Greyhounds are truly a unique dog breed. From hunting dogs to racing animals to rescued pets, Greyhounds are as unique as they come. Their temperaments make them wonderful companions. Their body shape and composition make them unrivaled racers and their keen eyesight and speed make them wonderful hunters. It’s no wonder the ancient Egyptians adored them, they became favorites among the European Aristocracy and are now a favorite family pet among Americans.

 

A Little Bit of History about Greyhounds

 

Greyhounds are the oldest known dog breed with a Greyhound type dog first appearing about 8000 years ago. It is the only dog breed to be mentioned in the bible and the peoples of Ancient Egypt treated these pets like important members of the family. It is believed that Greyhounds were then sold to Romans and Greeks as they began to appear in Greek Mythology.

It is mostly unknown how Greyhounds made it to Europe but the Europeans made great use of these magnificent animals. Greyhounds became favorites of the nobility and they began coursing the dogs for sport. Coursing is the sport of using dogs to hunt animals with their sight specifically instead of scent like other dog breeds.

Spaniards brought the dogs to North America and they remained pets as well as working animals until the early 1900s. The invention of the mechanical lure that would lead the dogs around a circular track lead to a new, highly popular spectator sport and it was bet on much like horse racing. Greyhound racing remained popular through most of the twentieth century. Greyhounds can be kept busy if you give them a toy to play with. If you want to find a greyhound toy to keep your dog busy, we recommend that you checkout

 

Personality of Greyhounds

 

If you are in the market for a quite, affectionate and even tempered pet a Greyhound would be an excellent choice. They are know to be gentle and wonderful with children. These great dogs are surprisingly low energy and are content with little exercise. Greyhounds are often called the “worlds fasted couch potato”, as they can reach speed of up to 45 mph but also enjoy sleeping up to 18 hours a day. Sound nice to me.

Greyhounds respond best to gentle commands and because of their sensitive nature should be treated with respect. They are not overly vocal animals and though they may bark on occasion, they will not typically make much of a fuss.

 

Famous Greyhounds

 

Pictures of Greyhound type dogs can be seen in early Egyptian drawings and Shakespeare evens mentions the breed in some of his writing. Custer used Greyhounds to help him spot Native Americans and the dogs were fast enough to keep pace with the horses. Queen Victoria’s husband kept a black and white Greyhound named Eos. He can be seen in many portraits that were done of the court from that time period.

Once racing became open to the public and then quite a popular sporting event people began to know the names of the dogs and people would have had their favorites. Master M’Grath was the first Greyhound to win multiple Waterloo Cups, one of the most prestigious coursing events and one that still meets today. He won the cup in 1868, 1869 and 1871. This record however was broken by a Greyhound names Fullerton who won in 1889, 1890, 1891 and 1892.

 

Physical Characteristics

 

Greyhounds are very long and lean animals with males averaging 28” to 30” inches tall and females 27” to 28” tall. They are predisposed to chasing prey so it is advised they always be kept in a secure, sturdy fence or enclosure or be kept on a leash.

Greyhounds do not have an undercoat which makes them less allergenic to people with sensitivities although they are not technically hypoallergenic. This lack of an undercoat does make Greyhounds sensitive to cold so they will need to have sufficient covering such as a sweater or coat when going outside in colder weather.