By Dennis McKeon
copyright, 2024. The original post can be found here.
When the greyhound no longer exists within the security of the greyhound colony, and when he/she sets foot in an entirely new world as a recently adopted retiree, there certainly can be a degree of culture shock, and stress situations, which have to be managed properly to avoid sensory overload.
It is the same for saplings, when they leave their human and canine familiars at the breeding/raising facilities, and enter the brave new world of the racing kennel colony, halfway across the country, where they are introduced to the hustle and bustle of the daily training and racing routine.
They all eventually find their bliss in the highly social colony, but in my experience, this sometimes stressful transition does not involve biting their human caretakers.
Now I'm sorry if this hurts sensitive feelings, but I've handled US greyhounds from huge breeding operations, from breeders who raised them on the wide open prairies---in bygone days, often arriving at the racing kennel as semi-feral---and those saplings as well from Mom and Pop kennels, where they had already been turned into pets. I've handled imported Irish greyhounds from even smaller breeders, as well as from thriving, internationally successful programs. And if we don't think that flying across an ocean, from a home raised upbringing, and being introduced to a large colony of greyhounds in a strange country, unlike anything they've yet experienced is stressful, maybe we should think again.
But I digress. None of these greyhounds, not one, regardless of origin or upbringing, bloodline or preparation, ever bit me or any of my co-workers. And if your adopted greyhound is biting you or anyone else within his/her orbit, absent a serious medical issue, it's time to consult with your adoption representatives, and thoroughly review your methods.