We had an off the track greyhound we took riding a few
times. They tell you never to let them off leash, but ours was so nervous and
bonded to people I truly doubt she would have left our side. Problem was
that her skin was just like tissue paper, extremely thin and tore too easily
on brush and rocks. Also...I wonder if since they are built to be
sprinters, that endurance might not be the right activity. Ours was so darn
thin, we tried everything to get some weight on her so she didn't look like a
rack of bones. I can't imagine having that dog burn calories running for
25 miles!
Lisa Salas, don't you have greyhounds? What is
your experience?
Well, my experience with greyhounds
has been this.
Our first one was Grace. She was two
when we adopted her from the SPCA. We quickly found out that if you left the
door or gate open, she was gone. I could go through a tank of gas looking for,
and chasing that dog. When I did catch her, I would open the door to the van
and she would jump in. We would get home, and I would have to CARRY her
into the house where she would proceed to go into a coma until the next time.
So, I decided to try and take her
running with me. I witnessed first hand her running and endurance ability and
wondered if I could even keep up. We would get onto the trail, run fast for
about 5 minutes and then she would colapse. HUH? I swear, panting and going
into heatstroke. I would run to the car, drive to where she was passed out,
load her up and rush her to the hospital. Dumb me.
After spending all that was in my
checking account, I came to the conclusion that she could run far and fast
when the gate was open, but taking her running with me was going to bleed me
dry. Unfortunately, one time our gate was left open and she got hit by a car.
They gave her a slim to none chance of ever walking again. However, I
re-filled my checking account and lo and behold, after thousands of dollars
she was walking. After a while, she could even run, although the back feet
sometimes out ran the front feet.
I haven't had a greyhound that
did well in obediance class yet, so I would never let one off the leash. And
as far as taking them out in the woods, well our dogs look like quilts because
of all the stiches they have had. Our last one is Shamus and he is now about
10 years old. He has a scar on his lip, is missing a toenail, broke his tail
sometime, (we don't know when) and has had more stiches than grandma's
homestiched quilt. They are not very sturdy dogs.
I
have loved all my greyhounds. They are thee sweetest dogs and just loved to be
loved. They are not protection dogs, are not the brightest bulb in the box,
and don't tolerate pain very well. Even though my dogs have never been
ideal endurance companions, they sure have been great to come home to.
Peace be with you Gracie, Spark my Bark, and
Hanky-Panky.
