Greyhounds As Pets

As a greyhound owner for the last 12 years, I have been asked many times whether these large dogs, bred for racing, make good pets. I know this is the question most asked of all greyhound owners.

I decided to start this blog to help answer that question for anyone who is thinking of giving a home to a greyhound. Over time, I will also give my thoughts on all aspects of greyhound ownership, including topics like feeding, exercise, collars, leads and other equipment, bedding and insurance. I will also discuss behaviour, house training, medical issues and kennelling.

The short answer to the question "Do greyhounds make good pets?" is YES.

A longer answer is YES, YES, DEFINITELY, YES.

For a bit more detail, you will have to wait for future posts to this blog. Sorry!

I am not a vet, dog trainer, breeder or any type of dog 'professional'. I am just an ordinary dog owner and these are my experiences, thoughts and opinions. I very much welcome comments on anything in this blog, whether you agree with me or strongly disagree. It would be great to build a forum of knowledge and opinion on this subject.

To start with, I should give some background to who I am and my history as an owner of pet greyhounds.

My name is Chris Holden and for the last ten years I have lived in the village of Fleckney, which is in Leicestershire, England. My wife, Helen, and I currently have two dogs. We have a three year old female greyhound, Evie and a ten year old springer spaniel, Bramble. (Strangely, they were both fast asleep in the next room until I started to type their names, when they both wandered in and lay down in front of me. I don't believe in dogs knowing what we are doing, thinking, or saying, but sometimes the coincidental things they do are very odd.)

A quick potted history of my dog ownership. I grew up with a dog always around the house and my family have had dogs of all different shapes and sizes over the years. Helen and I got our first dog together about 16 years ago. Since then we have had two greyhounds, two springer spaniels and a collie cross. Most have been from rescue centres and they have ranged in age from 4 months to eight years when they came to us. Our first spaniel, George, lived to 16 years and our first greyhound, Alfie, lived to 13. The collie cross, our first dog, was not able to settle with us and very sadly had to be returned to the rescue centre after a few months. Happily, she was then re-homed to a much more suitable owner.

So, now we have Evie and Bramble. Bramble came to us as a puppy, and Evie joined our family after the death of Alfie, about 18 months ago.

I will, of course, talk more about all of our dogs, and especially the greyhounds in future posts.

I hope you will join me.