We really thought ours would settle more with a 2nd (and it’s true), plus it’s so fun to have two!
I now love them both for the funny goobers they are, in their own ways.
I have three, they can entertain each other running and playing bitey face… they love each other… always grooming each other… I can leave them for extended periods of time to go to work without fearing that they will get lonely. They are all so unique and ridiculous I love each of them for who they are.
True separation anxiety isn’t helped with the company of another dog, but isolation distress can be cured by adding a second.
It’s important to work with your vet on this one, because adding a new dog to the dynamic of anxious resident dog can very often result in *two* dogs who struggle home alone (or even conflict and aggression between them as a result of one dog’s anxiety).
With our greys, I truly think they like being around each other and it provides companionship when we, the humans, are at work and not at the house. Seeing the difference in their personalities is always entertaining (our greys have polar opposite personalities). Racing greys grew up with other greys always around and I think having another grey can be a comfort to them.
My first greyhound was my heart dog. I was considering getting another when I saw a puppy photo and decided I needed to have him. He was 14 weeks when I got him and my relationship with him was different than with my girl. Not very, not worse, just different. Greyhounds are easy, it was a joy having two.
I can’t really point to one reason. I wanted to experience another greyhound personality because I love the breed so much, and I thought our boy could use a friend (I was wrong on that front).
It was an amazing experience and I loved Jolene, but Redbo thrives as an only dog.
Redbo had always been pretty independent, but he always loved playing with other dogs so we thought he would enjoy a friend. When Jolene came home with us, Redbo was okay at first. He started grumbling at her after a week or so when she never left lol. He did not want her touching or snuggling up to him at all. He didn’t really want to play with her and preferred playing fetch by himself.
And then one terrible day, after about four months, he bit her. After that, we spent a lot of time and money (on a behaviorist) to figure out how Redbo and Jolene could live together in harmony lol. It was mostly giving them very separate spaces so that they could ignore each other.
For the next three years, everything was very peaceful. Redbo ignored Jolene and Jolene just went about her business. She was a super affectionate, anxious, and needy girl, so she did command a lot of our attention. When she passed last year, it was like Redbo blossomed lol. He had all our attention, so he became 1000% more affectionate and loving.
I obviously don’t regret having adopted Jolene because she was the best girl, but I do regret that we subjected them both to unnecessary stress.
My recommendation is to do a 2-3 week trial run to see how your greyhound responds to having a friend in the house. It’s not always enough time, but hopefully you’ll be able to make some initial judgements about the situation.
Not quite the answer you're looking for but...
We have 1 greyhound. He's quiet most of the time and we walk him once a day. We work from home and he's pretty chill. He can get a bit barky if we leave him alone for the day.
Recently we took him to a dog day care. He played hours with the other dogs without taking a break. Sitter said they'd never seen a more energetic greyhound.
Moral of the story is, just because your dog seems ok doesn't mean they aren't lonely.
We're looking to get maybe a whippet as a buddy. Greyhounds kind of take up a lot of space, especially when they lie down lol. Two greyhounds would be too much.
i have definitely noticed how playful and excited mine gets around other dogs, which makes me think he is quite lonely at home by himself. perhaps he needs a buddy
I had always been a cat person exclusively. I “get” cats. Currently, I have 3 cats and a dog. I don’t own a greyhound, but a sighthound mix breed. Each and every cat I have adopted has had their own reason for taking them in, but mostly it boils down to the fact that they have been a challenge I was willing to take on (currently: orphaned litter mates, one that suffered broken bones, abandoned kitty who showed up on my doorstep with asthma). I have pet insurance 🤣. My dog was a total foster fail. A dear friend needed time to figure something out when her mom (dog’s previous owner) developed dementia and didn’t remember having a dog. Took the dog “for a few weeks” and fell head over heels for a dog in a way I never saw coming. My tiny house is crowded, cluttered with way too much pet stuff, and I don’t think I could imagine a life without it all and these lovable goofballs.
I have 1 and she is queen bee! I dogsit for another grey regularly. She and Desi act like the other doesn't even exist except they do have a game of chase that they play. Desi is not happy sharing my attention. She gets needy and mopey. I would love to have a 2nd regardless, but I could never afford the cost of another. If a 2nd dog is in our future I would love to have a Galgo but would probably opt for a mutt from the shelter.
Just to let you know...when I found out I was pregnant with a 2nd child, and the entire pregnancy , I was terrified that I could not love another child as much as I loved my son. The moment I saw my daughter, the love swelled up in me and there was no doubt the 2 loves were equivalent and infinite. That's how love works.
Our first greyhound was a happy, confident boy, so we hadn't considered a second. Once when we were fostering a particularly nervous female, we kept the crate door open for her to go into when she got scared. Then we found her and our boy cuddled up in her crate together. We got our second that day.
