A friend of mine adopted a retired racing greyhound a couple years ago. He's a great dog, very friendly, quiet, and well behaved. He folds up like an umbrella. However, he's dumb as rocks.

Not on topic, strictly speaking, but I know one greyhound, and it farts like no other living being I've ever encountered. No idea whether this is common.

and it farts like no other living being I've ever encountered

Well, recently MuddDude's been "blaming it on the dog", if you know what I mean, so a gassy animal won't exactly be unwelcome, to him at least.

Ditto on the farts. However, he does get along well with cats. Also for photos, here's my friend's flickr. I can't view it at work but if you look around in there, I recall she has at least a few dog sets posted.

There's a big rehoming programme in this area because I'm not far from Walthamstow Dog Stadium, so plenty of people round here adopt dogs from there.

They make great family pets, and are complete couch potatoes. A former racing dog would probably not be too fazed by kennels, although it's obviously preferable to have dogsitters. Generally a greyhound will need two decent walks/runs a day.

As for cats, and other small animals, the nature of a greyhound is to chase an animal down grab it by its throat and shake it to death. Of course some greyhounds will love cats, but you'd need to be absolutely sure before introducing a cat.

I don't know about the farting but some friends of mine had a male dog and his testicles were huge, especially on such a slender dog. He needed underpants. Or neutering. I'm serious, it was gross. And of course his balls were all you could look at when in his presence. I'm surprised he didn't keep falling backwards with the weight of them.

Maybe they have a fostering programme where you could take a dog for a while to see how you like the breed and how well it fits in with your life or how much you need to adapt to it.

All dogs fart and they aren't pleasant! My family had a retired racing greyhound and he was a wonderful, wonderful pet. Lovely temperament, we took him out for a couple of walks every day around the local park but he wasn't interested that much in running (we also had a very active lurcher who used to goad the greyhound into running, which he did for a bit and then decided it was too much effort!). I'd echo what pie said about the intelligence - he wasn't the brightest thing ever, but he was a lovely dog.

Another couple of things: if you get a retired racing one, they've almost certainly lived their entire lives outside - it took ours a couple of months to work out how to go upstairs. It then took more time for us to coax him down afterwards as he was petrified! Ever carried a big dog downstairs?! Also, see that photo of the dog lying on his back on the couch? They do stretch out and will quite happily take up the length of a three seat couch. The only other thing we were told was that for the first month or so when you take them out for walks, keep them on a lead at all times - if they see something small and white (say, a poodle), they'll think it's the race track hare and you'll be in for quite an unpleasant experience with the owner of a severely mauled pet!

Kennels: you'll be fine - the thing with kennels is to find a good one and you'll be okay.
Kids: I really don't see that there'll be a problem, I've always found greyhounds to be sociable and, if you get a retired racing one, you're getting a dog that's gone through the insanity that is puppy-hood.
Cats: can't help you with
Jobs: Well, are you going to lock the dog in one room all day whilst you're out? It's not really fair to leave a dog on its own for long periods of time, but a flexible schedule for one of you would help give it some company. You might find that the dog agency people will ask you about this - I think it's common practice in the UK (but might be wrong).

EJ - that's where we got ours from!

Well, are you going to lock the dog in one room all day whilst you're out? It's not really fair to leave a dog on its own for long periods of time, but a flexible schedule for one of you would help give it some company.

The job-related issue is a function of the fact that I literally don't know anyone who keeps a dog while working 8-5 hours. Of all the people I know who have dogs, someone stays at home for large portions of the day. So I'm like, will the dog tear stuff up? Will the dog feel comfortable if I'm staying late and can't let them outside until 8? And so on and so on.

I forgot to add: is it unfair to leave a social creature at home, by itself, for so long without a companion?

I know two people who have adopted greyhounds, one of whom is also pretty active with greyhound rescue in Texas, and they both have never had anything but great things to say about their dogs. I can give you their emails if you want to talk to them directly.

is it unfair to leave a social creature at home, by itself, for so long without a companion? I would say yes. It might be better to get two dogs, although I'm not sure how sane that is, especially adopting two dogs at the same time. Personally, I wouldn't adopt a dog if it were to be alone for long periods of time. If you can go home on lunch breaks everyday for walks and visits it might be doable. Also, even though greyhounds might be couch potatoes they will need to be walked twice a day. I'm sure they need some exercise or they will crack up.

will the dog tear stuff up? Will the dog feel comfortable if I'm staying late and can't let them outside until 8? And so on and so on. From what I have read dogs can become very anxious and neurotic if they are left for long periods without interaction. Dogs need to be with humans, or other dogs, you know, a pack.

