A couple of months ago, I took Cindy for her normal Saturday lunchtime walk and we met another recently rehomed greyhound called Miki.  Cindy is normally very sociable and can enjoy a bit of a play with other dogs, but she was unusually lively with Miki and they had a lot of running together around the park.

Some time later, out of curiosity, I looked up Miki’s history (clicky) and discovered that he is Cindy’s second half-cousin once removed (I think that is right!).  As they are a generation apart, I doubt that they would have known each other in kennels so could it be that Cindy knew they were relations by scent or something and that was why she was so excited to meet him, more so than he was the right shape of dog or just a friend?

Interesting to see Joyce’s post yesterday telling us that Reo’s racing name was Sparkleen.  That makes Cindy and Reo half-cousins.  Cindy is here: clicky.  Grandad Staplers Jo seems to have got himself about a bit!

Has anyone else found that their hound is related to someone else’s dog that they know, after rehoming as distinct from taking in a pair of brothers or the like?

Alan

Its amazing how all our dogs link up. My old girl nellie’s great grandfather was my first boy Mason’s grandfather and my current Donnie’s great great great grandfather all on their mum’s side.
Donnie’s grandad on his sire’s side Head Honcho is also my current foster Samson’s grandad.
None of them came from the same kennels or place.
There are some names which come up again and again in our pedigree’s history.
Most white and blacks, for example, can be traced back to either Staplers Jo or I’m Slippy and Head Honcho seems to be a prolific sire.
its always good fun to check out the history and see whose linked to who.
Marie

My first foster dog’s (apart from failed foster dog Reo), grandfather was Larkhill Joe, who is also Reo’s father.

Sounds fantastic until you see that old Joe was responsible for over seven thousand pups!

Died with a smile on his face, I’m sure!

As far as Cindy being excited by meeting this particular greyhound, even Amber can be extremely friendly with the occasional dog.  They tend to be big black boys still with their baubles!  Now what does that tell you about the Diva!

Coal’s ear tattoos don’t come up on the greyhound database :( Keep meaning to e-mail/call to see if I can find more info.

There’s alot of interesting research done on kin recognition in animals (although usually not in pet dogs).
It’s thought that closely related animals must have a smell/feature that allows other relatives to recognize them to cut down on inbreeding in the wild (in addition to behavioural strategies, such as the younger animals dispersing to other groups).

Laura, Jingle, Coal & Treacle

Interesting comment, Laura.

I was sure that Cindy was so much more excited to meet Miki than any other of the many dogs that she has met and enjoyed playing with, and so I wondered if I was seeing her recognition of some marker for genetic commonality rather than simply similar appearance, i.e. this is another dog/greyhound.  Maybe so.

I knew it had been discussed before Alan, kept meaning to post the link.

http://www.gal.org.uk/index.php/forums/viewthread/650/

Thanks for that link, E&F, looks like people have found a few family ties between their dogs.

Not sure I have found any more for Cindy unless I go back so far as great-great-granddad I’m Slippy, by which time the type of relationship with the other dog in question gets too distant and complicated for me to figure out.

If your hound is a relation of Cindy, please let me know, just for interest.

A