CANINE CORNER WITH REBECCA HAWKINS
THE LURCHER
Lurchers, are essentially a cross breed, that came to be during the Middle Ages in the UK. During this era it was against the law for commoners to own pure bred sighthounds such as greyhounds. This privilege was only awarded to the nobility and those who owned land, so if common folk were caught owning a hunting dog such as a greyhound, they were essentially admitting guilt to hunting on land that was not theirs.
With this, common folk hatched a cunning plan where they would cross-breed a sighthound with a scruffy farm dog or terrier to hide their lineage under a more scraggly coat. This way commoners could fly under the radar and still “legally” own a dog with the traits of a sighthound which were beneficial for hunting.
Although the original purpose of the lurcher was made illegal with the Hunting Act of 2004, they are still used by the government and farmers for pest control due to their athletic nature and strong prey drive.
To this day, lurchers are still adored by British and Irish families due to their versatility and family-orientated personality. As they are not a standardised breed, they can be the mix of many different dog lineages, with no two lurchers really being the same in appearance and personality. Commonly though, they are a mix of a sighthound (e.g. greyhound, whippet, saluki) and a pastoral/farm dog or terrier (e.g. border collie, bull terrier), therefore making them brilliantly fast and stealthy, but also great companion and family dogs.
They are however, much to my own experience, a prolific opportunist thief, many a morning have I found Oscar asleep with balls, bones, biscuit packets (empty of course) and toys that he’s collected up during the night haha.
Because of their mixed breeding they are not recognized, as a KC registered pedigree and so cannot be entered into any official shows. But who needs a Cruft’s rosette to prove your dogs worth.
COOL FOOD FOR HOT DOGS
Tasty treats to provide enrichment and keep your dog occupied this summer.
Licky mats (rubber mats with grooves available from pet stores), kongs, old olive wood with gnarly grooves or even old plastic cups can be used to stuff with treats and then frozen to keep your dog busy for a while.
Healthy things to stuff inside, all to be given in moderation of course:
- sugar free peanut butter, natural yogurt with fruit ie, blueberries, raspberry or mashed banana.
- Mashed sweet potato or pumpkin purée with cottage cheese, eggs, salmon or canned fish or just plain canned dog meat will provide a great enriching treat.
This week I made large ice cubes from bone broth and liver treats which the dogs really appreciated on a hot day to keep them cool. Or you could try these veggie ones.