Honestly, I think it would be a heartbreak and unfair to the dog to be left for such a long time day in and day out. I think your heart is in the right place, and I'm sure you would be a fabulous dog owner while you with the dog, but I would seriously consider holding off.

There have been questions on AskMe that ask basically the same question you are asking. Here is one: http://ask.metafilter.com/83229/Can-you-keep-a-small-dog-in-an-apartment-while-being-away-up-to-10-hours-a-day

Going back to my family's dogs - we had the lurcher first for a couple years and she was something of a nightmare with the behaviour. It was only when we got the greyhound as a companion that she settled down.

I managed a boarding kennel for 3 years... Greyhounds are the model boarder. They were raised with other dogs in similar surroundings with other neighbor doggys. They were so fun to watch run during play time. Most of their owners commented that they are total couch hounds at home. They crate and travel well too. As for cats... that was on a dog by dog basis some could care less some liked to chase them. If you are worried about them being alone so long adopt a pair. We had several pairs they would pile up on top of each other on their beds.

I have a greyhound named Alina (or Beans). She is the greatest dog EVER. About your concerns:

1. Trips - we take maybe 1 or 2 trips a year where we can't bring the dog, and we have found a good boarding place (at a Petsmart, believe it or not) that works just fine. Greyhounds are used to living in kennels, it's how they live at the track. The other thing is that the greyhound adopter community is pretty tight, so people within your adoption group often trade dog-sitting services.

2. As long as the adoption group knows about potential future kids, they can make sure to get you a dog that is kid-friendly. Alina LOVES kids, their faces are at just the right height to cover with kisses.

3. I have a cat too, and she rules the roost. I've posted about it a bit in the recent photo friday thread, but suffice to say the dog wants to be friends and has never chased the cat.

4. Some people may think this makes me a horrible dog owner, but my girl is home alone from about 8:30 am to 5 or 5:30 pm every day. She seems fine with it (in fact when I come home early she usually has this sleepy look on her face like "what the heck are you doing here?"). Some adoption groups are more strict than others about dogs being left alone for long periods of time. Really, the fact is that people work and greyhounds are remarkably adaptable dogs. They like routine first and foremost, so once they get used to the idea that you will be gone and they can sleep undisturbed every day, they'll settle in.

Greyhounds can be prone to separation anxiety, because they have probably never been alone ever in their lives. On the track, they are always surrounded by people, dogs, or both. Alina expressed her initial separation anxiety by peeing in the house whenever I left (even crated, even if I was gone for only an hour or two). At about the six week mark, right when I had resigned myself to mopping the floor every night when I got home, she just stopped having accidents. She's still not the most reliable housetraining-wise (a small disruption in her routine can sometimes screw her up) she is good probably 97% of the time.

Some greyhounds may have more severe anxiety but the group should have a good feel for which ones shouldn't be left alone. Some people do solve the problem by getting two, but that isn't an option for everyone.

I have heard they are notorious counter surfers, yet my dog won't even steal food off a coffee table right in front of her face.

And about the farts, Alina's cleared up once we got her on some good quality food. Now she only gets it real bad if we give her people food (which we do, often.)

I could talk about greyhounds for ages and am trying really hard not to write an entire book here. Feel free to ask more questions in the thread or mefi mail me.

Also, Beans kind of looks dumb sometimes, with her big doe eyes and goofy grin. But she knows just how to get us to give her a taste of the food in our hands, and she does know "sit," "down," "go to your room," "get your toy," "scoot" (which is the command for when she's cuddling on the bed with us and taking up too much room so she needs to scoot over) and "get up" (which means get your ass off the couch/bed you're taking up too much room). She learned stairs in about 2 days time at the age of 8 years old, although she doesn't seem to be able to translate her skills from our front stairs to all other stairs.

Ok one last post, I promise. To me, I think the biggest lifestyle factor in the "should you or should you not get a greyhound" question is what do you see yourself doing with the dog. If you want a dog where you can go for a 4-hour hike in the woods with an off-leash dog that stays near you and keeps up the whole time, or that will play frisbee off leash at the unfenced park, a greyhound is not for you. They can NEVER EVER be trusted off leash in an unfenced area - the instinct to chase is too strong in them. But if you want a dog that will climb up on the couch, rest her head on your chest, and gaze at you with seemingly unlimited adoration, a greyhound sounds just right.

Okay, let's see. The Wife and I have a darling ex-racer, so I'll relate what I can.

