tomburras 2,730 Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 Its very sad but on my many walks with my dogs I have met many people with lurchers and after a good chat only to find they are from dogs trust , sancturies or found by a friend and unable to trace the owner and they have also fallen for them. No doubt they are working dogs given up on. On the other hand I have a lurcher and a whippet as pets as well as occasional bunny catchers and their personality and nature makes them in my opinion the best breeds of dog as a family pet, worker or friend iv ever had the pleasure of meeting or owning. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 pet dogs imo are beneficial for a kid.in fact i think every kid should have a dog.it teaches them to responsible towards something.also its probally the first time a child expierences bearevment in thier life,not to mention they do give a lot of comfort for elderly folk,when they lose a spouse.agree with cali all thaat should matter is they are properly cared for,regardless of the breed. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomburras 2,730 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 pet dogs imo are beneficial for a kid.in fact i think every kid should have a dog.it teaches them to responsible towards something.also its probally the first time a child expierences bearevment in thier life,not to mention they do give a lot of comfort for elderly folk,when they lose a spouse.agree with cali all thaat should matter is they are properly cared for,regardless of the breed. well said - life wouldent be the same without one, better running round the field with them keeping them off the sony computer and also keeps them fitter running about with them too too 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vixen 528 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 There will always be wastage from litters born to working bitches. Anyone breeding a litter has probably had the difficulties of homing all the pups to working homes, and the next best option has got to be a caring pet home. Just a bit of a shock when their dear little pets start displaying their prey drive and start coursing the local wildlife across the dog walking areas. Wastage???? i have never heard of such a word being used to describe pups in a litter, anyone who considers any pup wastage shouldn't be breeding, if you breed a litter of pups regardless of numbers then every single individual pup in that litter is your responsibility!! your responsibility to rehome in a responsible loving caring home where the pup wont be abused or flung out or passed around for all of its life, i would rather see a whole litter of lurcher pups in "pet" homes happy being cared for and loved than a very high percentage of the poor bloody dogs and pups advertised on here and passed from pillar to post 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnasher16 30,121 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 I was sat in traffic the other week i noticed a lad walking along with what looked like an absolutely peak fitness dog i couldnt resist but call him over turned out it was a bull/whippet/grey......knowing the area like i do and knowing theres not much in the way of hunting i asked what he does with it where he takes it etc.......he says he,s got a treadmill on his balcony and the dogs never been let off a lead because it runs away !!..............the knowledge the lad had on nutrition and conditioning was pretty good for a youngster......i asked why he keeps the dog so fit his answer was " to show my mates "................. Seems to me working type dogs are on the fringes of becoming fashion items in exactly the same way most of these staffs are conditioned up to walk the streets and the same way the pit bulls became fashionable.......damn shame if you ask me. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
trenchfoot 4,243 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 No doubt working breed dogs make good pets. But I agree that it may be the downfall of any of the breeds involved. If its a pet, get it neutered. Any dog can be a good pet, so you dont need to breed from it to carry on with its replacement. Dogs homes are full of suitable curs of any type that could fulfill that role. If you are breeding working dogs, and in particular lurchers, there will be variables in the litter. To us as working dog owners that could be classed as wastage. Anyone who breeds a litter of pups has a responsibility to home them and if you haven't got a place lined up for all the litter before you breed it, it probably aint worth breeding from. When it comes to dealing with wastage in a litter due to variable breeding results I have no problem with culling that wastage, but personally prefer it to be neutered and found a good pet home. I say good, as some of the places pups end up, they would have been better off "in the bucket" than the life they end up with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ideation 8,216 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 There will always be wastage from litters born to working bitches. Anyone breeding a litter has probably had the difficulties of homing all the pups to working homes, and the next best option has got to be a caring pet home. Just a bit of a shock when their dear little pets start displaying their prey drive and start coursing the local wildlife across the dog walking areas. Wastage???? i have never heard of such a word being used to describe pups in a litter, anyone who considers any pup wastage shouldn't be breeding, if you breed a litter of pups regardless of numbers then every single individual pup in that litter is your responsibility!! your responsibility to rehome in a responsible loving caring home where the pup wont be abused or flung out or passed around for all of its life, i would rather see a whole litter of lurcher pups in "pet" homes happy being cared for and loved than a very high percentage of the poor bloody dogs and pups advertised on here and passed from pillar to post Calm down. Its a commonly used term to reffer to the pups in working bred litters that are not going to or don't make the grade. