Top 5 Misconceptions about Greyhounds as Pets

Myth #5: Greyhounds are hyperactive.

Greyhounds are extremely laid back dogs and are wonderful pets for those who are not looking for an energetic dog. World's 2nd fastest land mammal, they are commonly mistaken to be overly energetic dogs due to their speed, but the truth is they are gentle and laid back. They may sprint at speeds up to 45mph, but when they aren't having their daily romp in the yard they are typically sleeping. It's been said Greyhounds sleep an average of 18 hours per day.

Myth #4: Greyhounds have joint problems and health issues.

Greyhounds are one of the healthiest breeds of dogs, especially when you consider their size and life-span. Greyhounds typically live between 12-15 years; much longer than other breeds of comparative size. Hip displaysia and other genetic defects are very rare in retired racers. They have been bred as athletes for decades, thus eliminating many common health issues other breeds may have. Providing your greyhound with high quality dog food, monthly heartworm preventative and annual vaccinations/dental examinations will keep your ex-racer healthy and happy!

Myth #3: You need a huge yard to own a Greyhound.

Greyhounds do love to run occasionally, but any normal sized backyard would work just fine. Many of our adopters have smaller-sized yards and their greyhounds do very well; they will typically work with whatever they have. If you have a small yard and feel your greyhound is due for a good run, take him or her to a reputable dog park in your area and see if they enjoy it. Your smaller backyard shouldn't prohibit you from adding a new fast friend to your family! We are also happy to adopt to those living in an apartment, provided they are committed to always taking their greyhound out on multiple walks daily for potty breaks.

Myth #2: Greyhounds are incompatible with small dogs and cats.

Retired Racing Greyhounds are raised and trained to chase the lure on the track. However, in many of them this does not cross over into daily life and we find that a large percentage entering retirement are perfectly compatible with smaller dogs and cats. When we bring a new foster dog into our organization, they have been cat and small dog tested so we are able to place them appropriately. In fact, many of our foster homes have cats or small dogs and have been proven to live in such circumstances. Tell us about your family: we bet we can find the perfect greyhound to fit your environment!

Myth #1: Greyhounds need a lot of exercise.

We hear this statement more than any other. It makes sense that people would think such fast dogs accustomed to the life of an athlete would need an exceptional amount of exercise, but it's just not true. Don't get us wrong; greyhounds love activities with their owners, but you need not visit the dog park every day for a sprint and you certainly don't need to commit to long walks with your greyhound every day. Greyhounds are sprinters by nature so they will have about 90 seconds of energy before they are ready to cool down and take a nap. A quick sprint around the backyard is more than enough for your retired racer. Generally your greyhound will adjust to the lifestyle you are accustomed to living. If you like to go on long walks, you will need to condition them to endure longer distances.

Happy Birthday, Achilles!

Yesterday was Achilles' 9th Birthday! He celebrated with a morning outing to the Edmond Dog Park with a group of his friends. Achilles, or more commonly known as "The Dude," is loved by Chris & Emily Williams and his greyhound sister, Iris.

Happy Birthday, Dude!!

the Birthday Boy!

Achilles & his friends at the dog park

If you would like us to celebrate your greyhound's birthday with you, e-mail a picture and information to us at GreyhoundPetsOK@GreyhoundPetsOk.org. Thanks!

Foster Focus: The Musicks

Meet Kendra & Ross Musick, one of our wonderful greyhound foster families! We had the chance to get some insight on their views on fostering and learn a little more about their family. Thanks to Ross & Kendra for devoting a piece of their lives to fostering greyhounds for Hounds of the Heartland. We hope you have the chance to meet them at an upcoming Show & Tell event!

What do you find interesting about the greyhound breed? What first got Ross and I interested was how amazingly beautiful they were at full speed. Also we really liked their sleek appearance. As we got to know the breed and meet a few dogs we realized how calm and affectionate they were and what great family dogs they make.

