I just got an email from my local greyhound rescue that Caliente, the dog track at Tijuana, is closing. If you're in southern California and thought about a retired racer this might be a great time to reach out to an adoption group. Retired track dogs make awesome pets.
Glorious!
(I'm a confirmed, dyed-in-the-wool cat person BUT my hostess-with-the-mostess did dog rescue for awhile; through her I was introduced to greyhounds, who are just wonderful. Even when they're being drama queens.)
Dad and his GF have a greyhound and Chief absolutely is exactly the same. Ironically the kitten and the Welsh terrier are the two running round the house like lunatics as Chief sleeps 15 hours a day and ignores thier energy.
My greyhounds have been breed ambassadors for years, and I've told many people they're like very large housecats. They even wash themselves like cats! Many can live with cats as well; most adoption groups do cat-testing prior to placement. Happy to chat with anyone who's curious about 'hounds.
I have been told that is mostly a myth. "75 to 80 percent of them can live safely with indoor cats, if introduced and supervised properly at first." greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?pa....
When I still had my long boi, he definitely deferred to the cats. Any reputable rescue will try to test the dogs they place for suitability with cats, small dogs, and kids.
My friends still talk about the time my greyhound brought my tortie his favorite dragon toy, did a play bow, and the cat just gave him the "stop" paw. The greyhound was confused and disappointed, but understood the message.
And, even though n=1 is bad science, my sister is on her third retired racer and they can't even be bothered to react to her cats because the couch is too comfy.
Had to say dittos. Mom and Dad had a couple retired racers for a while, and they were way too busy sleeping with their paws in the air to be bothered by Mom's Persian cats.
It’s good to see that statistics show that’s not the case because anecdotally I have experienced it with three different greyhounds, two of whom were reactive, and one of whom tore a cat apart
I don’t disagree personality wise, but they do also have energy and therefore exercise needs!
They are not lap dogs and can get anxious if they are in too confined of space for too long
Something to keep in mind
I don't know anything about greyhounds and did not mean to imply they are cat-like. I just call other animals cats when I want to "sneak" them onto the account. bsky.app/profile/cats...
I met some of these extremely tiny naked orange cats in the woods today. Please do not pick them up! Their skin is very porous and it can harm them to absorb oils, salt, bug spray, sunscreen, etc. from our hands! 🦎
Still, you're "not wrong" about a certain cat-vibe with greyhounds - apart from their walks, they are very calm and sleep a lot. (I see that "running cat software on dog hardware" already appeared earlier.)
Most retired racers are laaaaazy. They are couch dogs and are totally happy with occasional walks around the block. They actually make pretty great apartment dogs!
Yes! I spent a lifetime afraid of dogs until I visited a friend and her retired racer for a couple of weeks. She was one of the sweetest and calmest creatures I've ever met. One night she even stretched full length on my bed and cuddled me like a human (photo several years old, hence poor quality) 💖
This is 100% anecdotal, but I once babysat a greyhound for a while and boy that was the laziest dog I'd ever met. Perfectly fine with a little jog twice a day on a leash.
The golden doodle though... jesus christ. Thing got bored if it wasn't chasing me for five seconds.
They are the laziest dogs in the world. Given a good run in a safe area every couple of days, they will be very happy snoozing for the rest of the time.
Whippets I believe have a bit more energy but greyhounds sleep 18+ hours a day.
