The joy of greyhound ownership

By Jenny Matthews
BBC News

One of the sad things about claims that thousands of retired racing greyhounds are being shot dead every year - if true - is that they make excellent pets.

I can't remember why we decided to adopt a retired racing greyhound - I think it was because we wanted a dog and had a vague idea that retired greyhounds were in most need of a home.

Chrissie the greyhound: Likes pigs' ears, and playing in the park

It might also have been that a friend told me I would look more elegant walking a greyhound than any other type of dog.

Whatever the reason, about two years ago we found ourselves driving to our nearest retired greyhounds' home in Hersham, Surrey.

I was steeling myself for a vision of abject misery - scruffy mangy hounds waiting around miserably for someone to collect them.

Instead I found a clean, happy kennels full of a few dozen barking hounds, caring workers and endless volunteers. It was a hive of good-natured activity and I began to be worried that the home we could offer would not be nearly so much fun.

The home were very solicitous, offering us plenty of advice and telling us all about their hounds.

As we were novice owners, we decided we would choose a quiet dog, to get us in the swing. After inspecting all the different kennels we plumped for a laidback-looking black bitch, called Chrissie (racing name Mulla Pride, they told us; previously a sprinter at Reading; "terrible with cats").

Advice from the home

We took her for a walk, and within minutes we fell in love with her inquisitive nature, jaunty step and perky, alert demeanour. She clearly wasn't actually a quiet dog, at all - but we asked if we could keep her.

GREYHOUNDS IN HISTORY One of the oldest breeds in existence Only dog mentioned in the Bible Kept by Pharaohs, kings of ancient Greece, and ancient English nobility Source: Retired Greyhound Trust

Racing greyhounds lead very sheltered lives, and in some ways it was like having a new puppy.

The reflective surfaces of the sitting-room fireplace fascinated her. She skittered all over the wooden laminate floors. It took her several weeks to learn to climb the stairs.

And although she was more-or-less house-trained, as she was used to being clean in her kennel, there were a few "accidents" in the early days.

The home rang in the morning to see how we were getting on, and after a week, they came around for a home check. Chrissie was very excited to see them, which made me a feel a bit jealous. They inspected our garden, and the height of the fence, and Chrissie's bed, and generally checked us out. But after many promises that we would ring if we had any problems, we were left to it.

It was fun from the start.

Many people assume greyhounds need loads of exercise - but because they are built for speed, not stamina, that is not actually true.

Gentle and affectionate

Experts say retired greyhounds need only two 20-minute walks a day. Chrissie would probably happily be out all day if she could, and usually gets about two hours a day, but it's a relief to know we're not doing her any harm if that's all she gets.

When greyhounds race they wear muzzles so many people assume they are dangerous and ill-tempered when actually the opposite is true - the muzzles are only there to stop any jealous nipping over the "hare".

RETIRED GREYHOUNDS About 9,000 greyhounds retire from racing each year in the UK They need only two 20-minute walks a day When re-homed responsibly, they can live in harmony with other pets Source: Retired Greyhound Trust

They are loyal, gentle and affectionate and absolutely brilliant with children (although many ex-racers are not so good with cats. Or, indeed, squirrels).

It's good fun taking a greyhound for a walk - especially past the bookies. Lots of people come up to make a fuss of her, often with comments along the lines of: "Hey', it's trap six!" or "Didn't I lose a tenner on you, yesterday?"

On the advice from the home, we kept her on a muzzle or lead for the first few months. She had probably never met any dogs other than greyhounds, and we weren't sure how she'd cope - especially with the small ones.

She hadn't been trained to return to our call either - and, to be honest, she's still not great at that, two years later.

After several months we began to let her off in the park without her muzzle - and watching her spin around in joyous circles, chasing and being chased by the other dogs in the park, was one of the highlights of my year.

Roo

And ever since then, she has brought us enormous pleasure. She makes us get plenty of fresh air and exercise. We have got to know other dog walkers and made many friends. She is good company.

And there are surely fewer happier sights than a previously homeless hound sprawled, legs aloft, on her favourite duvet - or many better sounds that the delighted "roo" of a greyhound who knows she is just about to go out for a walk.

It hasn't all been a breeze. Greyhounds shouldn't be left alone for too long and the responsibility of daily dogcare for an urban childless couple came as quite a shock - if we didn't have professional dog walkers, friends and family to rely on I'm not sure what we would do.

And of course, there have been a few unexpected costs - like replacing the slippery laminate with expensive stone, and seriously considering moving house "for a bigger garden for the dog".

And probably the biggest drawback, as my colleagues will attest - is that they are indeed addictive, and I have become a total greyhound bore.