Cross Breeds - are all ex racing greyhounds mean?

are all ex racing greyhounds mean?

I met this guy who used to work at a race track back in 1983 and he said grey hounds are the most vicious dogs next to dalmatians. He said not to get one for a pet because it would kill my cat and snap at everyone. If they are all so mean then why do people adopt them out to the public???

Public Comments

i know people that have them and none are mean
From what I've seen they are wonderful pets. Great with kids too. He just sounds like an angry man.
no i addopted 1 and she is the sweetest dog in the hole wide world Amanda T
I have never seen a mean one...I often pet them when someone is showing their retired greyhound, they seem very calm.
I've never in my life met a mean grayhound...they are really lovable couch potatoes....if they are ex racing hounds....some may chase small dogs and cats because they have been trained to do this....but not all of them do....they are tested to see at good adoption centers....
I have never met a mean greyhound. They tend to be couch potato's until you let them out side. They will run and you can not catch them. They can be clingy too. they like to be in a room with you (attached to you lap), Go visit a greyhound adoption center. There are many of them. Make up your own mind. Good luck!!
greyhounds are or can be nice dogs he might be saying that becuase the racing dogs might have been trained or overworked too much and became mean. grey hounds are good with children. the greyhound does have a propensity to chase anything that moves but is a gentle, faithful animal. I understand why he says it would kill nthe cat but he/she might not but probably chase the cat.
That is not true at all. My ex-racer is the sweetest dog. He's never even tried to chase my 2 cats, and he has a very strong prey drive (he raced for 4 years before being retired). He's friendly to all the neighbors and all the other dogs.
Some greyhounds that come off the track aren't "cat safe". They have a very high prey drive that makes them like that. It's also something that can't be changed. Many greys are cat and small animal safe, and they wouldn't hurt a fly. I own 5 greyhounds, many birds including a parrot, and a prarie dog. My greyhounds get along with all of them. Greyhounds are very social dogs, and love people. They are the least aggresive of the different breeds. I also do greyhound rescue, because of these being gentle creatures.
There is no such thing as a "visious breed of dog"!!!!! It's just how the racers treated them. Imagion, running, all day!! They don't even want to run!!! And what do they get out of it? A broken foot and maybe even being out down!!!! Basically, a grtayhound is not a visious dog. They are very sweet. And your gryhound probaly won't chase your cat because the've had all their energy sucked out of them from racing!!! In my opinion, this "sport" should be banned!!! If you don't teach your grayhound to be mean, it won't be. Grayhounds need loving families that are willing to take care of them. Please save one from the harsh days of racing.
I work at a pet hotel and have seen several ex racing greyhounds come and and stay at the hotel. From my experience, they are all very sweet dogs that can only take so much. They are one of my favorites that come in because they love being right next to you. There have only been 2 instances where I saw them get aggressive with other dogs, and it was usually because the other dog was persistent in trying to play with the greyhound and after a min or so the greyhound (if he doesn't want to play) would go after the dog. So based on those experience, I really wouldn't know if I could trust them with children because children can be pretty persistent too.
Oh geez, he was pulling your leg LOL I have helped bring in well over a 100 greyhounds from the track and fostered them and definitely nothing vicious about them Yes some are not cat safe, but definitely not all, I was a greyhound forster parent I own 2 cats one of the things I do is cat testing since 90% of the our adopters own cats so we like to make sure they are save with cats before sending to their new home and here is some proof the cat testing http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/3b4123444d5122b75e4ba320640e90fa.jpg a foster laying watching 2 cats playing http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/my%20gang/3e6c14292d2ed5e50ebc7e3fbde3a825.jpg My 3 black and white amigos http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/my%20gang/37f0386623443a542b8d897ac57918b9.jpg Another foster and the cat playing together http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/mleg2001/the%20gang/726e519d3345b79dabf4d86479ba1097.jpg And they are extreme gentle dogs, here is photos from an adoption reunion that has over 200 greyhound in attendance with their owners all were former racers http://pets.webshots.com/album/41944441TLAKXJ Well Big Red below me sure as heck did not foster of retired greyhounds , I seriously think see has her breeds mixed up, as every one else has mention they are "lazy couch potatoes"
They arent mean but arent really good with other animal, especially small ones, they are trained to chase. I love grey hounds and have fostered many as people seem to want, less energetic dogs, because greyhounds need lots of space and exercise, and can be destructive and dominating if not exercised properly. I have never been bitten by one, snapped at, yes, but actually bitten, no. They are very head strong and need a strong owner or they can quickly become the alpha dog and arent very tolerant of pack insubordination. Lots of training and some sort of exercise eg agility, flyball, is very necessary. Unless people know them as a breed and have all the time available, and facilities, they can get bored easily and become a bit nasty, but tire it out every day, train it well, and you have a loving lap dog. They make great pets for active people if had from a puppy but ex race hounds need a bit of training and socialising to make them good house dogs. Think about it, how are proffessionally trained racing dogs treated, crated and fed when not racing or training, not much socialisation with people, just the trainer or owner and they cant be exposed to small animals because to race they need to chase that little fluffy decoy, with every intent to kill it. If i was treated like that i wouldnt be very nice either, being nice isnt a prerequisit to racing in fact nastiness is encouraged, to make them want to catch and kill that decoy even more.
