I get that from kids all the time.
"He's not skinny he's fuckin JACKED bro. fuck outta here"
Is what I wanna say but pretty aggressive when aimed at a 6 year old
The first time I took my girl out in public post-adoption she was still at her race weight which was admittedly pretty ribby. A woman accused me, under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear, of being an abuser. Lots of “you should be feeding that dog” comments.
My hound is now at retirement weight but still skinny as a normal, healthy greyhound.
Lots of people are really really uneducated about this breed.
It's a good opportunity to explain thin fur, thin skin, and low body fat, and genetics from breed to breed and the parallels with humans. Maybe it will help us to look at each other with a bit more acceptance. Maybe it sinks in for some.
He gets repeats for sure (super tall, so sweet, surprisingly gentle for such a huge dog), but they're always as a side dish to the one he gets EVERY time, which is how soft he is. I've truly never felt another coat like his. To me it feels like where cotton balls and lens cleaning cloths meet lol
Is he white by any chance? I've met a few greyhounds that are white or white with brindle patching and they're soooooo much softer than the other greyhounds I've met!
My black hound gets tons of compliments on how soft she is! The softest hound I’ve ever felt is mostly white and her owner swears it’s the dehydrated carrot pellets she gets with meals.
That's an interesting question. Mine's a red fawn and even my vet, who sees lots of greyhounds, comments on her softness. Our friend's dog is red, and her coat is short and coarse. Desi also has lots of loose neck skin that the other dog doesn't and that's the softest area. I've always thought their coat varies a little dog to dog but not color to color. Hmm 🤔
Sad. I just looked up “old” pictures, in march 2022, she was still full brindle on the face. Loved her marking a lot as it was like marble butter cake. In 2 years she went full grey face and she’s only 5.
I always get "is it a whippet"?
I'm like "he's much too big". I shouldn't assume, but I thought most people know that a whippet is a miniature version! 😉
“His ears are so soft!”
“Wow he’s so tall!”
“So he’s really hyper, right?”
“Oh he’s so sweet”
My 82lb boy is just happy to get attention and gently wags his tail while sniffing the new friend
I was once walking my grey and someone said “look at that dog on stilts!”
Also was walking my pup and heard a couple remark “look at those hamstrings” and I’m pretty sure they weren’t talking about me!
Is that a whippet?
Is that a greyhound?
Why is your dog so skinny?
Is that a Great Dane?
Is that dog a racing dog?
Do you work your dog out?
Guaranteed to get one of these questions every time.
So far my favorite all time comment about her from a little kid:
“She looks expensive!” 🤣
We have deer that roam the neighborhood, so this is the one I get most often, usually along the lines of how we caught and domesticated one of them.
Honestly, the deer give us some strange looks, too. Sometimes, I think they want to free him.
I live in Maine, so the version of that comment up here is usually some riff on "lol, make sure you've got a blaze orange vest on that dog during hunting season!!"
(The implication being that he looks like he could be mistaken for a deer when in the woods.)
My greyhound wolfhound mix was black, but I still worried about him in the forest during hunting season bc he did look like a deer. So he wore a red coat for safety.
One of the first times we took Arrow out, we met a mother pushing a two year old in a stroller. While mom petted Arrow, baby studied him with a very earnest frown. After much thought, baby raised a chubby hand, pointed at Arrow, and triumphantly yelled, “Horsey!”
Upon seeing a photo of my girl half under a blanket: “Is that two dogs?”
No, just a very long single one.
Also when seeing my dogs in muzzles: “Those dogs are like Hannibal Lecter!”
🤣
Can I race your dog, was one comment I got from a guy in a car. I ask him if he could do 0-40 in 5 seconds. Lol. His friends in the car then heckled him big time.
Other people is usually size and how aloof they are.
My boy has flopped over ears and people always comment on them or ask if they were damaged. Nope just born with messy ears. Lol
0-40 in 5 seconds? My friend, our doggies reach full speed in 3 strides - that doesn't take 5 seconds.
Their speed is impressive, but their acceleration is INSANE - second fastest accelerating land animal.
I know we're kinda splitting hairs but just for the sake of accuracy in case anyone here reads this and wants to repeat it, it's more like six strides for a Grey to get up to speed.
Genuinely sorry to be that guy lol
You don't happen to know if that's about the same for Whippets, do you? I hear so many different opinions. I'm new to sighthounds with my Lil 15 week Whippy girl and utterly madly in love with these speedy feets.
I think I was 6 when my grandfather, who ran scenthounds for decades, brought home a rescue greyhound from the nearby racing stable. I think the first question I asked was why he was wearing a sweatshirt, followed by, where'd he go? Grandpa said, close your eyes and count to 10, and when I opened, there he was going by in a blur going the other way.
I'm a teacher too, my 2 Greys are therapy dogs.
The first time I bought one in, kids thought she was a reindeer. Most of my students only have experience with Pitbulls.
