staffies and greyhound owners

[amalan11]

I was wondering if anyone has these dogs as pets,if so do you find them nice dogs?

I had a little mini foxie who passed 12 weeks ago at 19. I got a beautiful old boy corgi x on gumtree 10 weeks ago as I was awfully depressed with no doggie friend for company. On Friday I came home to find he had passed away in my bed,he had made a huge difference  to my life just in the 10 weeks I had him.

Now I am looking for another,this time not so old as I am just shattered loosing 2 in 3 months.I am currently  not able to afford the$ 450 or so for a smallish  dog I would prefer but  I see there are quite a few staffies desexed and free on offer and also a couple of greyhounds. Im thinking I may have to consider a bigger dog in order to get some company .

I live near lots of river parkland and walk my dogs about 45 to 120 min a day and they live inside with full access to a fenced yard.

I have always thought staffies an aggressive dog but iv met a couple and they seemed nice so im wondering if one may be ok...

greyhounds were another I heard were lounge lizzards that dont eat much   but somehow I worry if they are safe either?

I dont drive so a german sheppard or Labrador is out as the food would be to hard to carry. 

Staffies seem to be very common on the rescue sites and im worried as to why...

i have a cat so that worries me a bit with a greyhound, i rang about a grayhound and the owner was kind enough to say no way with a cat that greyhounds and cats never mix.

any thoughts from owners?

[imastawka]

Davedc4430 ia the poster that will tell you all the joys of owning a rescued

Greyhound.

He loves his adopted Greyhound, and I believe he has a Burmese cat as well,

and they get on really well.

If I were to get another dog it would be a rescue Greyhound. 

A Staffie I would never trust - I don't care what anybody says.

I don't know what state you are in, but there is a Greyhound Adoption Programme

for every state.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=greyhound+adoption+programme&ie=&oe=

[lyndal1838]

The dogs available through the GAP are not free though.

You may be better off saving up for a small dog if they are more suitable for your lifestyle.

Have you tried the breed rescue sites...they are often cheaper than places like the RSPCA or council pounds...they are only interested in good homes for the animals.

[yeoldecoinco]

I have had staffies for 35 years, my current one "Soxy" is the third.

The most wonderful dogs ever, in my opinion.

They are characters and I love them to bits.

My current staffy, I have had since she was 3 months old.

She is now 15 years and 1 month old, going grey, still with good energy though.

When she does go, my wife and I will cry a river...

They are real people dogs, easy to maintain because of their short coats and they fit in well with your lifestyle.

Because of their short coats, they feel the cold, so they easily adapt to and like living in the house, rather than a kennel.

If you are active, they will be active, if you are not, they adapt.

Also, they tend to not annoyingly bark all the time, unlike many smaller dogs.

They are a strong, robust dog for their size and don't mind a bit of rough and tumble.

You do have to watch them around other animals however, they can be very possessive and protective and have strong jaws.

Most of the bad press for staffies is because of bad owners, they have a sweet nature, if raised properly.

[electric*mayhem*band]

I have a mate who used to breed dogs (Not greyhounds), and another one who actually owns one. Both of them confirm that a greyhound is one of the gentlest and friendliest natured dogs you will encounter. If this breed is on your wishlist, I'd go for that one.

[k0llectable5]

Honestly though "how long is a piece of string?"

Whatever dog you get and how it behaves etc will depend on the age and how it has been raised.  My advice, go and see a couple of the free to good home dogs and their families and make your decision from there. And seeing as you have a cat, probs a good idea to go with one that has been around cats.  I havent had either breed to give personal advice, but all the staffys I've known have been beautiful and greyhounds have an excellent reputation for their gentle natures... so yeah shop around a bit 🙂

[tasfleur]

That is so sad amalan,  especially when you were bonded to the corgi after losing your mini foxie, I'm so sorry.

Give yourself a little more time now to take a deep breath and look around for your new fur baby and it will happen.  One door closes and another opens usually in an even more wonderful way ... your next furry companion is just around the corner, you'll see ... 

[go-tazz]

---

@amalan11 wrote:

I live near lots of river parkland and walk my dogs about 45 to 120 min a day and they live inside with full access to a fenced yard.

