Should I apply to adopt this puppy

[bunn]

He's a Greek harehound.  Someone put him,his brother and his sister in a box with 50 Euros and left them at a shelter. Expected to grow up to be mediumish sized. 

Things are going fairly well at the moment. How much do I want to gamble...

Comments

[sir_guinglain]

He's very appealing...

[starspray]

Omg he’s so cute!

[diejacobsleiter]

"Should I apply..."

He definitely thinks so. (Not sure about Rosie though.)

What a charming boy...

[grundyscribbling]

If you're looking for neutral opinions, I have to say the photo sort of undermines the 'neutral' part. HE'S ADORABLE.

[narya_flame]

Ohhhhhh he is GORGEOUS!!!!

[zdenka]

I don't know, but he's really cute!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

OMG! I want you to so I can watch him grow up. Look at that face and puppy paws! I'm dying here.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

He really is so cute. Those ears!

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

How do you think your other pets would react is the big question? Are you familiar with the breed and how might he react to cats? Poor thing being dumped like that.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

He and his brother & sister are fostered in a home with cats & kittens at the moment, so he does know all about them: that's one reason I am attracted to this particular pup.

I think Gothmog would love him, because Gothmog loves everyone: they would probably enjoy playing together. Nenya and Fankil are both fine around Rosie, and Fankil would probably follow Gothmog's lead. Rosie... I think would enjoy the company, but might also find a pup a tad energetic.

[hhimring]

He is wonderful!
I haven't got any advice on the gamble. You have so much more experience, in that regard, than I have!

[bunn.livejournal.com]

It's quite a responsibility, and I have been steering away from those recently, but as you say, it's not as if I haven't done this sort of thing before...

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

*resists cuteness with an effort*

Um. Do Greek Harehounds make good pets? How strong is their hunting instinct? Do you know anyone who has raised a Greek Harehound from a puppy, so you can have a chat before you make up your mind?

(I swear my last dog Pip was part foxhound, hence all the mayhem and destruction and the trail of murdered wild life...)

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I found a small community of harehound adopters on Facebook and asked questions. In general they seem pretty lazy and laid-back, though a whirlwind phase from 7-18 months can happen, apparently. But then Brythen was a bit like that when I adopted him. I think prey drive varies a lot and with a pup, you roll the dice. He is in a home with kittens at the moment, so he's getting a good start.

Their Wikipedia entry does make them sound like foxhounds and says they aren't suitable as pets (though I know a few people with foxhounds who say they are perfectly OK pets). But then lurchers are pretty prey-driven as a group. So far as I can tell, these guys are bred for a similar hunting niche, but as scenthounds rather than sighthounds...

Also, go back 20-30 years, and that's what people used to say about ex-racing greyhounds: ie, unadoptable, impossible prey drive, used only to kennel life, safest to have them put to sleep when they finish racing, etc. And that was obviously bollocks.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

I never knew that was the attitude about ex-racing greyhounds. God. We've come such a long way, in that at least, then.

Lazy and laid-back sounds good! (I adored Pip, but I think he took several years off my life. He came with no off switch. Maybe it was the unfortunate combination of Springer and hound genes...)

[bunn.livejournal.com]

There are still special muzzle laws for greyhounds in Ireland and in parts of Australia, because of this idea that greyhounds are somehow specially dangerous! And some greyhound rescues in parts of England that don't have greyhound tracks get a lot of their dogs from Ireland, because the attitude that greyhounds cannot be pets still persists there (though I understand it's changing).

I'm hopeful. Deep breath: I've sent off my application form: I'll see if the rescue think I've got the right home!

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

Yes! He's lovely! Puppies are so designed to make humans love them.

Where would you be getting him from, though? (I'm wondering because of the Euros).

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Yes, he's in Greece at the moment, he'd travel by air, there are arrangements in place for that, and then probably catch a volunteer transport to Exeter.

There are lurcher pups in rescues I could adopt in the UK, of course, but Rosie is less keen on other lurchers than smaller dogs (a harehound type would be very unlikely to get taller than she is!), and I quite fancy a scenthound for once, and they don't come up so often in rescue in the UK.

Brexit is end Oct, and who knows what will happen then, but he'd be arriving Oct 20th.

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

It's strange -- I'm watching Below the Surface and the old lady in that had been to Turkey (if I understood it correctly) to rescue a dog, and I'd never heard of adopting dogs from another country before.

I hope that all goes well if you do decide to adopt him.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, dogs move around a lot - both commercially, and via rescue. Greyhounds get traded internationally. Irish greyhound breeders produce a lot of dogs for the British racing market, and there are a number of British rescues that work with Irish pounds, because rehoming greyhounds in Ireland is hard, and the only reason there are so many homeless greyhounds in Ireland is because of demand from Britain.

And there are puppy farms in Eastern Europe that used to sell lorry-loads of cheap pups to Britain: I think that's one reason the recent law making it illegal to import pups under 15 weeks or sell them in pet shops got through. There was a serious risk of rabies from,believe it or not, illicit puppy-smuggling.

And then there are a bunch of rescues that specialise in importing dogs from pounds in Ireland, Spain, Greece and Romania, mostly, to the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France and Scandinavia. Haven't heard of anyone bringing in dogs from Turkey, but it probably happens. One reason is that there are a lot of people in the UK who are prepared to adopt hound types, which are often considered unsuitable pets in their countries of origin.

Romania is a bit different: a lot of dogs coming from there are more or less feral, and they can be pretty challenging, but some people like a challenge!

[topum.livejournal.com]

What an awesome little dude. He looks like he is going to be a lot of fun. Will you also get his share of the puppies' 50 Euro "dowry"?

[bunn.livejournal.com]

:-D I imagine that the pups have already eaten more than fifty euros worth of grub between them, and they certainly will have done by the time they have vaccinations & pet passports to come to the UK.

[topum.livejournal.com]

Oh well, those epic ginger "eyebrows" will definitely make up for it.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

They certainly will! I've always wanted a dog with ginger eyebrows!

(yes, I am shallow, but nobody can say I haven't taken in an assorted bunch of dogs over the years: I feel I've earned a pup with ginger eyebrows if I want one.)

[ylla.livejournal.com]

'Don't ask us about'? Will you still get your post?

[topum.livejournal.com]

I'll give you a pass on this one from the ministry of woke (this one time only), but I hope you remember that nobody is allowed to have any preferences whatsoever because it is not inclusive. Even genital preferences must be phased out (transphobic). Also, rating all the puppies in the world in terms of their current suffering and then adopting the one that is suffering the most rather than just the one you like would be a much more responsible way to do it. Just saying.

[angelica-ramses.livejournal.com]

He's a beauty and you're a hero. I hope Rosie likes him and the kitties too. What's not to like in him?

Greyhound races were forbidden here a few years ago so there are a lot of rescue dogs. They're not wanted in the country but strangely, they do very well - people say - in apartments. I live in a neighbourhood with a high density of apartment buildings and greyhounds! They're very beautiful!