Very often (certainly more often than I'd care for), we will be contacted about a dog being returned. And, when we inquire as to the cause of the return, much of the time we'll hear about behavioral issues that had been going on for quite some time, often years. When situations like these come up, I often think first, "I really wish they would have contacted us so we could have helped remedy the situation and maybe save the relationship", and second, "we need to do something about getting the word out to our adopters that we are available to help."

I know we emphasize at adoption time to please call us if anything were to come up, but many times we never hear about issues until the dog is coming back. Many times when behavior has been out of control for an extended period of time, the chances of saving the relationship between dog and owner are greatly reduced, for a couple of reasons. First, the owner often develops a sort of resentment towards the dog for all the messes, lost sleep and damaged property. And, second, obviously this pattern of behavior has become second nature to the dog.

However, this doesn't have to be the case. While we are not professional dog trainers, American Greyhound does have a number of people who can help you correct some of the more common behavioral issues that are common with the greyhound breed. And, we have had a good deal of success in these matters.

Obviously, most often people just don't want to bother us. And, I would assume that with most shelters and multi-breed rescues, providing "service after the sale" just isn't something that is expected or done, so I assume that is a reason we don't hear from them. However, as we DO want to assure that everything is peaceful and happy in the new home, we need to do a better job of communicating our willingness to help out. And, we mean it. We work hard bringing these dogs into our organization, fostering them, vetting them, finding them homes and the million other things that are a part of the process. So, it's just as important to us that we assure that they and their owners are happy and everything is going smoothly in their new home.

So, whether you have only recently adopted your hound, or if you've been a proud member of the greyhound cult for some time, if you are having some behavioral issue, PLEASE, contact American Greyhound as soon as you can. Often, the bad behavior will require something very simple to correct it (I think many people are amazed) and the correction will occur almost immediately (they are amazed about that too). At our web site, www.americangreyhound.org , click on the "Contact Us" tab and a pre-formatted e-mail contact form will pop up. Fill it out and submit it. You will be contacted in short order. If you need faster assistance, please contact Jeff Coggins at (219)771-0892.

We want all of our dogs to live happy and fulfilling lives. Bad behavior is often a sign they are not. Likewise, we want happy adopters who spread the word about what wonderful companions greyhounds make (we receive a lot of messages from people looking to adopt who have heard great things about their friend's greyhounds). Adopters enduring bad behavior from their hounds aren't spreading the same message.

Note: As we state in our adoption contract, American Greyhound will always accept adopted greyhounds that need to be returned, no matter where they came from. This article is in no way intended to dissuade adopters intent on returning a hound from doing so nor is it any way passing judgment on anyone for any decisions made regarding these issues.