Hi All, Hope you can help me. We are interested in adopting a Greyhound and possibly a pug or dachsund or shih tzu. We are not ready to bring them home yet but want to see them and become familiar with the breeds so that we can make up our minds. We would like to adopt from a rescue. I have researched rescues online but would like to actually see the dogs. Anyone have any information on local kennels we could go to? The closest Greyhound kennel I could find is 120 miles away!
All I can say is every dog is an individual - going to see and meet a particular dog is not going to tell you everything about their breed. Most rescues operate as foster programs - so there is no "shelter" full of a breed for you to go sift through. There may be adoption events where several foster parents of the same breed will gather and you can see more than one. The closest Greyhound rescue that I know of is Greyhound Friends of NC - they have satellites spread across the state. Greenville is the closest to us. Janet Fischer, Greenville, NC (252) 975-0790 or jefischer@earthlink.net You may wish to consider whether you really want one of the smaller breeds - especially if you are looking for a young one - Greyhounds, while very docile and wonderful housepets, chase small animals out of instinct and the ones you would be adopting will most likely have been recently retired from a track. I'm not saying you can't have a Greyhound live a peaceful life with a small dog or cat, on the contrary - but all Greyhounds are not best suited to live with them. I would strongly suggest researching each breed, and choosing you favorite - for practical reasons - (the amount of exercise they need and you can provide - their grooming requirements, if any - the amount of food they require - their particular breed health concerns/issues - temperment- lifespan - etc) Then adopt and incorporate that new pet into you home and give them a good year to become part of your pack before adding another. Some breeds of dogs, like Dauschunds can be real diggers - they are dogs bred to chase and hunt burrowing animals. While I love the breed and have owned two purebreds - I can tell you that they are not always content living with children - but again - this is not carved in stone. Pugs - I love Pugs! Keep in mind that Pugs can shed quite a bit - much more than you might expect. Again - Read up about the breed and be sure they are for you and your family. Shih Tzu - needs professional grooming on a regular basis to keep their coat in check. If you don't want to spend an easy 150 - 200 dollars a year on grooming, you might want to think twice - unless you learn to do it on your own.
I got a dachshund through dachsund rescue and would HIGHLY recommend them. They have a website www.drna.org and there are two local people that live in the Raleigh area. One of them works at the PetSmart (I believe at White Oak). They do a home visit and a history, then they set you up with a dog. We were lucky, they found us a dog in Florida but the girl that fostered him was taking another dog to Boston and we met up on 95. For what we paid, we got a wonderful little dog. They come spayed/neutered, all shots, heartworn negative and microchipped. PM me if you have any other questions. My brother and his wife got a Doberman through that breed rescue and they are very happy. The rescue groups are a great way to go.
I love my pugs and would highly recommend them! I have two..but yes they do shed and right now everyday I sweep up a new pug lol. Sheri
Thanks all, I have wanted a greyhound for years but have waited til I was finished changing diapers and thru Nursing school! The problem is that the girls want a small dog and I just want to be sure that they would be safe together. I would definitely crate them if I was not right there to supervise. I just wonder if I need to put off getting my Grey for a while longer. I am voting for a pug, I have heard many good things about the breed in general and love their happy faces!
Try http://www.petfinder.com There are a lot of breed rescue groups that have dogs looking for homes!
Big Woof Woof (see avatar) came from the NC-GSD Rescue. Love that group. 7+ years ago they totally checked out our home, yard, vet records (from the cat) and interviewed us for ~2hrs. He has been the best dog-child ever. But a German Shepherd Dog is NOT for everyone. Yes, he is the GSD you saw at CES in the Front AM carpool. Woof Woof!
