If you have a dog at home already when you adopt your greyhound...

You will already have visited the kennel when you select your greyhound with your other dog(s). The adoption will take place in your home. The interaction between both dogs will be studied carefully and if all appears good the greyhound stays. If your first dog is a female and your greyhound is a male, you will have an alpha female and an alpha male situation. They will not challenge each other for position.Two males will have to establish a pecking order as well as will two females. Dogs very rarely will fight, when things escalate to fever pitch a "stand off" usually occurs. Both dogs will stop what they are doing, tails up, eyes averted and stand perfectly still. Someone will twitch and the running begins again. When dogs play things can get very noisy and snarly. They will bite at each others necks and shoulders. Keep an eye on the rest of the dogs body language. If the tails are wagging and the hackles are down, all is good. If the tails are up and the ears are back, it’s anqaggressive stance but it rarely goes any further than a stance. If a dog fight should occur, DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE, you will get hurt! Use a garden hose or loud sudden noise to stop it. Dogs will snarl as a warning before they bite... "AARRRGGGHHH, get out of my space", "AARRRGGGHHH, get away from my food bowl," etc. Again, a firm "NO!" will stop that.

Cat testing at the kennel. The cat wasn't so fond of this greyhound! (No animals are harmed while cat testing, though we have seen a few greyhounds leave the room shaking!)

Your greyhound has been cat tested. If it tested badly, it is considered not cat tolerant and will not be placed in a home with cats or other small animals.

Snow was adopted by Lyla, Denise and Dave Colletti-Hudson.

In your home, your non-cat-tolerant greyhound generally will have nothing to challenge the prey drive it has. It’s OUTSIDE THE HOME where you need to be cautious! When walking this type of dog, care will have to be taken when passing other dog walkers (that Chihuahua will look very enticing!), squirrels, rabbits, the neighborhood feral cat and birds. Keep a firm hold on the leash and be alert to things that will get your dogs attention. If necessary shorten the leash. When doing Meet & Greets, be aware that puppies, small dogs and an occasional cat will find it’s way into pet stores. Keep your dog a distance from these visitors and if necessary turn the dog in the opposite direction.

Is your dog considered cat tolerant? Your greyhound may need a few verbal reprimands when dealing with the other pet members of the family, as usually its tolerance for small animals is proven in its foster home. Obviously, if your cat is running about the house, your greyhound will be more interested in it than if the cat were sleeping, and may even give chase! If the cat stops running, the dog will probably stop running, bark and then walk away. A feisty cat may even hiss and swat at the dog, putting an end to any future similar behavior.

Do not hesitate to use a firm, loud "NO!" to put an end to cat chasing. If your greyhound chases your cat incessantly, will not back off even if reprimanded, or does your cat harm in any way, please call your adoption counselor immediately.

Other animals such as guinea pigs, ferrets, birds and rabbits should be in a cage unless the interaction between dog and animal can be supervised.

Never under any circumstances should the animals be left alone together. Use common sense when dealing with this situation, all members of the household should be able to feel safe and unthreatened.

Caged Birds should have their cage set so it cannot be easily knocked down. If your dog jumps up at it or shows intense interest, use a firm "NO!" It may take several times for the dog to get the idea that the cage is off limits. Some greyhounds are very interested in birds and care should be taken so that the dog cannot get at your feathered friend!

Fish in a tank can be intriguing. Supervise your dog and make sure it doesn’t jump up on the tank.

Reptiles can pose bacterial problems as well as scratching and biting. Supervise your dog when interacting with herpitiles.

Little B with her little boyfriend Reggie, chilling at the home of her former foster mom - Lindsey Wax.

Gerry and her little Italian Greyhound "sister" - Lola - Gerry was adopted by the Fasano Family

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