Product Description

“The next best thing to having an experienced Greyhound owner living with you.”
—Joan Belle Isle, President, Greyhound Project

“Anyone who reads this book and follows its guidance will have a happier, healthier dog and be a happier, more relaxed dog owner.”
—Hal and Karen Hawley, Greyhound Friends Northwest

The Greyhound has been celebrated in song and legend for thousands of years. Nowadays, Greyhounds are bred almost exclusively for racing. In the bad old days, prior to the 1980s, dogs that didn’t make the grade at the track, and those past their primes, were destroyed. According to official estimates, 60,000 of these noble, mild-mannered dogs were destroyed each year! Fortunately, a number of organizations now exist devoted to rescuing these unwanted dogs and placing them in good homes.

Thinking about adopting a retired racing Greyhound? Or maybe you’re already sharing your life with one of these charming animals. Either way, this friendly guide tells you everything you need to know to:

• Understand the Greyhound personality
• Find a retired racing Greyhound to adopt
• Choose the right ex-racer for you and your family
• Educate yourself and your retired racer
• Give your new pal the diet and exercise it needs
• Keep your dog healthy and happy for years to come

With plenty of good humor and straight-talk, Lee Livingood drawing on her forty-years of experience training adult rescue dogs to cover all the pros and cons of being a retired racing Greyhound owner, and she fills you in on:

• The amazing 8000-year history of the Greyhound
• Deciding whether an ex-racer is the right do for you and your family
• Physical and behavioral characteristics
• How to get a retired racer used to living in a home and be a companion
• Dealing with common behavioral and health problems
• Feeding, grooming, and exercising a Greyhound
• Fun things to do with your hound

Bursting with expert advice on all aspects of living with an ex-racer, Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies is must reading for anyone considering adoption or who’s already taken the leap.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11966 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Back Cover
"A no-nonsense guide to the joys and pitfalls of adopting the retired racing Greyhound." Bruce Skinner, Editor in Chief, A Breed Apart Praise for Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies^® "The next best thing to having an experienced Greyhound owner living with you." —Joan Belle Isle, President, Greyhound Project "Anyone who reads this book and follows its guidance will have a happier, healthier dog and be a happier, more relaxed dog owner." —Hal and Karen Hawley, Greyhound Friends Northwest

Find out about your retired racing Greyhound's special needs

Get the lowdown on keeping your dog healthy and content Are you thinking about adopting a retired racing Greyhound, or are you already sharing your life with one? This fun and friendly book is bursting with expert advice on all aspects of owning an ex-racer: understanding the Greyhound personality, taking care of your new friend, teaching good manners, and much more.

Discover how to: Find a retired racing Greyhound to adopt Choose the right ex-racer for you Manage your new friend Educate yourself and your retired racer Maintain good health, proper exercise, and diet

Get smart! www.dummies.com Attention pet owners! Get free Dummies Daily^™ e-mail newsletters Sign up today for tips on dogs, cats, or birds Keep your pet healthy and happy — the Dummies Way^™

About the Author
Lee Livingood has been training adult rescue dogs for nearly 40 years. She lives with two adopted ex-racers, volunteers for her local Greyhound adoption group, and writes for Greyhound and other dog publications.

Customer Reviews

Greyhound "Bible"
An absolute must if you are planning on adopting a retired racing greyhound. No other book will prepare you more thoroughly.

Best book for the curious and future greyhound adopters
This book is a fantastic guide for those looking to adopt a greyhound or even those curious about adopting a retired racer. Personally, I found it much more in-depth and helpful than the most widely recommended book by Cynthia Branigan. The "dummies" style of breaking topics down and highlighting common pitfalls really worked for us. Further there is great dedication to ways to train your grey and get through common fears, issues and behaviors which I feel is lacking in the other books. While no book can prepare you for the idiosyncracies of your racer when you bring him/her home, greyhounds' common background allows for this book to be rather comprehensive and instructional and it really attempts to be so.

My only caveat is that the book was published in 2000 and could use some updating. There are so many web resources, meet-up groups, etc. which could be highlighted in a newer edition. Perhaps one is in the works because I know the author speaks often at "Dewey Beach."

Your best resource will very likely be your adoption organization and your adoption agent(s). Foster great relationships with them and allow this book to complement all that they tell you (even though no one will ever agree on food) and you will be able to get through with as few bumps as possible.

And for the record I couldn't recommend adopting a greyhound more. For dogs which have been all but tortured they survive to become goofy, soulful, respectful, devoted companions.

everything you need to know
I had thought this would be a very simple, basic book, but in fact it has a wealth of information, with plenty of detail. It is easy to read and organized in a sensible way. I highly recommend this book!