Tell us about your greyhound, Dart: Dart is a spoiled boy! We have had him since he was 6 months old and he was never a racer. We love him so much! He has such a sweet personality and is such a people dog. We would take him to the park and he would meet all the people there and only then think about playing with the dogs. He plays fetch and Frisbee with Ross and loves to show off his great catching and jumping abilities. Dart, Ross, and I spent time training for a marathon and our night runs were great with Dart. Greyhounds might be speed dogs but if trained they can be distance runners. He got up to 10 mile runs with us and then got to ride home in the car. I love how he gets so excited about everything and such a sweet heart.

What made you decide to start fostering for Hounds of the Heartland? We decided we would like to give Dart the chance to interact with other dogs on a regular basis and decided that fostering would be a great opportunity for this. Also knowing we are able to give a pup all he/she needs to help them find an amazing forever home. Once we started to meet all the volunteers we realized what a great group of people were heading things up and how big your hearts were for these great dogs.

What is the most rewarding thing you’ve experienced by fostering greyhounds? Seeing these amazing animals find their new families and how well they play and interact together.

If you could offer advice to anyone considering fostering a greyhound, what would it be? I think you know when a dog enters your home if he/she becomes a member of your family. Adopting your foster is never a bad thing, normally a great thing for both you and the greyhounds. But all dogs that come and go from your home take a part of your heart. Remember you give them so much love and nurturing that it will influence them for the rest of their lives.

Spotlight on Suzie!

Suzie, or "My Susan," is a sweet 2 year old brindle girl who is cat safe. Here’s what Suzie’s foster mom has to say about her:

Suzie is a shy 2 year old little lady, whose real name should be sweetie; her eyes say it all! She has a sweet disposition but is initially shy until she gets to know you. Suzie can be quite playful and enjoys playing with other dogs. She is also cat safe. Suzie had never been in a house before so she is still getting used to "house sounds." She does not like to be scolded and a firm "no!" is enough to send her to her bed. She is still learning about potty training and does well in the crate while both of us are at work. She loves her daily walks and has to be reminded no jumping when she is excited. Susie is quite the "gooser" and is very curious about everything. She may have some retriever in her as she likes to carry shoes, socks, bras, panties to her bed but she does not chew them. :^) She has also taught us not to leave the bread on the counter! Suzie loves being loved on and would be a great pet for a great family!

Spotlight on Skeeter!

Skeeter, or "Iruska Hiskeeter," is very affectionate and excitable when ready to play. His ears point forward and look like little fortune cookies - too cute! Skeeter loves to romp around with the other dogs and gets along with everyone. He was born with bowed front legs but they don't bother his stride at all and he doesn't seem to mind! Come meet this cutie at our next event!

Foster a Greyhound!



Would you like to help our greyhounds on their journey to their forever home? Sign up to be a foster parent and make a lifetime of difference for greyhounds!

Fostering could be the most rewarding process you will ever experience. From the moment your new foster arrives, you are able to begin molding them into the perfect pet they were meant to be. You'll be present for all the fun transitions like learning what glass doors, stairs and tile floor are. You can teach them to walk on leash like a lady or gentleman, and take treats gently when they are being rewarded for good behavior.

Retired Racers are generally accustomed to being crated, making housebreaking an easy process. Your foster greyhound will adjust to the schedule your family is used to, it may only take a week or so for them to be in the swing of things and on their way to total adjustment. Imagine witnessing your foster greyhound pick up a squeaky toy for the first time: pure joy!

Many volunteers are afraid it will be too emotionally difficult to let a foster go once they have made a connection. It's true that it's a very emotional time, letting go of your foster but the pride and happiness you feel when they go on to be a member of a loving family is 100 times greater than any sadness you have once they leave. Plus, once they are adopted you get to look forward to your next temporary family member, as they travel on the same journey your previous foster just did. Once your foster greyhound has been adopted, you are welcome to follow up with their adoptive home and maybe you'll get lucky and get dogsitting rights for life! We love to connect our foster homes with adoptive families.