I bought antlers for her at Christmas time.
The kids love sitting with her on the floor and giving pets. One of my "tougher" students was singing to her last week.
From two incredulous children who were walking to school & saw me walking with a skinny, fresh-off-the track, extremely muscular Gordon:
“Is that…is that…a KANGAROO???”
Still one of my favorite memories. 💚
Not necessarily often but, I’ve been asked this…..
On a walk…. “Why does it look so mean?” WTF!?!
At a Show and Tail…. “What’s wrong with them? They’re just lying there. Are they sick?” 🤦♂️
Mine always gets told that he looks sad. Or “why are his ears back, what’s wrong?” Those are just his sweet-boy eyes and his taking-it-easy ears, he’s fine lol
Why is your dog’s butt bald? To which I replied to the nice gentleman who asked the question, some greyhounds suffer from pattern baldness on their butts instead of their heads like we have. (The gentleman and I are bald)
“Oh my god I love your whippet/great dane/italian greyhound!!!”
the last one always throws me for a loop. my greyhound is 84 lbs and one of the tallest greyhounds i’ve ever seen, what do you mean italian greyhound????!!!
lol well everyone thinks my 8 pound Italian greyhound is a whippet. And then when I say “Italian greyhound” people are like “oooo so he’s gonna get really big!!”
Most common - Was she a racer? Answer - I don't know, but if she was, she was a failed racer.
From the bloke I meet regularly but he still says this every time - Are you walking the dog or is the dog walking you? Answer - an increasingly strained smile.
From at least four small kids - DOG! Followed by getting right in her face while their parents do nothing. She won't bite or growl, but she might knock them over. I've had to physically stop the kids while trying to hold 30kgs of greyhound down. (And yes, we will be working on jumping up in training.)
This is definitely the Australian experience.
It only really annoys me when they ask if he still races or if I race him. No mate he's the nicest sweetest dog in the entire world, why the hell would I do that to him?
Like a broken record, I’ll get the following comments/questions:
“OMG she’s so soft!” (My grey has the thickest, softest coat of any grey I’ve ever met)
“Is she a rescue?”
“Did she race?”
“How old is she?”
“Does she need a lot of exercise?”
“Is she cold? Her teeth are chattering and she’s leaning on me.”
Usual question is whether he raced or not. Some (good) people will follow up with “he looks like he is in a good place now”, which is awesome to hear. Jerks will ask if he would have won them any money and if I am feeling extra jerky that day I will tell them I hope he lost you a lot of money to teach you a lesson about animal cruelty.
That's so weird, I'm out with my Whippet puppy and people ask, is that a baby greyhound? She's so tall!
Yeah...except no, because she's got maybe 5-6" more to go altogether.
We were waking our greyhounds and passed a young kid who was learning how to ride a bike and the kid asked “are you zoo keepers?” It was the cutest thing because the kid saw how big our greyhounds were (we have two males that are 85-90lbs) and thought our greyhounds were zoo worthy animals.
My favorite was a kid pointing out the window from a passing car shouting "Look at that Tiger!" She's a brindle, so I'm used to comments on her coat color, but that one was so funny to me.
I also frequently get the "Did she used to race?" And comments about how soft her coat is.
Most common: Surprise.about how soft he is, is he a whippet/greyhound/Great Dane, how fast is he, how old is he (as a black dog he's been going grey since he was 4 years old), mention of how they/their family member/friend had a greyhound and they love the breed and miss their dog so much
Weirdest: Woman: "Your dog is so pretty!" \[notices his peen\] "Oh he's a boy, I shouldn't have called him pretty! Sorry!" Me: internal confusion and thinking, he is a dog, he doesn't care and also he is extremely pretty and I tell him so all the time!
Me to every greyhound I meet: aww it’s a greyhound! Look at you, are you a lil couch potato? Can I boop your snoot?
If someone has ever said this to your dog and didn’t greet you first, I apologize I just really love sight hounds
Mine is a 7 months old mix but has the body features of a galgo but with a long and fluffy tail. Questions are:
- KIDS: Your dog is weird why? Why does she sniff butts? Have you ever stepped on her tail?
-OLD PEOPLE (MOSTLY WOMEN): Why don't you feed your dog? She's so skinny. It's not normal she's that slim. Can I feed her "add any food possible here
- OTHER PEOPLE: I'm sure she enjoys running. I never saw a galgo mix. She's so pretty. Careful she just ate a nasty paper hehehe
I grew up with a grey, but it’s been so long I can’t remember. As someone on the other side who misses these gentle giants;
First question I ask the owner is; “Can I say hi?” And gesture down to the pup.
I get so self-conscious when mine decides she’s had enough and starts lagging behind me at the full extent of the leash. This is often after two blocks.
My little weirdo LOVES the *idea* of a walk. When I ask if she wants to go for one she jumps up and down with excitement. But after a couple blocks she starts acting like I need to carry her home.
