Greyhound

From www.herald.ie

Greyhound myths

speed doesn't mean greyhounds are difficult family pets, and some owners are
spreading the word

By Pete Wedderburn

Saturday May 19 2012

Owner: Suzanne Ryan, from Co Dublin

Animal: Inca, her two-year-old ex-racing greyhound

Background: Suzanne is one of the founders of Sighthound Strolls

As a child, Suzanne used to go with her family to the greyhound races in
Harold's Cross. She was full of admiration for the dogs. They were such
supreme athletes and, whenever she met one close up, they seemed such
gentle, friendly animals.

Greyhounds are part of a group of dogs known as "sighthounds", which
includes whippets, salukis, wolfhounds and lurchers. They are long-legged,
lean animals, bred to hunt for their owners. They can run fast over short
distances, tracking their prey using vision more than scent or sound.

When Suzanne moved into her own house, she decided to choose a household
pet. She'd heard that many ex-racing greyhounds ended up unwanted in dog
pounds, yet she'd also heard that they made good pets.

She visited a sighthound rescue centre in Offaly, Orchard Greyhound
Sanctuary, and when she met Inca, she knew that she'd found her animal. Inca
was a 'failed' greyhound -- she had not run fast enough to win any races --
and she'd been surrendered to the pound.

If the sanctuary hadn't stepped in, Inca would have joined the long list of
unwanted greyhounds that have been euthanased. Instead, she has settled into
Suzanne's home with ease. She gets on well with the other members of the
household, including Suzanne's young nieces and nephews, who visit
regularly, another ex-racing greyhound, and the backyard hens.

A friend of Suzanne's, Jane Burke, is also a sighthound enthusiast, and they
decided that they'd like to do something to try to dispel the misleading
stereotypes about these types of dogs.

They set up a voluntary group called Sighthound Strolls.

Members of Sighthound Strolls meet in public parks to take their dogs for a
walk together, as an eye-catching group. Invariably, passers-by ask
questions: the hope is that by giving people a chance to meet the dogs and
chat to sighthound owners, they'll dispel the myths that greyhounds don't
make suitable pets. Sighthound Strolls has helped to find new homes for
sighthounds that might otherwise have been euthanased.

myths

Many people think greyhounds are vicious, not good with other dogs, not good
around children, require lots of exercise and could not live with cats.
These are all myths: sighthounds can live in every kind of household.

It's true that they are athletes, but they are only designed for short
bursts of running. Suzanne refers to Inca as a "45mph couch potato". She'll
run if there's an opportunity, but she's happy to spend most of her time
just lounging lazily around the house.

Since Sighthound Strolls started a year ago, it has held nine walks in
Dublin and it is starting to hold events around the country, including Cork
and Galway. They regularly go to Marlay Park, Malahide Castle and Sandymount
Strand. You can't miss them and if you see Suzanne and her friends, they'll
be delighted to tell you all about the dogs that they love.