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bracken boy 584 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 right the point im going to make is all about me, ive got two lurchers a whip x and a saluki x both 23inch, i mainly walk the fields and catch the odd bunny now im not as good as the 5 times a week hunter and 50, 60 or 70 catches but i enjoy keeping my dogs fit, eager, and the main thing happy, they are mostly a pet and i cant see a problem as the whip x was a rescue all skin a bone but hes had a hare or 2 and plenty of rabbs so hes had a good life entering his 11th year, now the only thing i would say pet owners with lurchers need to do is know more about the dogs and its good and bad faults if not properly trained, if lurcher dont go to pet homes then theres going to be a lot of dogs p.t.s. when there is no need too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Huwidge 69 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 in my opinion the problem is there is too many lads that start hunting for a season or two because they think its "cool" or its the "in thing" in their area at the time then when they get bored the dogs end up in rescue centers with no home. Most of the pet lurchers i come across are from rescue centers. but hey, if we could control the nobs in our game i am sure we wouldn't have a ban to deal with. i think personally a rescued dog is automatically branded with having a bad life in the past? and when people say "my lurcher is a rescue dog and an x worker" people automatically think a working home is where he was abused and that y he ended up in a rescue center. giving us lot a bad name! the sooner we get the nobs out of the game the better it will be for all of us, and the dogs. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The one 8,479 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Theres seems to be a fair few folk with working breeds and already you can tell the lets get a dog and walk it for exercise stage is past there either in halters pulling like feck or totally out of control , If its a wet winter i reckon most will be given to the dogs home Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Caravan Monster 323 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Some of the gundog breeds don't seem very suitable as pets. Sometimes they just aren't going to get the exercise needed to burn off their vast energy reserves with someone who isn't that interested in working them, and end up developing undesirable behaviours. Unnecessary and thoughtless breeding is a problem, especially breeding just for the sake of it. Pet owners are perhaps more guilty of not being objective and think their dogs are excellent because they love them and overlook the dog's short comings. Some Lab owners seem convinced that a pedigree certificate and acceptable hip score test is plenty of due diligence and breed from dogs with iffy tempraments and dodgy physical characteristics. I recently asked a local woman why she had bred a litter of lurchers, both sire and dam fresh out of a rescue centre within the last six months. "Because she's such a lovely dog" was the answer. Probably not going to contribute a great deal to the lurcher gene pool At least owners with a degree of interest in working their dog are hopefully more likely to think about inherited traits before breeding, and may even consult their peers for an honest opinion about planned litters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
planete 120 Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 The reputable rescue centres neuter the dogs before rehoming them. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vixen 528 Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) There will always be wastage from litters born to working bitches. Anyone breeding a litter has probably had the difficulties of homing all the pups to working homes, and the next best option has got to be a caring pet home. Just a bit of a shock when their dear little pets start displaying their prey drive and start coursing the local wildlife across the dog walking areas. Wastage???? i have never heard of such a word being used to describe pups in a litter, anyone who considers any pup wastage shouldn't be breeding, if you breed a litter of pups regardless of numbers then every single individual pup in that litter is your responsibility!! your responsibility to rehome in a responsible loving caring home where the pup wont be abused or flung out or passed around for all of its life, i would rather see a whole litter of lurcher pups in "pet" homes happy being cared for and loved than a very high percentage of the poor bloody dogs and pups advertised on here and passed from pillar to post Calm down. Its a commonly used term to reffer to the pups in working bred litters that are not going to or don't make the grade. you dont say??? this is exactly why the non working dog world look upon us all in the same light and tar us all with the same brush as a bunch of dumb ass morons that dont give a damn about our dogs .............this is also why the dog rescue centres are full of working type breeds Edited November 11, 2012 by vixen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kay 3,709 Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 its a good thing for greyhounds.but im biased lol there my favourite dog.everyone i see in a pet home makes me happy.btw im referring to rescue greyhounds. my mate has a weirramma and tbh it stops me from going in his house,as its a scatty b*****d and he has no control over it when it starts jumping around.whether thats cause its not worked and when its not out wlking with him,its locked in the kitchen or a cage.which is pretty shit for the dog,but his kids love it. totally agree with you , as you know i am also a greyhound fan , when i decided to have another dog before my old terrier died i wanted a sight hound , but for me it had to be a greyhound , basically because i knew pretty much what i was getting 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scothunter 12,609 Posted November 11, 2012 Report Share Posted November 11, 2012 aye kay a big lazy lump who enjoys nothing better than lying on there backs sleeping lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.