Families who already have one or two (or more) dogs make EXCELLENT foster homes because the foster greyhound learns to follow-the-leader and do as the others do. They also love playmates and naturally get along with other dogs as they have been raised with hundreds of others on the farm and track. You will enjoy the fun of taking your foster greyhound to adoption events, showing them off to the visitors and bragging about all the wonderful things you've taught them and experienced together.

Hounds of the Heartland covers 100% of the expenses you may incur as a foster home. From medical care
and carpet-cleaner to a crate, dog food and everything in between, we make it free for our volunteers to foster as an extra incentive to loan a loving spot in your home and heart for one of our sweet retired racers. Not only do we provide financial support, we also are available to answer any questions you may have and are here to help with any specific needs your foster may have. Chances are, if you are experiencing it, we have been through it before and can offer advice and help with anything needed.
 

If you are considering fostering, let us know so we can answer any questions you may have. If you are not a previous adopter from Hounds of the Heartland, Fill out an Adoption Application HERE and note that you are interested in fostering at this time. If you have previously adopted from us and would like to help by fostering, Drop us a Line and we will work on getting you all the appropriate supplies.

Contact us Today to experience the joy of fostering and helping greyhounds on their journey home!

Remember: Fostering a greyhound may not make a big difference in the world, but it will make a world of difference for that one greyhound!

Happy Tails - August 2011

Look who got adopted this month!

Belle

The Boss

Delta

Jerry

Magic

Gus

Season

Elton

Elsa (Zen)

Shelby

Congratulations and Happy Tails to all our adopting families!

Find us at www.OKgreyhounds.com!

Our blog is now even easier to share with your friends. You can now begin visiting our blog by going to www.OKgreyhounds.com rather than http://houndsoftheheartland.blogspot.com/. The old domain name still works, so you don't need to update your shortcuts, but for ease of access feel free to use and share our new domain name:

www.OKgreyhounds.com!

thanks for stopping by and we hope you'll come back soon!

The Home Visit: Unwrapped!

Sometimes potential adopters might be intimidated when they see term "Home Visit" on our application. The whole purpose of a Home Visit is to allow us to give you tips on how to make your home safer for your new family member. Some might go overboard and just put away everything in the entire home, but that's really not helpful to us because we'd rather see your home as it would be in normal, everyday life so we can realistically help you prepare!

We may ask to complete the home visit during the week before your greyhound comes to live with you. If the timing is right it's possible we'll bring your greyhound with us on the home visit and plan on living him/her with you after we are finished. Either way, we appreciate you being open to suggestions as to how to make your environment safer for your new fast friend. This is also a great time to ask us any questions about life with greyhounds in general.

The best way to think about greyhound-proofing your home is to prepare for a 3 year old child to come live with you. Much like children, greyhounds can reach coffee tables, get their skin cut on sharp corners and escape through missing fence panels and unlocked gates. If you prepare for the home visit by reading the following tips, it will make your home visit go smoothly and quickly, leaving more time for more exciting things... like getting to know your new best friend! These few steps will make a world of a difference for the new greyhound in your life.

Inside the Home

1. Ensure any outside doors can shut and latch securely behind you. Make note of all screen and glass doors so you can introduce them to your greyhound so he/she doesn't think they can walk right through them.

2. Move any potentially poisonous plants or candy dishes out of reach. (Most greyhounds aren't taller than 30 inches)

3. Prepare a cozy, temperate spot for your greyhound's crate (if you will be crating him/her) -avoid putting it near windows or doors if you get extreme sun or chilly breezes near these areas.

4. Rearrange furniture to avoid sharp table corners (coffee tables, end tables) from being present in high-traffic areas. Greyhounds are lazy but if they get a case of the zoomies, you'll be glad you have a safe spot for them to play!

5. If you have children, provide them a toy bin to keep all their small toys picked up. Your greyhound might think they are "their" toys and just as small parts are hazardous to children, they are also hazardous to pets.

