Useful Information
Adopting a Greyhound or Lurcher is the start of an exciting life together. Most dogs adapt quickly and easily to their new environments, but the length of time will vary from dog to dog. The following information will help to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for you both.
What to do next
Taking Your Greyhound or Lurcher Home
Most dogs adopted from Tia will, up until now, have only ever lived in kennels. This needs to be considered when taking them home, as they are unlikely to be familiar with standard household items – such as stairs, laminate flooring, glass patio doors, TV’s and other noisy household appliances. But, with a little time and patience, most dogs will adjust quickly to their new surroundings.
Your Greyhound and Lurcher’s space should also be respected when they are eating.
Many Greyhounds love “counter-surfing” and may take from the worktop or table items they shouldn’t. To avoid this, we recommend putting items well out of their reach. If you think your dog has eaten something it shouldn’t have, please seek immediate advice from your vet.
As with any dog, all family members must respect the dog’s space, and your dog should never be approached if it is laying down or sleeping. Greyhounds often sleep with their eyes open, giving the impression that they are awake, when they are in fact sleeping deeply and they may startle suddenly if approached. For this reason, we do not recommend allowing your dog on human furniture, such as sofas and beds.
Care should be taken to ensure that your Greyhound is always secure before opening any external front or back doors and that gates are ALWAYS closed when your dog is in the garden.
As with any breed of dog, children should never be left un-supervised with your Greyhound or Lurcher.
Exercise
Contrary to popular belief, Greyhounds do not require a lot of exercise. They are in fact a very lazy breed who love nothing more than a good, long snooze! 2 x 30 minute lead walks a day is normally sufficient for their needs. Many Greyhounds will happily do longer distances but their stamina for longer walks will need to be built up slowly.
Due to the shape of your Greyhounds head & neck, a Greyhound collar and lead or 3 point harness will be required to avoid them “slipping” their collar or harness and escaping. Collars & leads can be purchased as part of our Greyhound Starter Pack (details of how to purchase can be found at the end). Extendable leads must NEVER be used. A short video of how to correctly fit your Greyhound’s fishtail collar will be sent via email.
Many breeds of dog exhibit a desire to chase which is often called “prey-drive”. In racing Greyhounds however this natural instinct will have been actively rewarded and encouraged and a muzzle should always be used until you fully understand the character and nature of your dog. Racing Greyhounds are used to wearing muzzles and will do so happily. Muzzles can be purchased as part of our Greyhound Starter Pack.
Greyhounds are more than happy with lead walks, and we do not recommend letting your Greyhound or Lurcher off lead unless in a secure paddock. Greyhounds can run at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour which is quicker than Usain Bolt! And certainly, much quicker than you or I! If you let your Greyhound off lead in an unsecure area, you are risking serious injury if they were to get on to the road.
Your Greyhound or Lurcher may be frightened or startled by loud noises such as fireworks, cars back-firing and bird scarers so care should be taken. On and around bonfire night, dogs should only be walked during daylight hours. When letting your dog in the garden during the firework season, we would recommend using a lead so your dog can’t run away if frightened.
Greyhounds & Lurchers can be sensitive to warm weather and should only be walked during the cooler hours of the day (early mornings and late evenings). Remember, no walk and regular visits to the garden are much better than walking your dog when it’s too hot, risking injury or illness.
Other Breeds
Greyhounds are a friendly, sociable animals and many live happily with other breeds. Up until now however, your Greyhound is likely to have only seen other Greyhounds and other breeds will be new and unfamiliar. As with any dog, a slow and sensible approach should be taken when introducing your Greyhound to other breeds and a muzzle should always be used.
Microchip
Upon adoption your dog will be microchipped and the chip registered to Tia. Once your dog has settled into their new home, we can arrange for the chip to be transferred to yourself. Please email deb@tia-rescue.org 4 – 6 weeks after adoption.
Medical Records
All dogs are released for adoption neutered and with a clean bill of health (unless advised otherwise). Tia do not have access to medical records prior to adoption.
Vaccinations
It is a requirement of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) that all racing Greyhounds are fully vaccinated. Your Greyhound will therefore have been vaccinated as required throughout their life and the information held on the GBGB database. A physical vaccination certificate is no longer available. There is growing evidence to suggest that annual vaccinations are both unnecessary and potentially harmful, with the duration of immunity for common canine vaccines being many years to lifetime. Following adoption, it is for you to decide whether to titre test your dog to establish their level of immunity or continue with their annual vaccinations.
Insurance
Your lovely new addition will come with 4 weeks free insurance courtesy of Petplan. You will receive the relevant paperwork along with your Adoption Agreement. Please complete your details and sign before returning the Rehoming Centre copy to Tia and sending the Petplan copy to Petplan in the envelope provided.
More Information
As a guardian of a Tia Greyhound or Lurcher, you are welcome to join our friendly Facebook community to share your photos, updates and adventures. Please search for “Tia of Joy. Greyhound and Lurcher Rescue & Forever Homes” on Facebook.
To purchase your Greyhound Starter Pack, please call Emma at our Pickering Charity Shop on 07951 076674.
To purchase a 3 point harness, please visit www.snootifulhound.co.uk If you quote TIARESCUE at the checkout you will receive a 10% discount and Snootiful Hounds will kindly donate 20% of the sale to Tia.