Sally and I have had over twenty years’ experience owning greys. Our first two Greyhounds had not been fostered and proved to be a great source of learning from experience and research.

When you adopt a Grey (this will vary based on where you get it from) you’ll get a basic starter pack from the adoption organisation, however, you’ll still need to shop for all essentials. Your starter pack should include a collar and lead, a soft toy, a plastic muzzle, some bedding, a coat and some history about the animal.

When we got our first grey, we were only given a collar to take home with us as she came from the RSPCA. At the time, Greyhounds weren’t a popular pet and therefore there wasn’t a lot of information on what was best suited for a Greyhound in relation to the essential items. After twenty years and three greyhounds, here is what we believe is a list of essentials.

A good quality harness – A greyhound should be led on a harness with the point of attachment for the lead being between their shoulders. Leading with a collar is both risky and dangerous for the dog. As a greyhound’s neck is bigger than their head, they can easily slip collars. Secondly, if they try to pull too quickly on a collar, they can hurt themselves.

We’ll be looking at the Top five harnesses in a separate Blog

A strong lead – Greyhounds are strong and muscular so please invest in a good strong lead.

We’ll be looking at the Top five leads in a separate Blog

Identification tag for the collar – Whilst styles and tastes will vary, the need for overt identification is essential. A name and contact phone number is recommended as not everyone will think about the microchip

A raised food station – Because Greyhounds are tall, they must be fed and watered on a raised platform. We will be including the plans for a DIY feeding station that doubles as a day-bed

A muzzle –

States/Territories with Muzzling Requirements:

• NSW: While registered pet greyhounds are no longer required to be muzzled in public (except in off-leash areas), a green collar exemption may allow them to be muzzle-free in those areas as well.
• WA: Pet greyhounds are no longer required to wear muzzles in public.
• Victoria: Pet greyhounds do not need to be muzzled in public.
• Tasmania: Compulsory muzzling of pet greyhounds in public occurs only in Australia and Northern Ireland, indicating that Tasmania is among those that still have a requirement.
• ACT: Greyhounds are treated the same as all other dogs and do not require a muzzle in public.

States/Territories with Exemption Programs:

• Queensland: Some local councils in Queensland have muzzling requirements that can be waived if a greyhound passes a temperament assessment and obtains a green collar.
• South Australia: An exemption from muzzling can be granted after a temperament assessment and accreditation.

Overall Trends:

• Many states and territories have moved towards removing or modifying the requirement for greyhounds to wear muzzles in public.
• The focus has shifted to promoting responsible greyhound ownership and managing individual greyhound behaviour rather than relying solely on muzzling.
• The RSPCA and other animal welfare organizations support the removal of compulsory muzzling requirements for pet greyhounds, citing a lack of evidence that it improves public safety and potential negative impacts on greyhound welfare.

A good collar – A martingale-style collar is best for a Greyhound. Consider the width of the collar for your grey. Apart from that, all bets are off as far as colour, style and ‘bling’

Clothing (temp dependent) – As Greyhounds are thin-skinned and not very fluffy, they feel the cold. In Australia consider some form of coat for any sustained exposure to cold (under 18 degrees C), wind or rain. Shoes may be an option for hot surfaces

Bedding – Greyhounds love soft, elevated, sleeping positions. Being sight-hounds they like the view from an elevated bed. Blankets, doonas, and toys are always appreciated, and they can hoard and hide things in their beds for later inspection. They will try to get onto couches and beds if allowed. Outdoor raised trampoline-type beds work well.

Medications – Ticks, fleas, and heartworm, are easily dealt with using a monthly dosage of any recognised veterinary brand.

Those items will have your Greyhound extremely comfortable settling into their new home