day.   The lurcher is different but again it depends what the cross is in the dog.

To say it would be better to have these dogs PTS is downright wicked.

Life with a rescue hound is not just about letting them offlead, it's about bringing them on, seeing them gradually come out of themselves, teaching them not all people are bad and that it's ok to trust.  Watching them play with toys for the first time maybe. Having hugs on the sofa, watching them relax while they sleep.
So many other reasons to take one of these wonderful hounds into your home.

I wouldn't change my reactive, muzzled, double leaded pair of little dears for the world.



   

[jodav]

Gazer has summed it up. Greyhounds/lurcher can be very different in my opinion. We have two greyhounds, one that can walk happily off-lead without a muzzle everyday and a male dog that cannot despite various training. He goes off-lead in safe, secure spaces with the dog he lives with or with other dogs he knows. He can be unpredictable in his behaviour and therefore it would be irresponsible of me not to keep him muzzled and therefore safe. In all respects I believe he is a contented dog.

[planete]

Gramps, I think the worry is that people who are asking advice need to be educated to the possible dangers of having high prey drive dogs and how to deal with them in order to avoid any mishaps. Paddy is obviously very receptive to training, not all dogs are, so telling people about Paddy could give them a sense of false security. Best they are over cautious rather than run into trouble because they have not taken every precaution. We have to give the right advice, not argue about how good our own dog or our own training are.