Greyhounds Are The World’s Fastest Couch Potatoes: Consider Adopting One

Two decades ago, when my wife and I got married and moved from an apartment into a house, we began discussing getting a dog. To be more specific, my wife started talking about it. I have always loved dogs but didn't think we could handle one. We live in suburban New Jersey: she teaches at a nearby middle school and at the time, I commuted to New York City. In the best-case scenario, a dog would be alone in our house for about eight hours: that's a long time without a bathroom break. Also, we had three cats. I figured it was "case closed" and a dog wasn't in the cards for us. But my wife was determined and at first, thought that we should get a whippet. In fact, she started singing this song to me at every opportunity as a not-very-subliminal hint that I should consider it. But a friend suggested that she look into greyhounds. She started doing her research and she was smitten. Soon enough, I would be too. The greyhound racing industry breeds a lot of greyhounds; they need homes after their racing days are over, which is typically when they are from two to five years old. You may have heard that the greyhound racing industry has been on a long decline in recent years. Greyhound Friends of New Jersey President Maria Lutz tells us, "Greyhound racing in the U.S. has declined and currently there are only two tracks left; both are located in West Virginia. However, there are many racing greyhounds around the world that need homes and we are transporting them from Ireland and Australia. They all make great pets." My main concern with welcoming a greyhound into our home was for our cats. I know that greyhounds are trained to chase cute fuzzy things that run quickly: rabbits. But would our cats be safe around a greyhound? But it was no secret that I always loved dogs and really wanted one, so it was easy for my wife to wear me down. Bessie the greyhound (photo by Maria Ives) We learned that most greyhound adoption groups test greyhounds for "cat tolerance"; apparently, a lot of greyhound owners also love cats. My wife applied for a greyhound from a wonderful organization called Greyhound Friends Of New Jersey. Pretty quickly we got a call telling us that our greyhound was ready to be picked up. And on the weekend of Valentine's Day in 2004, we had our first greyhound, Bessie. She was totally cool with our cats: we'd also frequently leave her with my mother-in-law when we went out to dinner or to the movies, and Bessie was cool with her cats, too. But my mother-in-law hated when we picked her up, she loved having her around. Eventually, she got her own greyhound, Gina. Bessie and Gina were great pals. Of course, adopting a dog when they're older (we've adopted ours between four and six years old) means that you have them for less time than you would if you adopted a puppy. On the plus side, our experience has been that most greyhounds have a basic understanding that they aren't supposed to go to the bathroom where they live. I'll note that this isn't a guarantee for all greyhounds. My theory is that they are brought up on the tracks and live in crates. They know that they don't want to relieve themselves in their crate. And I think they think our house is a bigger version of their crate. Speaking of crates, some greyhounds actually prefer to sleep in crates. In our experience, we start off by having them sleep in a crate until they want to sleep elsewhere (usually a dog bed, but often our bed; some people don't like this and don't allow it). We often dogsit for our friends' dog Glory, who only sleeps in a crate. They all have different personalities and different quirks. Some take a long time to learn to climb stairs - most of them have never claimed stairs before. Some are fascinated and confused by mirrors. Some are terrified by thunder and fireworks. Ms. Lutz adds, "Greyhounds are loyal and loving dogs who thrive with a family who will provide structure; something they are accustomed to at the racetrack. Since they are sighthounds they must always be on a leash or in a securely fenced yard." Be aware, you might end up getting more than one; many of our friends have two or more. As Ms. Lutz tells us, "Most greyhound owners will tell you they are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!" Misty and Peaches (photo by Brian Ives) We loved Bessie and Gina; after they passed, we adopted Misty and Peaches. They looked alike and we traced their lineage; they were actually cousins. Most racetracks are pretty thorough about knowing the entire family tree of their dogs. In fact, they won't race a dog if they don't know who sired it. So, it was fairly easy to track this information down. Later, we had Sunny, a sweet girl who woke me up every morning by licking my face. For a while, we had a sweet girl named Ally. Unfortunately, she was very keen on cats. We were told that she was "cat safe," but she was absolutely not. We tried to change her behavior, but it just wasn't happening. Happily, we found a couple with three daughters who adopted her and have provided her with a very loving home; we occasionally walk our dogs together. Van the greyhound (photo by Maria Ives) Today, we have one dog: Van, who is pictured above. Greyhounds have been referred to as "the world's fastest couch potatoes." It's an accurate description, particularly with Van. Wherever I go in the house, he finds a comfortable spot where he can watch me from. He's loyal and sweet and very mellow. People always stop us when we walk him. He's the friendliest and calmest dog we've ever had. Van and Sunny (photo by Brian Ives) But we've loved them all, they make wonderful pets and they're always enriched our lives. Surely, if you are a home that has room for a greyhound (and they don't require much room, by the way), a greyhound might enrich yours as well.