New Poster and Her Dogs: Introduction

Yes, there's always the worry when they have to have an operation about the anaesthetic [always a bit embarrassed to ask the vet if they know about the possible problems ]. Mine had an over reaction to a wasp sting the other year and was in a really bad way. Have probably had more vets bills with my latest whippet than any dog I've ever owned; she was the runt of the litter and I probably would have not bought her but the S.O. fell in love with her. Mind you, the vet [after she had her last operation which cost me loads] said what an incredibly healthy dog she was. Dread to think what an unhealthy one costs.

Oh please do Moomin!! They are wonderful dogs and there are so many needing a good home. I love seeing ours (our 3rd) run round the garden like a mad thing, but alas she is getting on and the last time she went off at full pelt in the paddock at the kennels where she boards when we are away, she limped for a fortningt afterwards, probably pulled something. I prefer her to take life a bit more gently these days. Each time we have lost one, I have sworn I will never.........and within the week I am trawling the greyhound Trust website. This one will break my heart too I know.

For some reason I feel that someone with a name like Moomin HAS to have another sighthound in their life.

not part of the sight hound gang have a dopey Labrador,and my sons dysfunctional staffie but am a doggy lover and your stories have really warmed me I love to see greyhounds and would live a scruffy lurcher,plenty of room on my sofa...welcome to the new grans sorry for not mentioning your names but if I flick back on my IPad will loosely my postxxxxxxlove nellie

Welcome to pollyann and alexa

Oh Grace I know what you mean, when mine died I said never again, it's just so tough. But I've been a volunteer walker with an RGT branch and I am so ready for another one! My OH has to decide without too much pressure from me that its what he wants,so it's work in progress

Hello, pollyann and alexa!

is there something about grannies and lurchers/sighthounds/greyhounds
I am on my second rescue lurcher - both of the shaggy kind and would have another in a heartbeat.

As I am a mere 5'1" tall and Ollie the lurcher is half my height when I see large men walking a small dog - are they the sensible ones who can lift their dog over stiles and in and out of cars when returning from the vets.

sorry we lurcher and sighthound dog-lovers have hijacked a thread - welcome to the alexa anyway.

Has he got some deerhound/wolfhound in him to be that size? Gosh; can you volunteer to walk dogs for the RGT? I could have a practice. Never walked a dog larger than a whippet [although my last one was a very large whippet]. Of course, I'd end up taking one home I suppose. They do refer to whippets as old mens dogs' though because you don't really have to walk a long way with them;just let them off and exercise themselves.

Hi alexa my only experience with a lurcher was that he was an angel in the house or at training classes but a nightmare outside. Ran like the wind and kept running. once he started disappearing all night he sadly had to go, we lived among far too many livestock farmers to risk it.

Am I the only one slightly worried by the fct that an 81 year old is in sole charge of a large lurcher dog that doesn't do as it's told?

Also, isn't vinyl unsafe on staircases?

I would have thought so - sounds like a slippery slope to me - and what are nosings?

Nosings are, apparently, anti-slip things.

Are they to help stop you slipping down, or the dog to get up the stairs?

No. Alexa has got a whippet lurcher. They're not very big. And when they don't do as they're told it's not like a Rottweiler not doing as it's told. And anyone that has the doggie knowhow to control a shepherd/collie cross is pretty high up the knowing how to control dogs scale. It's just that sighthounds are rather different to other dogs and if you've not had one before it takes a while to get inside their heads and you need to speak to other sighthound owners to get more info. Which is what she's doing. One of the reasons why I started having sighthounds was because I got talking to a lady who told me she used to walk 5 of her fathers greyhounds when she was really young, and had no problem controlling them. They're also much better for older people as, unlike a lot of dogs, when they're in the home they don't leap around and get under your feet [spaniels are a bit bad for that].

It's mollie that's got the large dog; and she's only 21, aren't you mollie ?

Hmm. Both my son, when he was little, and one of my grandsons have had unnerving experiences with dogs whose elderly lady owners couldn't control them.

Not convinced.

Agree about the vinyl, though. For both dog and owner, as whippety things just don't handle stairs.

Welcome Alexa and Pollyanna. I once had a lurcher, from a puppy, she was adorable, but not exactly over obedient. OK indoors, but once outside and off the lead, forget it! It nearly broke my heart to have to have her put to sleep aged almost 15, that was over 14 years ago, but we`ll never forget our Heidi. I stick to cats now, I`m not fit enough to walk a dog, so admire you immensely Alexa.

Difficult to explain to people just what dear dogs they are. I've done the opposite to you, number; I've replaced cats with whippets. I find them very cat like. When out walking I'd rather meet an elderly lady with a lurcher than a young man with a staffie. Now they are lovely family dogs but in the wrong hands they can be lethal. I always find that young children in pushchairs seem very vulnerable when it comes to dogs as they are at 'dog height'. I know when my daughter lived in Nottingham she was always worried about dogs and her son is scared of them. Although nothing ever happened to him I think he sensed her fear.

