Understanding Greyhounds; Our Companions Through the Ages Paperback – 6 Aug. 2015

This is a paperback book of some 264 pages and slightly smaller than A4 in size.When I began reading this book I was surprised by the American English, phrases such as ‘different than’ rather than ‘different from’ and words such as ‘gotten’ instead of ‘became’ – the author, after all is living in Ireland, then I noticed that it was published by an Amazon subsidiary so that was explained. The next thing I noticed was the number of typographical errors; a bad beginning, you might think, but no, these didn’t affect the quality of the information presented.As for the contents, all I can say is wow, all the information you need to home an ex-racing (retired) greyhound is there. There is a lot of information on the origin and history of the hunting hound, including useful quotes from specialists through the ages with footnotes that can be linked to the bibliography. This information explains much about the behaviour of the modern greyhound and how their requirements can be met in the home.Then doing the research, deciding whether a greyhound is for you, visiting rehoming centres to choose a suitable hound, getting suitable gear and bedding, food type and quantity – all thoroughly dealt with. Preparing the home and garden for your hound and home-checks are covered too.Introducing the hound to the home, other animals and visitors. A place to sleep, exercise, training, problems and problem solving, all are covered briefly and are then covered in more depth later in the book.Also in the book are the topics of health, injuries, first aid, veterinary treatment and insurance. (Home checks for children are also mentioned – a novel idea. Next is the bibliography of the books referenced in the text, then an index.Altogether an excellent book and one I can thoroughly recommend. If there is a second edition to address the typos, that would improve an already impressive book.

I don't have a dog (yet), but found great pleasure in reading this book. The chapters are arranged logically with well researched and interesting anecdotes. Mary clearly has a deep and intuitive understanding of greyhounds, I consider this book a gift to own and look forward to one day having a greyhound of my own

A brilliant read and will give you all the info on how they have evolved to be the most biddable dogs on earth so you can understand them even better.Have a little howl with them for bonding, gently nibble their soft skin on head to give them pleasure, roll over on the floor to make them gleeful. I am seriously loving this book and it is well worth the long wait for it to be published. The research is awesome and the information is simply amazing. This is a must for every greyhound owner, lover and potential adopter.Greyhounds are so unlike any other dog and once you have adopted one you will never look back. This book will give you a fabulous understanding of why they are such amazing hounds and why they have been so revered through the ages. A rescued/retired greyhound will worm their way straight into your heart and this book will help you understand why.

A very informative book.

Well researched and you learn so much about the history of this wonderful dog breed. Well worth a read for any hound owner.

We are due to get our first ever greyhound (also our first dog) tomorrow. We have read 5 books on greyhounds in the run-up to her arrival and this (and the other book by Mary Fox on Greyhounds in the urban environment) is by far and away the best of the lot. Leagues ahead of the others! This was the last of the books I read because from the title I thought it would be more of a history book, which it is in part, but what it is is a fabulous, practical, warm-hearted manual for every aspect of having a greyhound, right through from thinking about getting one, to it sitting in your house after its first few months in your family. We are so looking forward to her arrival now and it is in no small part thanks to this book. BUY IT!

If you are lucky enough to share your life with a sighthound, are thinking about getting one or would just like to know more about this ancient breed of dog you must read this book. It is packed with useful practical information. It deals with adopting a greyhound, your early days together and how to create a lasting bond with your new family member. Everything you need to know about the care of your greyhound is contained within these pages. Once I started to read it I found it really difficult to put it down. A real must have for every sighthound lover.

I read other reviews about how good this book was, so I was expecting good things, and I was not disappointed. We are preparing to adopt our first sighthound, and I have been trying to read up as much as I can. After reading this book, I'm not sure I will need to go looking elsewhere, Mary Fox's knowledge and experience seems second to none. It's packed full of useful information with a generous helping of common sense. I read it from cover to cover, and am sure I'll be dipping back in and reading sections again in the future. An excellent resource.