Since our Swingin’ Sunday event this month is dedicated to Colorado Greyhound Adoption, I thought I’d tell you more about this wonderful breed while dispelling a few common myths.
Greyhound bodies are muscular and lean and it is normal to see at least their last two ribs. In older dogs, you will often see their backbone as their muscles atrophy from the normal aging process. So no, they aren’t being neglected or underfed.
Greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog; in fact the only land mammal faster than a greyhound is a Cheetah. Check out this cool video comparing the running gate of a greyhound to a Cheetah’s.
Greyhounds are fondly called 45 MPH couch potatoes. They are sprinters who will go fast for short bursts and then sleep it off for the next 12-23 hours.
Since they are not high energy dogs, they don’t need any more exercise than any other breed of dog. If you’ve got a big yard, they will use it for “zoomies” but otherwise an occasional trip to the dog park and daily walks do the trick.
Greyhounds are a large breed dog, but they do not require a lot of space. They will often choose one area and one dog bed to sleep on (or your sofa) and they curl up pretty tight for a large dog. This and the above qualities make them ideal dogs for apartments or smaller houses.
Greyhounds typically do not bark but some will “roo” (like a howl) when they are excited. So far, none of our 3 have ever roo’d, despite our best efforts.
Due to their lean and muscular bodies, greyhounds have some unique blood values as compared to other breeds of dogs and they metabolize anesthesia differently. As such, it is important to have a veterinarian who is greyhound savvy and aware of these needs.
Greyhound adopters often speak a special language. I’ve already mentioned zoomies and roo’ing but here’s a few more: Greyt as opposed to great, scritches on their ears or bellies, they play with stuffies and happy hounds always cockroach.
