Hi...

Just arrived here and yet to get a hound - hopefully some wonderful people will find me a 3 x cat-loving hound soon - otherwise carpeting the stairs and getting a car dog guard could become a distant reminder that I have wanted a greyhound for over 20 years... Please let me fulfill a lifelong ambition!!

I'm now old (and grey but hidden) enough that my long suffering Parents no longer care whether I have a dog or not.. Having said that, they are v interested in my last few months of Greyhound research. Husband gone - Hey! We all need good mates that make us laugh!

Can't wait to come along to your walkies days and meet you all...

I live in a quiet part of Edinburgh; quiet streets, lots of parks, beaches not too far away - almost perfect greyhound country! I go to North Berwick at least once a week - beach gallops! (Only when we are ready!)

Iv'e been doing up my house for the last 9 months - it's just about finished and looking like a palace rather than the grotty slum it was. Now I have the time (and house) to devote to a a lovely doggie..The stairs get carpeted this week so he/she doesn;t damage his/her wrists.. I have the vet's number in memory (due to an ill cat a few years ago- hope I don't need it for anything more than the usual innoculations etc!) I also have the doggy bits and pieces ready - major problem is stopping top-cat sleeping on potential hound duvet and drinking out of potential hound water bowl - does it taste different?? I think not!

Questions?? I have a few...

I have read that white hounds are not suited to allergy sufferers - is this true or is it just that white hairs are more noticable? My Mother is allergic to dogs and horses but not cats.. I am quite prepared to get her antihistamines/ gas-mask! Don't want to deter her from visiting too much though as she v nice to me! She is very keen for me to get a hound tho - maybe it will stop me ringing her so often? Hound sitting etc??

Do Greyhounds really require a raised feeding bowl? I have a few buckets left over from doing up the house that i can turn unside-down in the short term... Also a lovely vegetable storage basket thingy that could be perfect!

My garden in another floor lower than my house, the steps are "open" steps (ie theres no vertical bits - just horizontal bits - you can see "air" through them.) Will a greyhound manage these - given time and practice? Perhaps I should try and find a greyhound that doesn't need a garden and see how we get on?

I am really looking forward to joining your gang - any adivce will be greatfully accepted - dwelt on - and hopefully resolved.. I bought this house in January specifically for the cats needs and adapted it accordingly; adapting for a hound shouldn't be too much hassle given my DIY skills..

Cheers

Claire