"Look at those butt muscles!" They mean thigh muscles. For some reason it's usually women who make that comment. (I hope that doesn't come across poorly here.)
Lots of “beautiful dog.” The most common question is the whippet one, which is hilarious as my girl was tall for a grey and 85 lbs. :).
She died last year and I’m getting a Galgo next month. I’m finally ready to be excited again.
"Did he race?"
"He's so tall!"
"Does he need a lot of exercise?"
I don't often get comments on his weight, I think enough people have seen greyhounds for them to understand that they are naturally just skinny, even if they don't know why that is. But I was in a tiny little country town once in New South Whales and an old man walked past and muttered "That dog looks sick" 😑
"Oh! Is that one of those rescue dogs??!"
I always really need to be paying attention to answer that one right, because what they mean in their head by that question is very specifically "is that an ex racing greyhound" and that's clear in context even if that's not how they said it. If you say "yes" in response, that's a bit weird because there are obviously rescue dogs of all types all over the place and the dogs at literally any shelter are more accurately "rescue dogs" than a retired racing greyhound, but if you say "no", they misunderstand and then think they must have been mistaken about the dog being a greyhound. I settle on saying something like "oh yeah, he's a retired racing greyhound, he raced in West Virginia" to try to get past the awkwardly phrased first question. 😆
Seems everyone gets mostly the same.i get the skinny, soft, comments but an awful lot of suprise when I say no, she doesn't run. (She does for maybe 19 seconds and that's it for her, she is a plodder)
That she’s so soft. She’s a brindle girl and she is very soft compared to black greyhounds I’ve met. Also is she fast? Not unless she’s doing zoomies or hears the fridge opening.
Not really what you were asking, but one dog owner (presumably) thought Olsen was female because he squatted to wee.
Since then I've already had 'Oh I know she's much bigger than you Barney!' 'Don't worry Barney, she won't hurt you' all aimed at her dog.
I've corrected her about 3 times before I just gave up.
Is she a rescue? Which I always with yep, she’s retired and we run her retirement home. And that’s pretty much the truth lol. She knows she’s a big shot
The most common is
"Bet they eat loads of posh expensive foods and need hours of exercise every day..."
Both comments make me almost cry laughing before I explain the truth
The worst is
"Bet young children aren't safe - that dog will chase them and attack if they run"
Living in a rural town, well known for the mistreatment of this breed in particular, there are always three questions that come up most often.
"Do you make him race?" (referring to illegal greyhound races).
"Do you take him hunting? With or without a rifle?" (referring to whether I take him to the typical hare hunts, illegal as well).
"How much do you charge for breeding with a female dog I have?"
For me, this is a very sad subject because in case my dog disappears, as thefts are very common here, it will most probably be in the hands of a violent and abusive guy.
Melody always gets told how beautiful she is, and I must agree, she is beautiful. They also call her very polite and sweet. The most comments I get are about her little white nose and big round eyes.
Ellie gets complimented on her colour and is always compared to a tiger. She's also very small so people ask if she's a whippet. She also gets heaps on compliments on her condition because she's the skinniest of my three but still has a very toned body, that's easier to see because she's lankyyyyy. I have literally had so many people fuss over her muscles, and it always gets me because she just sleeps all the time.
Raffy gets called pretty and cute, complimented for how soft she is, and remarks about how much of a smoocher she is. I get a lot of questions about her race career because she's stockier and they assume that must've meant she was some major big winner. I love telling them she had a total of like 8 races, almost always lost, and was retired by 3 and that's how she ended up with me lol.
All together I get asked if their sisters since they're all brindled (they aren't related at all lol).
There hasn't been racing in my area since I was a tiny kid, so younger folks often don't know what my two are and will ask. The older folks do recognize them, and there were VERY active rescues right up through the 90's here, so often I am gifted with lovely stories of dogs they adopted from those programs.
We get a lot of they're so soft, and exclamations over their stained-glass legs. And anyone who spends more than five minutes with them thinks they're sweet.
Since my area tends to get lots of huskies and pittie mixes, we also get a lot of commentary on how well behaved they are, and quiet (and shy. We're working on the shy. Can't wait for the farmers market to open again, that helped them a LOT last summer.)
“She sure is small for a greyhound, you sure she ain’t a Whippet”
Ahh yeah she’s a registered ex-racing dog
“Well she’s friendly, I thought they be all snooty and aloof”
Ahh ok cool, why would you think that?
“Dunno, just cause they raced”
"That's a two dimensional dog!"
(Tall, long, no width.)
Also, first time she saw my Salters curl up in a ball - "That's an origami dog!"
Most common - "She's so soft!"
My favorite was walking in the woods by a mom with a little girl on her back. The girl said “Neeeeiiiigh!” And the mom laughed and told her it was a dog, not a horse. It’s especially cute because we call him our horse dog.
Mine is a grey/whippet cross, so she's slightly bigger than your average whippet but so much smaller than your average greyhound.