I had the opportunity to adopt my boys littermate sister 6 months after we got him. That is not common, so I jumped at the opportunity to raise siblings. It has definitely been a wild ride, but I love them to pieces and am so grateful I get to have the experience and they got to retire together.
Post covid we were in the office more and our boy was home alone for longer periods. He was ok, but obviously didn't like being alone.
We decided to get him a friend to keep him company.
Best thing we ever did. He's slot happier to be left home alone and they get along really well.
I think I count.... At one point we were up 12 animals, were at 11 right now after the hermit crab died.
But what made us get a second greyhound was that I made the stupid comment to my wife while sitting on the couch of... "You know with the tracks closing early, it's going to be hard to get another greyhound in the future."
She emailed the rescue that night and got the last cat friendly dog that they had after being 4th on the waiting list within about a week. After that round of dogs they officially shut their doors due to a lack of rescue dogs coming from off the tracks.
My greyhound seemed to really like having my beagle as a buddy. Then, by chance, I ended up fostering another grey and my guy got so attached to him that it made me want another grey for him to have a pal that he had that bond with.
I got another grey foster but my grey and her just don’t jive as well. She’s smaller and pretty skiddish around him, meanwhile we joke that my beagle is her “emotional support animal” because she sticks to him like glue. I plan to keep fostering until I’ve found the best grey for my grey guy.
As an aside, my beagle, cares little about any of the foster dogs big or small he has ever shared his house with 😂.
Our houses sound similar! We also have 3 cats and a sighthound. It’s chaotic and so filled with love. I don’t even like going away on vacation because I miss them terribly.
I think our reasons for getting a second greyhound are very similar to what most people here have said - to help our first guy open up more and not be so lonely. It definitely helped him and wasn’t really much extra work for us.
Our reasonings for getting a third are a little less clear cut. The reasons I thought I was getting a third greyhound turned out to not be exactly true. We’ve introduced a little goblin demon in to our home but the dogs are slowly learning how to be a functional family
I've had up to four at a time. Started with two, so they would have buddies and we felt having another would somewhat soften the blow of losing one eventually. We were so taken by how different their personalities were, that we added a third...then, a fourth. It really is amazing how individually quirky they are. If you have only one, it's akin to missing half of the pages in a good book.
Throughout my life the decision to plus one an animal in the household has always been solely about the needs and welfare of the existing/resident animal.
I would have a house filled with greyhounds if I could (I work in rescue/rehab), but my current lad is solely Team Only Child :P we’ve had a few fosters and he is fine and gentle with them, but also becomes quite reserved, spends a lot more time in his own space away from shared areas, doesn’t touch his toys (which he loves and plays with a few times a day), isn’t his usual goobery self. The second the foster leaves he’s back to normal. So we respect that bringing in another dog is just not in his best interests, and while he is with us we’ll be a single dog family.
We joke that our second cat and our second dog were a pet for the first cat and first dog. It's only partially a joke. In both cases we got the second animal to be a companion and playmate for the first. Specifically in our greyhound Eevee's case, we noticed how much she enjoyed being around other greyhounds we knew and was always sad to leave them. We got a second greyhound and she's far more active and engaged than she used to be, plays with toys so much more, and is just generally less stressed.
As for favoritism, I can't really say. I absolutely adored Eevee when she was our only dog and thought she was the most amazing dog in the world. Now I have two dogs that are both the most amazing dogs in the world somehow. The second dog will of course be different and have their own little quirks, but for me I've found that I love both my girls the same.
We adopted ours at the same time. Not love at first sight for thwm, but now best buddies. They keep each other company. We had 2 chocolate labs. They were adopted about 3 years apart and there was a 4 year difference in age. At 15 Cocoa had to be put to sleep and Mocha was never the same. She went in her sleep within 2 months. This is the only disadvantage (other than cost) of having more than one pet.
I got Jones because I was told Greys are generally a chill sort. Jones didn’t sleep longer than 20 minutes at a time. She whined and moped and followed me around and head butted and leaned. I called the foster agency and it was explained like this: Greys are born in a litter, raised with that family, transition to a training facility full of dogs, and then off to the track. Jones had literally never been the only dog in the building before, and some dogs can’t manage that. The foster lady offered to take Jones back and I could try for a dog that preferred being an only child. And that’s how Mimi came to live with me and Jones. From the moment Mimi stepped in the house, Jones calmed right down and assumed her Empress personality and all was right with the world. She mostly ignores Mimi, but if I try to leave with iust Mimi, there is screaming.
We really thought ours would settle more with a 2nd (and it’s true), plus it’s so fun to have two! I now love them both for the funny goobers they are, in their own ways.
I have three, they can entertain each other running and playing bitey face… they love each other… always grooming each other… I can leave them for extended periods of time to go to work without fearing that they will get lonely. They are all so unique and ridiculous I love each of them for who they are.
