Advice please!

[Ruthmcghee]

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I'd really appreciate some advice. I've fallen in love with a whippet at a rescue kennel. Ive never had whippets before. He was a stray, therefore no info about his upbringing, he's about 2.

Trouble is I work 3 nights a week, out from 9.30pm till 07.30 am. Will he cope with this I wonder?

Also, I live in a very rural area but there are sheep around. Will he chase sheep?

Would be very grateful for advice.

 

[goldenbear2013]

My honest opinion is don't do it.

Rescuing a dog is a wonderful thing, but they need to be with someone most of the time and rehabilitating them takes time. They need time with you, to get used to you. rescue dogs are hard work (depending on their background of course) and need reassurance from their new owners that everything is ok. This can be at 9am in the morning or 3am it doesn't matter. Settling a rescue dog into your home takes time. I have had 2 rescue dogs in my time and it took at least 3 months minimum spending every day with them to get them settled and calm and reassured that they are staying for good. Sounds daft but it's true.

Leaving them of a night time is not a good thing whether you have your dog from a rescue center or not. My current dog never gets left of a night time. I don't even go to after work social events because of him (but that's just me!).

Whippets are such a wonder lovable breed, but they love being with their owners and from what I know about them suffer with separation anxiety. you would have to build up the time you leave the dog over a long period of time, so they can get used to you not being there.

Even if you are in the other room and they are not with you they sometimes whine cus they just love to be with their owners. They wont be happy until they are snuggled up next to you on the sofa or better yet on your lap!

See what others say on here, but I would take into consideration on what I have just said, and think long and hard before you make your decision.

I hope it is the right one and I wish you the best of luck.

Sophie x

 

[gypsysmum]

Much as I, like you, hate to think of a Whippet, or any dog, in rescue, I think, too, that this might not be a match made in heaven. If you could find a family to have him while you are on shift that might solve the domestic problem. The other, major in my opinion, thing is that Whippets have a very high prey drive. I have owned Greyhounds and Lurchers but my Whippet had the highest prey drive of all of them. Her recall, with no distractions. was perfect. Put her in a field with the possibility of finding a hare, deer or, god forbid, sheep and she became stone deaf. Add to that the fact that she was so prey driven that even if she lost her prey she would hunt and hunt and hunt until she flushed something else that she could chase. Much as I love them I would never have another one.

 

[Ruthmcghee]

Thank you so much for replies. They have helped me to make a very difficult decision! While I badly want to get him out of the rescue kennel, My work and the sheep would be big issues. Very sad but the right decision, thank you!

Ruth