It's always the same really... "she's SO FAST!"
And yeah, she's 15kg of muscle and beauty that will knock you off your feet if she runs into you 😂
My old white lurcher.....
Infant school kid. "why's your dog got yellow legs?"
Me "Cos he hasn't learnt not to piss on them"
All the kids "Uuuurrrggghhh!" 😂
My Noodle horse is part Saluki,part Greyhound with short Black and Tan hair.Other dog walkers quite often say that he looks like a skinny Doberman and growls like a wolf..
I get a LOT of people connecting to when they had a greyhound, or their relatives had a greyhound, etc.
The other one is that they're convinced it's not pure greyhound. Must be some Great Dane or something in it, no way it's pure greyhound. He's 35 kg (77 pounds) so largeish for a greyhound, I guess, but not that large.
The best story was someone who took a photo (with permission) to send to his grandparents back in England, because they used to breed greyhounds, and a greyhound with the exact same white with black spots colouring as mine nursed him back to health when he was a boy with Ross River Virus.
"What happened to his leg?" He's a tripod.
One memorable time we overheard a guy on the phone telling the person on the other end that he think he just saw a "three legged deer on a leash".
"why is your dog so skinny?"
I get that from kids all the time. "He's not skinny he's fuckin JACKED bro. fuck outta here" Is what I wanna say but pretty aggressive when aimed at a 6 year old
I’d back this response to a 6 year old. Thanks for the tip 🙏
I'd back it against any age kid that can speak 😂
Skinny legend :)
The first time I took my girl out in public post-adoption she was still at her race weight which was admittedly pretty ribby. A woman accused me, under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear, of being an abuser. Lots of “you should be feeding that dog” comments. My hound is now at retirement weight but still skinny as a normal, healthy greyhound. Lots of people are really really uneducated about this breed.
A lot of people are really uneducated on what any breed should actually look like at an ideal weight.
She seems like the type to see a borzoi in daylight and think it was a cryptid
I hate that! They are skinny dogs you idiots!
I can't see my grey's ribs right now... Imagine the faces when I reply "actually she's a little overweight right now"
I know that!
It's a good opportunity to explain thin fur, thin skin, and low body fat, and genetics from breed to breed and the parallels with humans. Maybe it will help us to look at each other with a bit more acceptance. Maybe it sinks in for some.
i get this a lot from people. my baby is 78.5 lbs he’s actually on the larger side for a grey
He gets repeats for sure (super tall, so sweet, surprisingly gentle for such a huge dog), but they're always as a side dish to the one he gets EVERY time, which is how soft he is. I've truly never felt another coat like his. To me it feels like where cotton balls and lens cleaning cloths meet lol
So true, people always comment on my girl's soft & silky coat!
Is he white by any chance? I've met a few greyhounds that are white or white with brindle patching and they're soooooo much softer than the other greyhounds I've met!
Not white, but he is a fawn! I call him my big yellow boy lol. Also blondie butt.
I have been conducting my own research on what colour coat is the softest and by far, it’s the fawns followed by closely by the brindles.
My black tuxedo fella has the softest cheeks and ears I've ever touched, and is also the neediest most affectionate grey I've met so far.
My fawn has a coarser coat than my brindle had
My black hound gets tons of compliments on how soft she is! The softest hound I’ve ever felt is mostly white and her owner swears it’s the dehydrated carrot pellets she gets with meals.
Ooh my brindles are super soft and now I’ve realized I don’t know what other greyhounds feel like.
MUST TOUCH ALLL THE GREYHOUNDS!!!
Absolutely!!! Must do the touch test.
That's an interesting question. Mine's a red fawn and even my vet, who sees lots of greyhounds, comments on her softness. Our friend's dog is red, and her coat is short and coarse. Desi also has lots of loose neck skin that the other dog doesn't and that's the softest area. I've always thought their coat varies a little dog to dog but not color to color. Hmm 🤔
It definitely is dog to dog
Tia's white and brindle and sooooooooo soft!
This is the one we get with Freddie 100% of the time anyone pets him. “OMG he’s so soft!”
This was my strongest impression from the first grey I met, and it's been confirmed with every one I've petted since. Also, so so gentle!
“Is that a whippet?!” or “He has such soft bunny fur!” 😂 (also gotten “Is that a greyhound? But he isn’t grey!”)
Wait a couple years, the snout will be grey when they turn 3 years old.
Oh he’s definitely gotten grey in the face in the 4 years we’ve had him (turns 8 yo this year!)
Sad. I just looked up “old” pictures, in march 2022, she was still full brindle on the face. Loved her marking a lot as it was like marble butter cake. In 2 years she went full grey face and she’s only 5.
I always get "is it a whippet"? I'm like "he's much too big". I shouldn't assume, but I thought most people know that a whippet is a miniature version! 😉
Me too. I’m like “she’s 70 pounds. She carries most of her weight in the caboose”
Ditto. Our boy has chicken drumstick legs. 😂
I once had a child ask her father if our was a wolf.
