Cat Safe Greyhound?

Over two years ago our family began planning to adopt a greyhound, but with a little girl and two cats we had a lot of preparation to do. We researched on the internet, bought books, contacted charities, moved to the country, secured fences, bought a car with a bigger boot and anticipated problems you can’t even imagine!

After six months we heard about Beth who we eventually met at Bothwell Bridge RSPCA Centre, fell in love and brought her home. She was wonderful. Lazy, laid-back, a dream on the lead, toilet trained within a week and able to be in the room with the cats without a lead or muzzle after only two weeks! Could you ask for more? Actually we thought that was slow, until we met Buster….

Buster is big, bouncy and beautiful. He turned our lives upside down and we wouldn’t part with him for the world. He also chases all things furry.

We were warned before we met Buster that he would be a handful, but workable. After meeting him in Perth we discussed how to work with him and a week later he came home to stay and goodness did we work!

We had decided that because Buster is so big and strong we needed to show from the start where he fitted into our family to prevent any problems with dominance. So, first of all we made sure both cats were in the living room (with easy access to hiding places) before Buster arrived so that he was entering their territory. Also he was muzzled and on a lead. I had been with him all day and he was beginning to think he owned me so Peter held him as we entered the room and dealt with his lunges and bouncing while I showed him how important the cats and Celeste are by fussing them and ignoring him completely. (We swapped roles later in the week after Buster decided he worshipped Peter.)

We repeated this for about five minutes at a time four or five times a day with times in between where either the cats or dogs were shut into the sitting room with us to relax.

Also we let Buster see us eat and the cats fed before him every time  as a way of impressing on him his place as bottom of our ‘pack’ (using a glass door as a barrier)

After ten days we were able to sit with Buster tethered by his lead – and no muzzle!! When he became relaxed and lay down we could open the door and let the cats come and go freely. Buster was very alert and would jump up if a cat came too close but he didn’t lunge. In fact he avoided looking at them most of the time. We were delighted – progress at last!

Buster is very playful and every evening we shut the cats out of the room and let him go a bit mad with a squeaky toy. We refused to play tug-of-war and if he got too excited or growled we turned our back and ignored him until he settled down again, when the game resumed.

There were times in the first months we thought we would spend the next fifteen years watching TV with a dog tethered to one leg but we didn’t give up. Buster had been continually rewarded for three years when he chased small furry things – how could we expect him to change overnight. Persevere and let your dog know how pleased you are with tiny signs of progress (eg. Buster avoiding looking at the cats)

And now – a year later?

Buster does still try to chase other cats, rabbits, small dog’s etc and we only ever let him off the lead in an enclosed, and secure area. I warn people before we home-visit that Buster will lunge at their cat and that he will be kept on the lead throughout the visit. Within ten minutes he has usually relaxed and is lying down - tethered to my leg! He gives people a clear idea of some of the problems they may face as Beth, who comes too, always behaves impeccably.

Buster still goes mad each night with a squeaky toy. Now he is gentle enough for Celeste to join in too – and the cats are now in the room with us. Usually somewhere high up!

We introduced two kittens to our mad dog in the autumn with surprisingly good results. He does still join in when they race past unexpectedly but stops when he is told to.

The cats and dogs are not separated any more, even when we are out at work which is something we didn’t expect to be able to do.

It is so nice to sit in the evening with four cats and two great big dogs stretched in front of an open fire …until playtime!

Anna Ross