Absolutely not. But they can appear mean to someone who works at a dog track because of how they treat them there, very often. Greyhounds are not inherently mean. They have to learn that. True, they may have problems with cats. Some do, some do not. Before adopting one, the adoption group will ask you if you have a cat, and get you one that has been "cat tested." My two (and the one before them) never snap at anyone. And I have been to places where there are many greyhounds around. I've never seen one snap at a person. They are very friendly, and take to their new owners and home quite well -- in thanks, I believe, for the good treatment they receive when they retire. All this means is that it is very rare to have a mean greyhound. And those that are "mean," the adoption groups usually know about beforehand. Good luck, if you get one.
they are not mean, but.... ex racing dogs are sometimes a little mean because before a race,they often are abused and not fed so they are better at running.(although that doent make perfect sense) i think that the dogs need time and love, you have to give it space, but also send an I LOVE YOU message. it all depends on the dog and the training (and its past) dont for one second think dalmations are bad because of other peoples experience. create your dogs history.
The people who work for/at or around the tracks are the ones who are MEAN!!! They abuse these animals terribly!!! They teach these animals to attack to "make them faster!" Some of these ignorant fools say that a greyhound won't ever race it's fastest UNTIL they get they taste for BLOOD! They take advantage of their natural pry instinct. My dogs are not viscous, but they are dogs. Just like ANY other dog, if they're allowed to, or trained & encouraged to they will attack. If someone was beating you & feeding you rotten food you'd be nasty too. Sounds to me like this guy told himself that crap to make HIMSELF feel better!
I don't know if greyhounds are mean, but I've met a few grumpy greyhound bus drivers.
See what happens when you listen to MORONS??? You get MORONIC (WRONG/STUPID & INCORRECT!!!)info! The "guy" is either a TOTAL IMBECILE or he's LYING on purpose!!! G/H are VERY "soft" w/people .They are NOT ALLOWED to be otherwise! They *can* be cat-killers though(GOOD DOG!!!-LOL)...BRED for HUNDREDS of years to COURSE & KILL QUARRY!!! They are MUZZLED when on the track to prevent (the VERY rare!) fight while excited about the chase! NOT people!
That is the most ridiculous statement I have ever seen. Greyhounds are, without a doubt, the most people loving creatures you could find anywhere.
I can honestly say that out of all the dogs I've come across in my life I have never met a mean greyhound. My brother and sister-in-law rescued one years ago from the racetrack when she was injured and she was terrified of any strangers for the first year or so but after they worked with her on training and gave her lots of love and attention she was the most lovable dog I've ever met. She was well behaved and aimed to please her master(s). They had her for 8 years before she had to be put to sleep and never once did she ever even snip at anyone. With even the most timid breeds there can always be a bad apple, a dog that just is balanced but like I said I have never come across a mean greyhound and I would definitely recommend one as a pet as long as you have a lot of time to spend with it, especially during the first year.
Someone informed you wrong!! Greyhounds are the most loving loyal creatures I've ever known. I own 2 and plan on fostering starting next month. I can't believe that someone would say that. My 2 "girls" hang on my every word and can't wait to see me, they love me unconditionally and wouldn't hurt a thing unless provoked like the child of the past family that adopted my 1st greyhound Tinker. The family said that she tried to bite the little girl. With good reason 'my girl' snapped at her. I met this family at a "Meet & Greet" and they recognised Tinker and told me what happened. In the 10 mins. I was talking to the Mom, this little girl was trying to lift 'Tinker' up by her back feet and ride her like a horse. If it was me, I would've snapped at her too, spanked her and given Tinker a pat on the head. Go to Greyhoundrescue.org and look at all these wonderful animals. You can also go to youtube.com and see abuse these dogs suffer at the track. You would be very shocked at how these dogs are treated and they still have so much love that they want to give to someone in a loving home. Also, my 2nd greyhound came straight from a track in Pensa Cola on May 19th 2006. She and 8 or 9 other greyhounds had a chance of getting loving homes. I was supposed to foster her and she suffered a death threatening accident, I told my husband that if she survived that I was adopting her and she has been with me since the day she left the track. She's very loyal also. She has definately been abused. After being in a Very loving home for almost 1 year she is still VERY skiddish. I hope with time I can teach her that she is safe. So take it from me, go to the website listed above and see for yourself. I hope you have a different outlook on these beautiful creatures after this. Good luck!
No offense but that guy sounds like an idiot!! I work in adoption, have fostered at least 60+ hounds, have owned 4 of my own. I have 3 young kids, grown up with the breed & have yet to come across a vicious one. Nor have a every seen a vicious dalmation :o Greyhounds are very calm, layed back, loving creatures. It is true some have a higher prey drive so could not live with a cat but if working with the proper group they should know their dogs. All of ours are fostered & tested in our homes so we get a greyt idea of personality, tempermant & any issues they may have.... They love being in public & getting attention from everyone, the majority love children. I hope you've gotten alot better advice then that 1st person gave. Good luck!! Cyndi www.greyhoundcrossroads.com