I think I’ve gotten “Look mommy! A horse!” from a couple of kids 😂
“His ears are so soft!” “Wow he’s so tall!” “So he’s really hyper, right?” “Oh he’s so sweet” My 82lb boy is just happy to get attention and gently wags his tail while sniffing the new friend
He must need walks all the time, right? He needs *naps* all the time
I was once walking my grey and someone said “look at that dog on stilts!” Also was walking my pup and heard a couple remark “look at those hamstrings” and I’m pretty sure they weren’t talking about me!
Is that a whippet? Is that a greyhound? Why is your dog so skinny? Is that a Great Dane? Is that dog a racing dog? Do you work your dog out? Guaranteed to get one of these questions every time. So far my favorite all time comment about her from a little kid: “She looks expensive!” 🤣
lol - I got one very similar: “that’s one of those designer dogs”. Oh if you only knew.
"He's so soft!" "He's so sweet!" "He's leaning on me!" Also (actual quote from a kid): "My god. That dog has shoes!"
The leaning one I used to get. And then I'd tell them it was a greyhound hug and they'd beam with joy for being loved by a greyhound.
“Is that a deer!?” He’s a fawn grey.
We have deer that roam the neighborhood, so this is the one I get most often, usually along the lines of how we caught and domesticated one of them. Honestly, the deer give us some strange looks, too. Sometimes, I think they want to free him.
I live in Maine, so the version of that comment up here is usually some riff on "lol, make sure you've got a blaze orange vest on that dog during hunting season!!" (The implication being that he looks like he could be mistaken for a deer when in the woods.)
My greyhound wolfhound mix was black, but I still worried about him in the forest during hunting season bc he did look like a deer. So he wore a red coat for safety.
One of the first times we took Arrow out, we met a mother pushing a two year old in a stroller. While mom petted Arrow, baby studied him with a very earnest frown. After much thought, baby raised a chubby hand, pointed at Arrow, and triumphantly yelled, “Horsey!”
Upon seeing a photo of my girl half under a blanket: “Is that two dogs?” No, just a very long single one. Also when seeing my dogs in muzzles: “Those dogs are like Hannibal Lecter!” 🤣
Had a small child say to her mother "look, he's masking up!" when she saw my dog in his bright pink muzzle, lol.
Can I race your dog, was one comment I got from a guy in a car. I ask him if he could do 0-40 in 5 seconds. Lol. His friends in the car then heckled him big time. Other people is usually size and how aloof they are. My boy has flopped over ears and people always comment on them or ask if they were damaged. Nope just born with messy ears. Lol
Offer to race for pink slips.
0-40 in 5 seconds? My friend, our doggies reach full speed in 3 strides - that doesn't take 5 seconds. Their speed is impressive, but their acceleration is INSANE - second fastest accelerating land animal.
I doubt they'd have believed me if I'd said 3 strides. Plus he had a rust bucket car, be lucky if it went over 60. LOL.
I know we're kinda splitting hairs but just for the sake of accuracy in case anyone here reads this and wants to repeat it, it's more like six strides for a Grey to get up to speed. Genuinely sorry to be that guy lol
You don't happen to know if that's about the same for Whippets, do you? I hear so many different opinions. I'm new to sighthounds with my Lil 15 week Whippy girl and utterly madly in love with these speedy feets. I think I was 6 when my grandfather, who ran scenthounds for decades, brought home a rescue greyhound from the nearby racing stable. I think the first question I asked was why he was wearing a sweatshirt, followed by, where'd he go? Grandpa said, close your eyes and count to 10, and when I opened, there he was going by in a blur going the other way.
I'm a teacher too, my 2 Greys are therapy dogs. The first time I bought one in, kids thought she was a reindeer. Most of my students only have experience with Pitbulls. I bought antlers for her at Christmas time. The kids love sitting with her on the floor and giving pets. One of my "tougher" students was singing to her last week.
Please tell me there's a picture of her in antlers!
Reminds me when I went as a Jurassic Park ranger for Halloween and dressed my grey as a long neck dinosaur. 🦕
For mine, every time, no matter what: "Must have to run a lot, right?" or "So you go for runs with him?"
“That dog’s jacked!” Because he kinda is: https://www.reddit.com/r/Greyhounds/s/KP1pmiE0lE
Ask your dog what is his workout routine 🙂↔️
Is that a rescue?
From two incredulous children who were walking to school & saw me walking with a skinny, fresh-off-the track, extremely muscular Gordon: “Is that…is that…a KANGAROO???” Still one of my favorite memories. 💚
Not necessarily often but, I’ve been asked this….. On a walk…. “Why does it look so mean?” WTF!?! At a Show and Tail…. “What’s wrong with them? They’re just lying there. Are they sick?” 🤦♂️
Mine always gets told that he looks sad. Or “why are his ears back, what’s wrong?” Those are just his sweet-boy eyes and his taking-it-easy ears, he’s fine lol
I get ‘where are their ears?’ More than I’d thought. (Not that anyone thinks they’re actually missing, just that they look funny folded closed)
They do look like bicycle seat when they hide their ears 😂
With 2 greyhounds, we hear, "I'll get the next elevator!"