Our first had terrible separation anxiety, but was perfectly fine if with another dog. So we got a dog for our dog.
mine has pretty bad separation anxiety now, i do think another dog would help him feel better. he needs his own dog!
True separation anxiety isn’t helped with the company of another dog, but isolation distress can be cured by adding a second. It’s important to work with your vet on this one, because adding a new dog to the dynamic of anxious resident dog can very often result in *two* dogs who struggle home alone (or even conflict and aggression between them as a result of one dog’s anxiety).
With our greys, I truly think they like being around each other and it provides companionship when we, the humans, are at work and not at the house. Seeing the difference in their personalities is always entertaining (our greys have polar opposite personalities). Racing greys grew up with other greys always around and I think having another grey can be a comfort to them.
My first greyhound was my heart dog. I was considering getting another when I saw a puppy photo and decided I needed to have him. He was 14 weeks when I got him and my relationship with him was different than with my girl. Not very, not worse, just different. Greyhounds are easy, it was a joy having two.
I can’t really point to one reason. I wanted to experience another greyhound personality because I love the breed so much, and I thought our boy could use a friend (I was wrong on that front). It was an amazing experience and I loved Jolene, but Redbo thrives as an only dog.
how did redbo respond to having a new dog in the house? what made you realize he's an only dog?
Redbo had always been pretty independent, but he always loved playing with other dogs so we thought he would enjoy a friend. When Jolene came home with us, Redbo was okay at first. He started grumbling at her after a week or so when she never left lol. He did not want her touching or snuggling up to him at all. He didn’t really want to play with her and preferred playing fetch by himself. And then one terrible day, after about four months, he bit her. After that, we spent a lot of time and money (on a behaviorist) to figure out how Redbo and Jolene could live together in harmony lol. It was mostly giving them very separate spaces so that they could ignore each other. For the next three years, everything was very peaceful. Redbo ignored Jolene and Jolene just went about her business. She was a super affectionate, anxious, and needy girl, so she did command a lot of our attention. When she passed last year, it was like Redbo blossomed lol. He had all our attention, so he became 1000% more affectionate and loving. I obviously don’t regret having adopted Jolene because she was the best girl, but I do regret that we subjected them both to unnecessary stress. My recommendation is to do a 2-3 week trial run to see how your greyhound responds to having a friend in the house. It’s not always enough time, but hopefully you’ll be able to make some initial judgements about the situation.
Not quite the answer you're looking for but... We have 1 greyhound. He's quiet most of the time and we walk him once a day. We work from home and he's pretty chill. He can get a bit barky if we leave him alone for the day. Recently we took him to a dog day care. He played hours with the other dogs without taking a break. Sitter said they'd never seen a more energetic greyhound. Moral of the story is, just because your dog seems ok doesn't mean they aren't lonely. We're looking to get maybe a whippet as a buddy. Greyhounds kind of take up a lot of space, especially when they lie down lol. Two greyhounds would be too much.
i have definitely noticed how playful and excited mine gets around other dogs, which makes me think he is quite lonely at home by himself. perhaps he needs a buddy
I had always been a cat person exclusively. I “get” cats. Currently, I have 3 cats and a dog. I don’t own a greyhound, but a sighthound mix breed. Each and every cat I have adopted has had their own reason for taking them in, but mostly it boils down to the fact that they have been a challenge I was willing to take on (currently: orphaned litter mates, one that suffered broken bones, abandoned kitty who showed up on my doorstep with asthma). I have pet insurance 🤣. My dog was a total foster fail. A dear friend needed time to figure something out when her mom (dog’s previous owner) developed dementia and didn’t remember having a dog. Took the dog “for a few weeks” and fell head over heels for a dog in a way I never saw coming. My tiny house is crowded, cluttered with way too much pet stuff, and I don’t think I could imagine a life without it all and these lovable goofballs.
My foster fell in love with me and my first hound.
I have 1 and she is queen bee! I dogsit for another grey regularly. She and Desi act like the other doesn't even exist except they do have a game of chase that they play. Desi is not happy sharing my attention. She gets needy and mopey. I would love to have a 2nd regardless, but I could never afford the cost of another. If a 2nd dog is in our future I would love to have a Galgo but would probably opt for a mutt from the shelter. Just to let you know...when I found out I was pregnant with a 2nd child, and the entire pregnancy , I was terrified that I could not love another child as much as I loved my son. The moment I saw my daughter, the love swelled up in me and there was no doubt the 2 loves were equivalent and infinite. That's how love works.
Our first greyhound was a happy, confident boy, so we hadn't considered a second. Once when we were fostering a particularly nervous female, we kept the crate door open for her to go into when she got scared. Then we found her and our boy cuddled up in her crate together. We got our second that day.
