Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies®

We are considering adopting a Greyhound. We have always had rescued Labs and know the breed well, but wanted to educate ourselves on Greyhounds. With so many race tracks closing, either temporarily due to the CORONA-19 or permanently, they need good forever homes. We don't jump into adoption and began visiting different Greyhound Rescue websites. Some in the area where we live and some national organizations. The one thing they all had in common was the need to understand the breed and this book is always recommended. There is a tremendous amount of information that can't possibly be digested with the first reading. What we have done is read the first few chapters to fully understand the personality, needs of the breed, and the commitment you will be making. We read the training and is similar to a Lab, but has some great ideas it would have been nice to know with our other pups.I would highly recommend this book before you take the leap of adopting a Greyhound. They do have different needs than the average dog with a winter and summer fur coat, or the need to always be leashed, and no dog should ever be yelled out, but this breed appears to be more sensitive.Great book, well written for those of us new to the breed or a refresher for anyone that is a long time owner, and good for reference to go back to often.

This book gives you a great overview of what you should be ready for when getting ready to adopt your greyhound. Some references are obviously dated but the content is timeless it seems.It makes sense why all agencies have this as required reading. It’s really fast to read, super simple language and organized easily.

This is a cheap, comprehensive guide to bringing a race dog from the track into YOUR home, even if you have never owned a dog before. It covers all aspects of adopting one as well as health issues that may be present when you get him, or you may never encounter - (but if you do you have the book as a good resource to work with it). Greyhound adoption is different in that the dog has not experienced socializing or living in the human environment before and they are full grown adults usually when you get one, so there is an adjustment period that can be trying for both the dog and the human. However, these gentle giants (some may be "small giants") are the most gentle, independent, loving pet one could wish for and this book is a great guide book that will help the new owner understand the dog better.

I had my first dog when my dad took me to the pound in Loves Park, Illinois, and a frisky medium-sized adolescent dog immediately came over to me. Something--perhaps a fictional character from a cartoon--which one?--prompted me to call her Trixie, a name my best friend for life seemed to treasure and respond to above all others. I proudly announced that she was "part Fox Terrier" and "part Pointer," not sure what the terms meant but remembering what the vet had told my dad. No boy could have had a better friend, no family a more loyal pet, ready to go through hell and high water to prove herself over and over.Once, we lost her at a campground and left without her, my parents consoling me with the promise that we'd come back to look for her the next day. After the car had left the park and retaken the highway, I looked through the rear window, then immediately shouted to my dad, "Stop!" Way in the distance was a speck that my eyes could still discern and that my heart intuitively could identify. Sure enough! Trixie was determined to run us down.On another occasion we had gone with my uncle to motorboat across wide and deep Pelican Lake in Minnesota on an errand to get supplies. It was half way on the way back that I saw a speck moving in the water. I hollered, "Uncle Tony, please stop! I think I see something!" Thank God he heard me. It was Trixie, determined to hang with me, no matter how far, how long, how dangerous and potentially irretrievable the endeavor.All of this is a preface to a retired (and increasingly retiring) professor's request (this time of his wife) to adopt a dog to replace the one that (unbelievably, upon reflection) stuck with me like glue from first grade through college. (During my senior year, I received news about the inevitable--and, later, my father admitted that the immediate cause of Trixie's death was sun-stroke due to his leaving her tied up too long (to begin with, the neighborhood was sparse enough to allow her to have free run; by the time I was in college, she no longer had the luxury of being a "free ranger"). The creator couldn't have made a better dog. She remained trim and slightly under medium size but had a heart bigger than that of any creature on earth. When I recently screened some of our old home movies, my children commented: "That dog, it shows up in every scene! Was Trixie really like that, Dad?"That was Trixie, the quintessentially all-American "mutt." I would not expect the same "unconditional love" from a greyhound, which has been programmed to have a very different mind and thought process from my old pal. As Mr. Livingood explains, Greyhounds are not for everyone. They're not apt to be as responsive to your commands because from the beginning they've been bred not to be sociable companions but far-sighted predators, capable of spotting prey from distances inaccessible to humans and then to reach their targets in less time than any other canine breed.Whether they might behave differently as pups may remain up in the air. It's next to impossible to get a greyhound pup. They're more likely to be several years old. But the good news is that they're adaptable--extremely so. Exercise them once a week--preferable in an enclosed field with running space, and they can become accommodating lap dogs for the rest of the week, spending time in front of a TV set while on the couch and even sharing bed space with you til morning.They're quiet and easily intimidated--unusual for a "predatory" animal, but a greyhound is not intimidating; it's not a good watch dog. And it's not necessarily the best buddy you could have. So why get a greyhound. For me, it's because of a memory--of my favorite dogs running at our race track, Dairyland Park (Wisconsin has since outlawed greyhound racing, as I recall). I watched them closely, kept records, even bet on one that won 11-12 straight races--and then, it broke its pelvis coming out of the gate. The track's most invincible runner and the area's biggest draw--over with in a split second. And the dog couldn't be restored (today, I'd donate far more than my fair share if there were the slightest chance of saving its life--the least that could be done for all of the excitement and joy (and profits--but, actually, small winnings) that it had given those at the track and the community as a whole.So why get a greyhound? Because of its noble history, its sleek and royal features, its configuration, and tender and peaceful demeanor, and finally as "reparations" for its sacrifices on behalf of our pleasure (and greed). Why not get a greyhound? I can't think of any reasons. They're not for children. They're not for rough-housing. They're friendly, though not in the "love as all" perfect-buddy of an all-American mutt (all the more reason for my adopting an animal not expected to replicate Trixie).The negative case is, with all due respect, my wife's. She's quick to point out that it's a fairly large animal (70 pounds and up for a male; 50 and up for a female). It's not soft and cuddly like many smaller home-bodies (Cockers? Poodles? Beagles? Mutts?) It's downright boney and weird looking. I response is that it depends upon the angle from which you're viewing it. Also, one man's Mona Lisa is another's caricature of Rose-Anne or, going way back, Twiggy.Personally, I love the breed's combination of a shetland pony's size and strength with an anemic-looking, bony vulnerability. In sum, the foregoing reflects what I picked up from reading this book, but I brought to the book a disposition and bias that was only supported. I doubt the book will persuade fans of a Toy Poodle or Yorkie to look for a Greyhound instead.P.S. As a 2-cat owner, it was reassuring to learn that most greyhounds are perfectly good with feline housemates. With rabbits or hamsters, best tread with more care.

This book really taught us about our perspective hound and will certainly come in usual for reference along our journey. We originally loaned this book from our local library to read during the adoption process, then ordered it before getting our hound home. I also recommended looking for podcasts where Lee Livingood speaks, I find the world of greyhound so interesting.Something funny that happened when ordering this book is that the original order arrived with nothing in the package. I assume it was some kind of glitch, but the package was empty! I talked with the amazon customer service robot and another book was sent with no issues.

This book did exactly as advertised! Empowered me to choose a great Greyhound rescue, choose the right hound for us to adopt, prep the house for their welcome, and how to best train and love our hound to create a great lasting relationship for everyone! We’re now fostering another greyhound and hope to keep these beautiful and powerful canines in our home and hearts for a long time!

I bought this book because I had just adopted a rescued racer Greyhound. I had owned an Italian Greyhound previously so I thought I knew all about raising a rescued racer. Oh, I was wrong. This book helped so much. I Love all the dummy books. I love how they’re written and formatted. So easy to open the book and look for an answer to a question.