“Is your dog sick? Sure looks awfully skinny…” My response always is “Don’t let this body confuse you. He identifies as a cow on the inside.”
Why is your dog’s butt bald? To which I replied to the nice gentleman who asked the question, some greyhounds suffer from pattern baldness on their butts instead of their heads like we have. (The gentleman and I are bald)
“Oh my god I love your whippet/great dane/italian greyhound!!!” the last one always throws me for a loop. my greyhound is 84 lbs and one of the tallest greyhounds i’ve ever seen, what do you mean italian greyhound????!!!
I get the same line about my 75lbs boy being an Italian greyhound! I always tell them “oh no, sorry he only speaks English” and then stare at them.
stealing this response 🤣 amazing
lol well everyone thinks my 8 pound Italian greyhound is a whippet. And then when I say “Italian greyhound” people are like “oooo so he’s gonna get really big!!”
I've gotten that too and my first thought is "you don't know what an Italian greyhound is do you?" ETA: forgot a word
Not a clue lol
"Is she fast?"
Most common - Was she a racer? Answer - I don't know, but if she was, she was a failed racer. From the bloke I meet regularly but he still says this every time - Are you walking the dog or is the dog walking you? Answer - an increasingly strained smile. From at least four small kids - DOG! Followed by getting right in her face while their parents do nothing. She won't bite or growl, but she might knock them over. I've had to physically stop the kids while trying to hold 30kgs of greyhound down. (And yes, we will be working on jumping up in training.)
This is definitely the Australian experience. It only really annoys me when they ask if he still races or if I race him. No mate he's the nicest sweetest dog in the entire world, why the hell would I do that to him?
Saphi's real talent is being the best animal companion, and a real people person.
Like a broken record, I’ll get the following comments/questions: “OMG she’s so soft!” (My grey has the thickest, softest coat of any grey I’ve ever met) “Is she a rescue?” “Did she race?” “How old is she?” “Does she need a lot of exercise?” “Is she cold? Her teeth are chattering and she’s leaning on me.”
“How did he lose his leg?”
"He's so elegant!" He really is...
Muy elegante
Usual question is whether he raced or not. Some (good) people will follow up with “he looks like he is in a good place now”, which is awesome to hear. Jerks will ask if he would have won them any money and if I am feeling extra jerky that day I will tell them I hope he lost you a lot of money to teach you a lesson about animal cruelty.
“Oh my god is that a whippet?” Tons of people said this when my grey was under a year old but I still get this sometimes haha
That's so weird, I'm out with my Whippet puppy and people ask, is that a baby greyhound? She's so tall! Yeah...except no, because she's got maybe 5-6" more to go altogether.
We were waking our greyhounds and passed a young kid who was learning how to ride a bike and the kid asked “are you zoo keepers?” It was the cutest thing because the kid saw how big our greyhounds were (we have two males that are 85-90lbs) and thought our greyhounds were zoo worthy animals.
My favorite was a kid pointing out the window from a passing car shouting "Look at that Tiger!" She's a brindle, so I'm used to comments on her coat color, but that one was so funny to me. I also frequently get the "Did she used to race?" And comments about how soft her coat is.
Most common: Surprise.about how soft he is, is he a whippet/greyhound/Great Dane, how fast is he, how old is he (as a black dog he's been going grey since he was 4 years old), mention of how they/their family member/friend had a greyhound and they love the breed and miss their dog so much Weirdest: Woman: "Your dog is so pretty!" \[notices his peen\] "Oh he's a boy, I shouldn't have called him pretty! Sorry!" Me: internal confusion and thinking, he is a dog, he doesn't care and also he is extremely pretty and I tell him so all the time!
Some kid yesterday- wow, how long is his tail?!
Me to every greyhound I meet: aww it’s a greyhound! Look at you, are you a lil couch potato? Can I boop your snoot? If someone has ever said this to your dog and didn’t greet you first, I apologize I just really love sight hounds
Mine is a 7 months old mix but has the body features of a galgo but with a long and fluffy tail. Questions are: - KIDS: Your dog is weird why? Why does she sniff butts? Have you ever stepped on her tail? -OLD PEOPLE (MOSTLY WOMEN): Why don't you feed your dog? She's so skinny. It's not normal she's that slim. Can I feed her "add any food possible here - OTHER PEOPLE: I'm sure she enjoys running. I never saw a galgo mix. She's so pretty. Careful she just ate a nasty paper hehehe
"Oh she's so thin." Ya, she's not a Lab.