1. We travel with ours quite a bit - she's actually so docile that some of our friends who were worried about her coming with us (because they have a cat) were relieved when, after 10 minutes of their cat establishing dominance, our Grey decided to sleep for the rest of the weekend. She travels very well in the car - I've been making a 4-hour trip a lot lately, and she sleeps in the back the entire way.

Now, for those trips where you really can't take your dog? Most adoption groups have forums, where adopters post silly pictures of their dogs, ask about health issues, and the like. Most importantly, there's always someone who is willing to dogsit. There's no better treat for our dog than to spend a weekend running around with 3-4 other Greys on a farm. She usually looks at us like, "What? I have to go back with YOU?" when we pick her up.

2. No problem. For real. With the right dog, anything is possible. Ours has been sleeping inches from my niece and nephew as they sprinted by her at top speed, and she didn't even flinch.

3. We have two cats. Our Grey is scared of them. She won't look them in the eye. They sleep on her dog bed, and she won't make them move. You've got to be careful with that, though - we were confident in having cats because our Grey had been bounced from her previous home, where there were cats. Proof that they're cat-friendly, rather than the standard test, is a good place to start.

4. 8-6 is a long time. Are either of you close enough to come home and take a 10-minute walk during the day? I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem with a lot of dogs, but I also try to take mine out 4 times a day.

Other small data points - ours is not a counter-surfer, unless there's meatiness right out for the taking. Also, she farted like mad while we were feeding her Nutro, but when we switched to Purina One, she became totally fart-free.

I was hoping you'd chime in, misskaz - it was actually your pictures in the Photo Phriday thread that reminded me to ask here. Do you still crate Alina when you go out? Would a typical greyhound be overly confused by the idea of a doggy door? (We have a tall privacy fence in the backyard).

We would walk a dog in the morning and at night. It might be possible for MuddDude or I to come home at lunch. We'd have to discuss that.

Thanks for all the insight. Feel free to keep sharing.

Chupahija adopted a greyhound: Not much of a barker, understands commands (though greyhounds rarely sit--lie on side, belly or sprawled on their back), she destroyed the filling of her pillow when the cover was being washed, good on the leash, but nearly killed the neighbors' cat when the front door was left open one day and she raced out. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Alina isn't crated anymore. We gave up on it pretty early in the process because she clearly was not taking to it. We use a baby gate now to confine her to the bedroom and the kitchen while we are gone during the day - although for shorter periods like a trip to the grocery store we sometimes just leave her free reign in the house.

I know it would take a lot of effort to train my particular greyhound to use a doggy door - she doesn't like squeezing through small spaces. At night we just put a kitchen chair in front of our bedroom doorway to keep her from running around at night and bothering the downstairs neighbor - she could easily squeeze past it but she doesn't. But I have no idea if that's a breed thing or just a wacky Beans thing.

Our walk routine on work days is - I take her out at 530 am before I head to the gym, and feed her breakfast after the walk. Fiancé walks her again right before he leaves for work around 830. I'm home by 5 or 530 and walk her immediately when I get home, then she gets dinner. Another bedtime walk around 9 or 10 pm and that's it. Seems to work pretty well for us - I think the key is that she eats breakfast and has time to digest it and then get one more walk before she's alone all day. If there's any way you can stagger yours and MuddDude's schedule like that, it might be a good idea.

god hates math makes a good point about traveling - Alina is awesome in the car. She loves road trips, because she loves meeting new people and getting out at rest stops to see what other states smell like. We once took her on a road trip from Chicago to Houston and back, and we drove to St. Louis for the holidays in 2006. (Where, by the way, she charmed the pants off of everyone. My fiancé's sister, who is very much a cat person and was so wary about the dog visiting that we got a dog-friendly hotel room rather than staying with them, now calls and emails all the time asking when we can bring Alina back to visit.)

I've got nothing on greyhounds - the closest I've come is friends of friends who used to bring their greyhounds to parties. And they would take up most of the couches as they lazed about and soaked up love. I've always wanted one, though.
My comment is on leaving a dog alone. In years past, before kids, I had dogs, sometimes one, sometimes two at a time. I've always had to work early, 6 or 7am, and I've returned home around 3 or 4 pm, sometimes later. My dogs were walked before work, after work, and before bedtime. With the exception of housebreaking, they never had a problem being left that long. With our dog now, I walk her before I leave for work at 6am, and the older kids get home at 2pm and walk her again. She goes out with me again at 5, and again around 8:30 or 9pm. If I'm not mistaken, greys spend a great deal of time crated, so I'm sure they have good bladder control.
Good for you if you decide on adopting a greyhound!