Thank you all for the nice welcome.
Crimson, I estimate that my Kitty lurcher is a whippet+grey with a small streak of Jack Russell. Her tail is not always elegantly between her legs when she is excited, and also she bites the back door to stop it impeding her as I open it to let her out= JRT I think. I read that 'lurcher'is Romany for 'thief' this is borne out by Kitty's abiding interest in taking anything, from sink plugs to the IKEA catalogue, to her den on the half landing. Wooden spoons are at special risk and she has killed about five so far. Cushions too when i take the covers off but not when they have the covers in place. Is the denuded cushion a newly skinned prey animal?

When running off lead I wave both arms when she hurtles towards me to remind her that here is a living obstacle to be considered. She knocked me down only once but that was on soft muddy turf and nobody saw me so was all right. I have a spaniel -pitch whistle that shep responds to and which Kitty knows, when she wants to know. I keep her off- lead runs away from the squirrely foxy thickets and the bowling green, and I do keep hoping that the recall improves. I always carry bacon bits for good return rewards.It is a treat to see her flying back to me across the field, and it is lovely to have the silky wee thing curled up close to me on the sofa. Indeed yes, she is chipped, and wears a whippet collar with name tag. She has always walked nicely on the lead.I use haltis, only because she does prance and pull away when a cat or squirrel appears close by and as I am old and frail she could pull me over. Shep also wears a halti for the same reason and haltis are so soft to lead by that I have both dogs ' leads in the one hand.

I didn't know that lurcher meant 'thief' but it doesn't surprise me. Do watch out for your knees. Hattie ran into mine in the house when she was a puppy and I think that's what caused my ongoing knee problems. When she runs towards me I use my poop scoop carrier bag in a matador type way to guide her round my knees. Sweet natured as she is she only likes toys that have a squeak to them [ie I'm killing a small furry creature] but I gave her a cuddly dog with a squeak last year thinking she would rip it to shreds and she now sleeps with it. She's the first dog I've had that I've crate trained, and she loves hers; a cover with a little window so she can see out and two, sometimes three duvets inside; it's her little cave. They are a joy to snuggle up with at night on the sofa, aren't they! When I had spaniels they were never allowed on the furniture. Many years ago I met some people at our local country park with a whippet and a spaniel. I commented that it was a strange combination, but they said the dogs complimented each other so, when my spaniel had a last litter of pups, only had one and then died [it was awful] I bought a whippet as a companion to the spaniel puppy and they were the best of friends for many years; the whippet being much easier than the spaniel. I hate having Hattie as on 'only dog' as they love other dogs, but I can't afford to insure two dogs. I'd so love for her to have a pal, though. She'd be over the moon. I have a friend that has an Akita. Now they are difficult dogs in the wrong hands, but she knows them inside out and hers is a pet dog at local hospitals. Heck; I must go to bed as I've got to be up at 7!

Yes, I will have to have a rethink about vinyl on the stairs. I have my house pretty well dog friendly washable and that is what the vinyl(non slip) on the stairs is all about. I always make my dogs wait at the top of the stairs while I am descending, Kitty lurcher has seemed nimble enough on the carpet, and I will take careful notice of her ability before going ahead with any new stair covering. It is true that a sprinting dog is easy to exercise as it does it itself . The recall is all important of course. There is not much need to worry about greys and whippets not being safe with people or other dogs. We had a 15 week terrier puppy in the house at the weekend and whippet was very careful and quiet with it

Mollie65 thanks for the recommendation . I have just bought Walking Ollie from ebay and am sure I will enjoy it.

I'd always be a bit concerned though when they're outside and off the lead. We take ours on a beach quite often but always put her on the lead when there are other dogs around. I do worry that, if a smaller dog ran away from her she would chase it and hurt it by bringing it down. In the same way she has sometimes played with much larger sighthounds, and I've been worried for her. But, in all other ways she loves dogs, people and children. I read that it's almost unheard of for whippets to bite anyone. I was also told [this was by someone who sold them although I have also read it elsewhere] that they are the only dogs where the males are, if anything, even more sweet natured than the bitches who [and this is what the breeder said] 'keep a little bit for themselves'. The dogs are totally devoted to their owners; I've only had bitches so I don't know how true it is.

crimson - lurcher's head is half my height-ish (slight exageration but there may well be some deerhound to account for his shagginess) - but he weighs around 30 kilos so a largish dog! - I know when he is barrelling towards me to stay where I am and he will side-step me nicely. I have tried shouting 'stop' which he does with paw skid marks on the grass.
alexa - hope you enjoy the book