6. Provide a few dog beds (one in each main room) for your greyhound to curl up on. Your greyhound will want to be near you, so make sure you have plenty of soft spots for them to lie down!

Outside the Home

1. Make sure all fence panels are secure and all posts are sturdy. 4-foot chain link fences are just fine, don't worry about your greyhound jumping. It is very rare that we have a jumper and if that was the case we would have told you much earlier in the game.

2. Buy padlocks for ALL gates in your backyard. If you don't have locks on your gates, there's no way you can be absolutely certain your gates are closed at all times, unless you go out with your dog every single time. If you have children, this step is twice as important. It's asking a lot for your children to remember to shut the gate behind them every time they have friends over or are playing in the yard. If your neighbors knock a toy into your backyard, they will probably just come retrieve it and may not understand the severity of leaving a gate open. Padlocks are a very inexpensive insurance against your greyhound getting lost, and we insist you get them!

3. If you have a pool: hopefully there is a fence around it where you can prevent your greyhound from entering the area. If not, you will just need to introduce them to the pool, especially when the cover is on, so they understand they can't "walk on water" - greyhounds are notoriously terrible swimmers. We have plenty of adopters who have pools, so as long as you are diligent about introducing them to it, they will be just fine!

4. Fill any holes in the yard and move any sharp objects that may harm your greyhound while they are sprinting around. Greyhounds don't need large yards at all, but they will use every inch of what they do have. If you have landscaping with metal edging, rocks or lawn statues that could be dangerous, move them out of the way. Trust us, you will save yourself a lot of heartache and we're sure they'll look great on the side of the yard, rather than the middle! Another thing to consider is while it might be a pain to pick up any potentially hazardous yard debris, you will be doing yourself and your greyhound a world of good by creating a safer environment for them. Greyhounds love to play, and FAST, and wouldn't you rather avoid an injury in the first place than end up at the vet (and with a hefty bill!) in the end?

If you have any questions about the home visit prior to that time, please feel free to ask your adoption representative anything and everything. We want you to feel comfortable with the entire adoption process and we look forward to introducing you to the wonderful world of greyhounds!

Help! My Greyhound is Lost!

In the unforunate instance your greyhound gets lost, timing is everything! Here are some important steps to follow moments after you realize your greyhound is lost. Bookmark this page for future reference!

What to do if your greyhound is lost:

1) Call Hounds of the Heartland immediately at (405) 633-3138 so we can put out an alert & call volunteers in your area. The first 30 minutes after a greyhound gets out is the most crucial time. The most common mistake is to wait until you've exhausted all your options to call us. Once it's dark outside the chances of finding your dog decrease drastically, leaving them alone overnight. Not only will we send out help immediately, we’ll post to our facebook, twitter & yahoo e-mail groups to reach hundreds of OKC metro residents at once.

2) Ask everyone you know to come out to help scour the area by foot and by vehicle.

3) Alert every veterinarian’s office, animal control and police dept. within 3 miles of where he/she was last seen.

4) Notify your neighbors and give them key identifiers (color, name, which direction they were headed)

5) Hang lost dog flyers (Download a sample LOST GREYHOUND template here!) and post at local gas stations and neighborhood bulletin boards. Remember to remove or renew after a few days if they are still lost. Our easy template gives you a guide to important information to include. Don’t forget the picture – it helps!

6) Post to Facebook, Twitter and Craigslist and ask your friends to repost to help spread the word.

7) Run ads in local papers if your dog has been lost for over a day.

Preventive Measures to take BEFORE an unfortunate incident:

1) Purchase two Squawkers (Scotch Predator Valls) (You can purchase them here) - one to keep in your car and one to keep in your garage. In the unfortunate scenario where your greyhound gets loose, the squawker may be the only thing to break your greyhound's interest in something else and send them running back to you. Remember: only use the Squawker for emergencies, it shouldn’t be used as a toy because they may get tired of it.

