4. Greyhound
It might surprise you to see the fastest breed of dog on a list for retirees, but retired racing Greyhounds are famously known as the โ45mph couch potatoes.โ Once they retire from the track, these gentle giants are astonishingly docile, quiet, and lazy. They are perfectly content to spend up to 18 hours a day lounging on a soft bed.
Despite their large size, Greyhounds are delicate and unassuming indoors. They rarely bark, possess no guarding instincts, and generally lean against your legs to ask for affection. A simple 20 to 30-minute daily walk is usually enough to maintain their muscle tone and keep them happy.
Grooming a Greyhound is incredibly easy. Their short, sleek coats require nothing more than a quick wipe down with a hound glove to remove loose hair. However, because they have very little body fat, they are sensitive to cold and require warm coats during winter walks. If you have the floor space for a large dog bed and want a calm, quiet presence in your home, a retired Greyhound is a magnificent choice.
My daughter is an RN. She sees more injuries in elderly people caused by their little dogs. Evidently, seniors have more of a tendency to trip and fall over objects on the floor, resulting in broken hips, shoulders, wrists, etc. Smaller dogs are harder for them to see as they don’t always look down before walking.