April is National Adopt-A-Greyhound-Month and in honor of this elegant breed, we have five fascinating facts you may have never known about the greyhound.
- Greyhounds are one of our oldest known dog breeds. Their likeness has been found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs and remains found in Syria identified as a Greyhound-Saluki breed were dated to 4,000 years ago.
2. The greyhound is a sight-hound not a scent-hound. They have 270 degrees of vision thanks to their wide-set eyes and unusually narrow head.
3. It may be hard to believe but a greyhound can beat a cheetah in a race. A cheetah will start out faster but they can only maintain their top speed of 70mph for 30 seconds. Then they fizzle. The greyhound tops out at 45mph but can maintain his top speed for far longer than the cheetah.
4. They’re not all grey. Greyhounds can come in a variety of colors- 18 primary and dozens of color combinations exist with brindle being the most common.
5. Despite their iconic athletic prowess these dogs tend to be couch potatoes when given a choice.
Visit Adopt-a-greyhound.org for more info about greyhound ownership. You can also find lots of greyhounds looking for their forever home at petfinder.com.
