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?

[amalan11]

Thanyou tasfleur,i just cannot believe he is gone. My little foxie was ill and I knew it was comming but this old guy was slow but so enthusiastic for life and walks I cannot believe he is gone we had a great walk,he had a can and was fine when I left but dead in bed when I got back from work that night 6 hrs later. 

My cat is being amazingly affectionate, if he would go for a walk with me id be fixed ,hes on my lap singing away ,he seems reluctant to leave me alone to long in case I get upset again. He is an old sweetie in his own way 🐱

when you live alone you get so close to them ....he is about 10  so im getting worried about his age as boys seem to expire by about 14 .

And this has brought it home to me they can go at anytime  with no real warning.

[davidc4430]

my male greyhound comes in at 34kg, females are smaller.

one thing i didnt mention that would make a huge difference between a greyound and most other large dogs, and greyhounds are large, is that greyhounds dont 'pull' when on the lead. where other dogs see another dog and become 'i want to go over there' and just about pull your arm out of its socket a greyhound doesnt. they are so used to being around other dogs they will of course notice another dog but its nothing new to them, its more of a 'oh theres a dog, big deal'

you also need a car with room for a big dog, i have a commodore wagon with a cargo barrier, for trips to the vet or anywhere.

he gets in by himself and travels very well, as soon as we are moving he goes to sleep.

the green collar and document for being unmuzzled is the same here but i havent carried the document in years, its on my fridge. no ones ever challenged me wanting to see it.

the retraining to allow greyhounds into public are much higher than any other breed gets, i bet you have never heard of anyone being bitten by a greyhound. cant say its never happened but i would imagine if it did the media would be all over it, and it would do untold damage to the rehoming business. so the retraining has to be very very good.

[tasfleur]

I am sure our pets pick up on how we feel and draw closer when there is a loss or a tragedy and that's why your lovely cat is staying close right now.

It's so important that you remember you have given your dog (and your dog has given you), unconditional love, what more could a dog ask for in it's whole life?  How wonderful it is to know that you did that, and that you gave his life meaning and sheer happiness, exactly what he needed and deserved.

So that's what you can do now, hang on to and stay with as you go through the grief of his loss, but at the same time, you can start the whole cycle again with another fur baby who needs you ...

[bright.ton42]

Beautifully said Tas,   and so true. 

[amalan11]

Yikes I have no access to a car so that is a worry a greyhound is so  big. Perhaps I will just try and ride it out and see if I can find a little dog again in time I guess one will turn up.

I am wondering about the RSPCA at yaggona I can get there by train and there is a couple of old terriers on there for only $100 ,the down side is they are nearly 9 years old  ,but im thinking about it 9 is not ancient and I could have a young dog get a problem too,I will see how Im going on Sat  as im at work next few days

. A lovely  poster sent me a link this afternoon to a lovely young  de sexed beagle for 150 but he had gone already ,but it shows they do come up. The guy selling him said he had over 100 calls ....i have seen a few adds for  free un desexed males but long term it would have to be done so probably not a good idea as it looks like desex alone in my area is about 345 and for 300 I could get a fully vet checked,chipped, de sex    ect from RSPCA in time ,even if I got an old lady for now she would be company and I could keep an eye on free dogs and perhaps get a younger one as well at somestage ..

Yes he did have a good 10 weeks at least. I was thinking today while trying to make it through his park he loved so much that perhaps It gave him a bitof extra time to enjoy things. He had a hard life by the sounds of it the girl who owned him had found him with a broken foot and run down 6 years ago but several months ago she had to move so he was forced to live with various friends who could keep for a while and thats why he was being given away, she realised she could not keep him in her current situation. 

I was thinking who knows without a stable warm home for winter perhaps he would have gone sooner ,I dont think  he was unhappy .he had a nasty big sore on his foot that had been there for months but I got it fixed within 8 days ,I think he was chewing it from stress .

He was a dear boy but looking at the animal welfare sites makes you realise how many poor dogs need a home . There is a really beautiful smiling girl on the animal welfare site for only 80 all done and young but she is a bull arab and large size so out of the question but im surprised she has not been rehomed,she looks beautiful. 

Poor old cat he got a surprise as I usualy buy a treat for the dog at woolies for the walk home. I thought id buy him a treat so I brought home a sachet of Felix that claims to be so nice,he was so excited to get something  unusual and he seemed to think it was better,even sniffing out the wrapper,he is a bit upset as the next door cat came into our kitchen and beat poor oscar up ... it was a bit rude. 😮

[davidc4430]

why dont you let your fingers do the walking, do a google search for 'dog rescue' or 'dog rehoming' in the state your in, then dont rely on web sites, ring around, tell your story, you might find just what you require somewhere before the little doggy has been put online.

thats what i'd do.

[nicnacs_4u]

Get a Boxer they are the best!! Here is my Oscar naughty boy the floor isn`t good enough for him!!

[amalan11]

Thanks have tried that rung several vets as I thought they may get dogs that people could no longer look after but no luck. Also tried a couple of nursing homes but they said families usualy take peoples pets .out of the rescue sites , and there are so many are charging too much for me at the moment . I think either find a dog on gumtree or RSPCA is the best option . I had my gumtree search set for 20k but have now made it 50 k in case I miss something like the beagle who was at winsor ,will perhaps make a difference.im also waiting to hear back from greyhound resc group but im worried they are too big now.

[amalan11]

A boxer is about the same size as a staffie I thought ,iv only seen one free and she was not suitable  for being with any other animal .... so she was out ...shame she was 10 min walk away..

i was a bit surprised most boxers iv met were sooks and very sweet ... yours looks nice and comfortable, just needs a blanket now .

[davidc4430]

how would you normally transport your dog if you dont have a car?