2) Keep locks on your fence gates at all times. You may be diligent about latching gates behind you but consider your neighbors and maintenance providers who may not be so careful. Imagine a group of neighborhood children knock a beach ball into your backyard and just want to run in to grab it. Without locks, there is nothing preventing them from accidentally leaving the gate open.

3) Ensure your greyhound ALWAYS has identification on their collar. If you don't like leaving a martingale on your greyhound when you're at home, purchase a simple tag collar that stays on at all times, and just slip over a martingale when you're taking them out. It seems that dogs always get out when the owners had just decided to take their collars off for a couple hours, leaving the greyhound unidentified and increasing their chances of ending up at the shelter rather than back safely in your home. Nothing is more frustrating then finding a lost dog and not knowing who he/she belongs to! HOH requires our identification to be on your greyhound at all times (read about our "Home Again" program) and also requires you to keep your own up-to-date ID tags on them as well. Having backup identification is always a good thing!

4) Educate your children, family & friends about greyhound safety and how important it is that all outside doors be shut securely behind them.

5) Protect your greyhound by always walking them on leash. NEVER let them roam free in an unenclosed area! If you think your greyhound is going to overcome their thousand year-old instinct to chase an object in the distance, you are wrong. Remember, Greyhounds are bred & trained to run, and they love to do so as they can see clearly up to a half-mile away!

6) Prepare lost dog flyers for all your dogs before they are actually lost. This may seem premature, but this way you can quickly fill in the location they were last seen at and all the other pertinent info (picture, phone number, identifying information) is already there and all you have to do is print! Visit this link to download a LOST GREYHOUND template. Click File > Download As > Word to edit it with your dog's information.

Volunteer help needed! HOH Videographer

Do you have an HD video camera and some skill with shooting video? Can you take video of our foster dogs? We need short clips of each of our foster dogs for the HOH YouTube channel so we can post them on our adoption listings, Adopt-a-Pet, Petfinder, Facebook, and Twitter. You may need to travel to show & tell events around the metro, or make arrangements to visit foster homes and take video. The sky's the limit with these videos and you can get as creative as you want.

This will be a great way for you to get involved and help gain exposure for our foster greyhounds! If you can help, email greyhoundpetsok@greyhoundpetsok.org. Thanks!

Spotlight on Frank!

Frank, or "Tipp French," is a big friendly boy who is cat safe. He is very social and does well with adults and children. He is small animal safe and just wants someone to love on him and admire how handsome he is! Frank will do best in a home with someone who can spend a little more time with him.

Spotlight on Rachel!

Rachel, or "Fuzzys Rachel," is a totally laid back girl who has excellent leash manners and is easygoing and friendly. She has 26 races registered and is the offspring of Fuzzys Cannon and Oneco Attitude. Rachel loves to be petted and does very well in social situations. She is going to make a great pet!

The truth about greyhound lures

We LOVE this article posted on one of our favorite greyhound websites, All About Greyhounds!

http://www.greyhoundinfo.org/?page_id=493 

All About Greyhounds is an excellent website with interesting and accurate information about greyhounds and their journey from farm--to track--to retirement.

Stop by, look around, spend some time reading the stories & articles. You'll be glad you did!

Busy Saturday - come see us!

We have 3 (THREE!) events going on this Saturday, so there's no excuse not to come visit us in your part of town and meet our adoptable retired racing greyhounds! Bring your own greyhound for a fun meet & greet or stop by to meet the breed that ranks in the top 10 least aggressive dog list. It's a win/win!

Saturday, August 6th

Moore Tractor Supply
10:00am - 2:00pm
2030 S. Telephone Rd., Moore, OK

Mustang Tractor Supply
10:00am - 2:00pm
201 N. Mustang Rd., Mustang, OK

Paws Around Town - Northpark Mall, Oklahoma City
12:00pm - 3:00pm
122nd & N. May Ave., OKC, OK

Meet Sir Elton, Shelby and Batman at Paws Around Town!