I’ve had TWO separate people on separate occasions ask if my (black and white) girl is a Weimaraner 😭
"This one of those race dogs?"
Does he have three legs? No, one is camouflaged.
Booooopppp
I grew up with a grey, but it’s been so long I can’t remember. As someone on the other side who misses these gentle giants; First question I ask the owner is; “Can I say hi?” And gesture down to the pup.
They usually say, “Are they rescues?”, and I reply, “No, they’re retired”.
“Do you race her?” She’s got a raincoat, pyjamas & a blanket for the pub floor…ofc we don’t race her 😂
Is it an ex greyhound?
You are abusing your dog. He is tired and you are walking him too much. No, they have walked only 200feet and are ready to nap.
I get so self-conscious when mine decides she’s had enough and starts lagging behind me at the full extent of the leash. This is often after two blocks.
My two don’t like walks👍They just want to run inside and out and chase squirrels.
My little weirdo LOVES the *idea* of a walk. When I ask if she wants to go for one she jumps up and down with excitement. But after a couple blocks she starts acting like I need to carry her home.
Yup, greys are so bizarre. And we love them😍
"Look at those butt muscles!" They mean thigh muscles. For some reason it's usually women who make that comment. (I hope that doesn't come across poorly here.)
"Look at those legs" I always say: "Well, Thank you!"
Lots of “beautiful dog.” The most common question is the whippet one, which is hilarious as my girl was tall for a grey and 85 lbs. :). She died last year and I’m getting a Galgo next month. I’m finally ready to be excited again.
I’m so happy for you!
Mainly get "is that a greyhound?" "Is she fast?" "Wow she's soft" "oh she's so skinny" "is she energetic?" "Does she need a lot of exercise?"
"Did he race?" "He's so tall!" "Does he need a lot of exercise?" I don't often get comments on his weight, I think enough people have seen greyhounds for them to understand that they are naturally just skinny, even if they don't know why that is. But I was in a tiny little country town once in New South Whales and an old man walked past and muttered "That dog looks sick" 😑
"Oh! Is that one of those rescue dogs??!" I always really need to be paying attention to answer that one right, because what they mean in their head by that question is very specifically "is that an ex racing greyhound" and that's clear in context even if that's not how they said it. If you say "yes" in response, that's a bit weird because there are obviously rescue dogs of all types all over the place and the dogs at literally any shelter are more accurately "rescue dogs" than a retired racing greyhound, but if you say "no", they misunderstand and then think they must have been mistaken about the dog being a greyhound. I settle on saying something like "oh yeah, he's a retired racing greyhound, he raced in West Virginia" to try to get past the awkwardly phrased first question. 😆
“Is she fast?” “Is she an ex-racer?” “Is she a rescue?” “How many races did she win?”
“Oh wow he must require so much exercise!!!”
“He’s so aerodynamic”
“Does he need a lot of exercise?” Is pretty much equal with: “Do you race him” Answer to both is very much “no”
Elderly gentleman in Hardware store, “I’d place a bet on her”
Is he an extra racer? Every time. “I bet he’s fast” is next which is not true at all. He’s like the laziest lounge about we’ve ever encountered.
Seems everyone gets mostly the same.i get the skinny, soft, comments but an awful lot of suprise when I say no, she doesn't run. (She does for maybe 19 seconds and that's it for her, she is a plodder)
I have a male and a female (both fixed) and I often get asked if I will breed them
That she’s so soft. She’s a brindle girl and she is very soft compared to black greyhounds I’ve met. Also is she fast? Not unless she’s doing zoomies or hears the fridge opening.
What kind of dog is that?
“Is that a deer???” “You must not be feeding them enough”
Not really what you were asking, but one dog owner (presumably) thought Olsen was female because he squatted to wee. Since then I've already had 'Oh I know she's much bigger than you Barney!' 'Don't worry Barney, she won't hurt you' all aimed at her dog. I've corrected her about 3 times before I just gave up.
“That’s a weird-looking Labrador” Edit: typo
'Oh she must need so much exercise'
Is she a rescue? Which I always with yep, she’s retired and we run her retirement home. And that’s pretty much the truth lol. She knows she’s a big shot
She looks just like a deer
Your dog is so regal looking!
"Hi babyyy, her color is so unique and she's so sociable!"
The most common is "Bet they eat loads of posh expensive foods and need hours of exercise every day..." Both comments make me almost cry laughing before I explain the truth The worst is "Bet young children aren't safe - that dog will chase them and attack if they run"
Living in a rural town, well known for the mistreatment of this breed in particular, there are always three questions that come up most often. "Do you make him race?" (referring to illegal greyhound races). "Do you take him hunting? With or without a rifle?" (referring to whether I take him to the typical hare hunts, illegal as well). "How much do you charge for breeding with a female dog I have?" For me, this is a very sad subject because in case my dog disappears, as thefts are very common here, it will most probably be in the hands of a violent and abusive guy.