I have always thought staffies an aggressive dog but iv met a couple and they seemed nice so im wondering if one may be ok...

We have an English Staffy that used to belong to our daughter who used to take her for long walk,(mention

the word walk and she "lights up").

Unfortunately we can't take her for the long walks so she burns of energy in other ways,(like running from

one end of our place to the other).

She has never shown any aggression and adores children,(she can be "rough" when playing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Bull_Terrier

greyhounds were another I heard were lounge lizzards that dont eat much   but somehow I worry if they are safe either?

I dont drive so a german sheppard or Labrador is out as the food would be to hard to carry. 

Staffies seem to be very common on the rescue sites and im worried as to why...

i have a cat so that worries me a bit with a greyhound, i rang about a grayhound and the owner was kind enough to say no way with a cat that greyhounds and cats never mix.

A greyhound is a perfect dog if you you want a lounge lizard,(my son has retired and racing Greyhounds

and none of them have ever attacked their cats).

They have lost one cat and two rabbits,(which were killed by their neighbours Shepherd and Terrier cross

after they broke into his yard).

any thoughts from owners?

---

So the two breeds are miles apart as the Staffy can be a more active dog whereas the Greyhound is a quiet

reserved dog that likes their walks and will just "veg" out when they get home.

[davidc4430]

my vote is greyhound, never had a staffy.

only had one greyhound and would never have any other dog, maybe mine is just a lucky find, i dont know but pretty much everyone whos had anything to do with greyhounds says the same things about them so i wont repeat it all.

in south australia the price for an exracer through GAP is $150, that includes desexing, microchipping and a collar, lead and 1 winter coat (you will need several, i have 4, 2 waterproof and 2 warm windcheaters) available on ebay at reasonable prices IMO.

greyhounds really do need to live indoors so learing a routine for toileting is essentual. mine took almost a year to get me trained, he never soiled in the house but as he doesnt bark i needed to realise which noise was the 'i need to pee' noise.

i expect if the ban goes through in NSW the price there will come down a lot as there will be many many dogs needing rehoming.

all GAP greyhounds go through rigorous testing and retraining before being allowed to be adopted, if you require particular traits, cat lover or female ect it takes longer to get the perfect dog. my only requirement was cat friendly and mine is absolutly cat friendly.

it took 3 months to get him.

there is one rule that must be adheared to here in south australia (i dont know about other states) the greyhound must not be 'off lead' in public. mainly because they have been trained to chase and MAY chase a small animal or even a piece of paper in the wind and run off at great speed even into traffic. remember before you got him hes never been anywhere besides the kennels and track.

as they have been constantly handled from birth they are super easy to do anything with, no likelyhood of snapping except perhaps during eating.

for south australia read the GAP frequently asked questions, http://www.gapsa.org.au/greyhound-care/faqs.aspx

most of them would be the same in every state.

there are many websites, just google greyhound adoption.

my boy has 3 short 20 minute walks per day, 7.30am, after lunch and after dinner. 2 meals, before morning walk and before evening walk. its really 1 meal split into 2.

he sleeps most of the rest of the time, loves saying hello to anyone who comes to the house but loses interest after 2 minutes and goes back to sleep. same thing if we meet anyone walking, quick sniff then its 'lets go'

if you choose a greyhound i doubt you will be sorry as they are very much a person dog, they like to be near you.

[amalan11]

David,how much does  your greyhound  weigh? It sounds like  a grayhound may be an option. I found the NSW greyhound site  ,says they are $250 or $150 over 7 which would be ok.it was very interesting  all are desexed and will have been through a course to make them safe to go out without a mouth guard.I would just have tocarry paperwork and a green collar for them,i will see how long it would take to get one as $150 i could manage. 

Was told by someone at work that the thing with staffies is they can be mixed with bigger more aggressive breeds and still called staffies so thats where you can get a problem .

My cousin has a staffie and she is apparently  a lovely girl but 38 kg  which i could not lift...most of their dogs are porkers though so not sure if thats the average weight for a staffie.there was a very sweet  boy staffie down the street a while back and he was only about 2 feet high looked solid but id guess  20kg .