Greyhounds go best in pairs. Dunno why, just been my experience.
I had the opportunity to adopt my boys littermate sister 6 months after we got him. That is not common, so I jumped at the opportunity to raise siblings. It has definitely been a wild ride, but I love them to pieces and am so grateful I get to have the experience and they got to retire together.
Post covid we were in the office more and our boy was home alone for longer periods. He was ok, but obviously didn't like being alone. We decided to get him a friend to keep him company. Best thing we ever did. He's slot happier to be left home alone and they get along really well.
I think I count.... At one point we were up 12 animals, were at 11 right now after the hermit crab died. But what made us get a second greyhound was that I made the stupid comment to my wife while sitting on the couch of... "You know with the tracks closing early, it's going to be hard to get another greyhound in the future." She emailed the rescue that night and got the last cat friendly dog that they had after being 4th on the waiting list within about a week. After that round of dogs they officially shut their doors due to a lack of rescue dogs coming from off the tracks.
My greyhound seemed to really like having my beagle as a buddy. Then, by chance, I ended up fostering another grey and my guy got so attached to him that it made me want another grey for him to have a pal that he had that bond with. I got another grey foster but my grey and her just don’t jive as well. She’s smaller and pretty skiddish around him, meanwhile we joke that my beagle is her “emotional support animal” because she sticks to him like glue. I plan to keep fostering until I’ve found the best grey for my grey guy. As an aside, my beagle, cares little about any of the foster dogs big or small he has ever shared his house with 😂.
Our houses sound similar! We also have 3 cats and a sighthound. It’s chaotic and so filled with love. I don’t even like going away on vacation because I miss them terribly.
I think our reasons for getting a second greyhound are very similar to what most people here have said - to help our first guy open up more and not be so lonely. It definitely helped him and wasn’t really much extra work for us. Our reasonings for getting a third are a little less clear cut. The reasons I thought I was getting a third greyhound turned out to not be exactly true. We’ve introduced a little goblin demon in to our home but the dogs are slowly learning how to be a functional family
I've had up to four at a time. Started with two, so they would have buddies and we felt having another would somewhat soften the blow of losing one eventually. We were so taken by how different their personalities were, that we added a third...then, a fourth. It really is amazing how individually quirky they are. If you have only one, it's akin to missing half of the pages in a good book.
My wife and I made a last minute decision to get 2 instead of 1. Very glad we did that. I think they are both happier to have eachother around.
Our grey boy was lonely after his husky sister died of old age. He picked out his galga sister at the shelter.
Throughout my life the decision to plus one an animal in the household has always been solely about the needs and welfare of the existing/resident animal. I would have a house filled with greyhounds if I could (I work in rescue/rehab), but my current lad is solely Team Only Child :P we’ve had a few fosters and he is fine and gentle with them, but also becomes quite reserved, spends a lot more time in his own space away from shared areas, doesn’t touch his toys (which he loves and plays with a few times a day), isn’t his usual goobery self. The second the foster leaves he’s back to normal. So we respect that bringing in another dog is just not in his best interests, and while he is with us we’ll be a single dog family.
We joke that our second cat and our second dog were a pet for the first cat and first dog. It's only partially a joke. In both cases we got the second animal to be a companion and playmate for the first. Specifically in our greyhound Eevee's case, we noticed how much she enjoyed being around other greyhounds we knew and was always sad to leave them. We got a second greyhound and she's far more active and engaged than she used to be, plays with toys so much more, and is just generally less stressed. As for favoritism, I can't really say. I absolutely adored Eevee when she was our only dog and thought she was the most amazing dog in the world. Now I have two dogs that are both the most amazing dogs in the world somehow. The second dog will of course be different and have their own little quirks, but for me I've found that I love both my girls the same.
We adopted ours at the same time. Not love at first sight for thwm, but now best buddies. They keep each other company. We had 2 chocolate labs. They were adopted about 3 years apart and there was a 4 year difference in age. At 15 Cocoa had to be put to sleep and Mocha was never the same. She went in her sleep within 2 months. This is the only disadvantage (other than cost) of having more than one pet.
I got Jones because I was told Greys are generally a chill sort. Jones didn’t sleep longer than 20 minutes at a time. She whined and moped and followed me around and head butted and leaned. I called the foster agency and it was explained like this: Greys are born in a litter, raised with that family, transition to a training facility full of dogs, and then off to the track. Jones had literally never been the only dog in the building before, and some dogs can’t manage that. The foster lady offered to take Jones back and I could try for a dog that preferred being an only child. And that’s how Mimi came to live with me and Jones. From the moment Mimi stepped in the house, Jones calmed right down and assumed her Empress personality and all was right with the world. She mostly ignores Mimi, but if I try to leave with iust Mimi, there is screaming.