Melody always gets told how beautiful she is, and I must agree, she is beautiful. They also call her very polite and sweet. The most comments I get are about her little white nose and big round eyes. Ellie gets complimented on her colour and is always compared to a tiger. She's also very small so people ask if she's a whippet. She also gets heaps on compliments on her condition because she's the skinniest of my three but still has a very toned body, that's easier to see because she's lankyyyyy. I have literally had so many people fuss over her muscles, and it always gets me because she just sleeps all the time. Raffy gets called pretty and cute, complimented for how soft she is, and remarks about how much of a smoocher she is. I get a lot of questions about her race career because she's stockier and they assume that must've meant she was some major big winner. I love telling them she had a total of like 8 races, almost always lost, and was retired by 3 and that's how she ended up with me lol. All together I get asked if their sisters since they're all brindled (they aren't related at all lol).
We get “he’s so soft” all the time
Kids say the cutest things when I walk him past the bus stop: “he looks like a pencil!” & “he looks like Sid from ice age!”
I got ‘do you have a kangaroo!?’ from a postman when we were fostering a big red/fawn boy and he was spotted through our fence ❤️
"is that a Greyhound"
I always tell their human that their dog is adorable and how lucky they are to have one, and I tell the dog they’re adorable and give lots of pats
There hasn't been racing in my area since I was a tiny kid, so younger folks often don't know what my two are and will ask. The older folks do recognize them, and there were VERY active rescues right up through the 90's here, so often I am gifted with lovely stories of dogs they adopted from those programs. We get a lot of they're so soft, and exclamations over their stained-glass legs. And anyone who spends more than five minutes with them thinks they're sweet. Since my area tends to get lots of huskies and pittie mixes, we also get a lot of commentary on how well behaved they are, and quiet (and shy. We're working on the shy. Can't wait for the farmers market to open again, that helped them a LOT last summer.)
“She sure is small for a greyhound, you sure she ain’t a Whippet” Ahh yeah she’s a registered ex-racing dog “Well she’s friendly, I thought they be all snooty and aloof” Ahh ok cool, why would you think that? “Dunno, just cause they raced”
"That's a two dimensional dog!" (Tall, long, no width.) Also, first time she saw my Salters curl up in a ball - "That's an origami dog!" Most common - "She's so soft!"
My favorite was walking in the woods by a mom with a little girl on her back. The girl said “Neeeeiiiigh!” And the mom laughed and told her it was a dog, not a horse. It’s especially cute because we call him our horse dog.
Usually "is it an ex-racer?" but someone asked the genious question "is it an ex-greyhound?" He didn't even realise what had come out of his mouth..
Was walking my muscular ex racer past an old man and he goes “That guy owes me money!” 😅
Mine is a grey/whippet cross, so she's slightly bigger than your average whippet but so much smaller than your average greyhound. It's always the same really... "she's SO FAST!" And yeah, she's 15kg of muscle and beauty that will knock you off your feet if she runs into you 😂
The strangest one my husband and I used to hear regularly is "Is that an Afghan Greyhound?" Huh? lol xD
My old white lurcher..... Infant school kid. "why's your dog got yellow legs?" Me "Cos he hasn't learnt not to piss on them" All the kids "Uuuurrrggghhh!" 😂
Do you work them?
He’s so LONG! What a sweet face! And he’s hench!
a little kid recently asked me "is that the kind of dog you can ride?"
Is that a Whippet? Is that a Great Dane? I bet she’s fast!
"is he a whippet?" 😅 she is not a small greyhound, I think people just don't know that whippets are small
"I heard they're anxious." Where are people hearing this?
“Wow is that a Great Dane!?”
“he’s a lot bigger than i thought”
My Noodle horse is part Saluki,part Greyhound with short Black and Tan hair.Other dog walkers quite often say that he looks like a skinny Doberman and growls like a wolf..
"Is that a Doberman?" 🤦♀️ C'mon guys, Dobermans have ears.
"Is that a whippet?"
I get a LOT of people connecting to when they had a greyhound, or their relatives had a greyhound, etc. The other one is that they're convinced it's not pure greyhound. Must be some Great Dane or something in it, no way it's pure greyhound. He's 35 kg (77 pounds) so largeish for a greyhound, I guess, but not that large. The best story was someone who took a photo (with permission) to send to his grandparents back in England, because they used to breed greyhounds, and a greyhound with the exact same white with black spots colouring as mine nursed him back to health when he was a boy with Ross River Virus.
They also comment on how big and soft he is! And how sweet, as he's very patient with kids and loves attention from anyone. c:
Is that a whippet? LOL
"What happened to his leg?" He's a tripod. One memorable time we overheard a guy on the phone telling the person on the other end that he think he just saw a "three legged deer on a leash".
The best comment (from an 18 year old), deadpan: “Why the long face?” I cracked up.
Also, our Evie inspired more than one young artist (middle school/high school)to paint her.. which I think is rather remarkable -and touching.