The Non Working Lurcher

[keepitcovert 842]

Last few years ive ran across loads of people walking lurchers, and meeting them ive been asked the same questions about my dogs, is yours a rescue dog where did you get it from ect, when i ask do you work your dog i get what do you mean flyball or agility. When i say do yours do pest control eg rabbiting rats ect, the look of horror on some faces. What the hell do they think lurchers were bred for, seems there becoming a bit of a fashion item. Now id rather see a dog go to a good non working home, than to a bad working home. But the lurcher belongs to the renegades and poachers of this world, or so the media would have you believe .

[Somewhereyournot 1,117]

Last few years ive ran across loads of people walking lurchers, and meeting them ive been asked the same questions about my dogs, is yours a rescue dog where did you get it from ect, when i ask do you work your dog i get what do you mean flyball or agility. When i say do yours do pest control eg rabbiting rats ect, the look of horror on some faces. What the hell do they think lurchers were bred for, seems there becoming a bit of a fashion item. Now id rather see a dog go to a good non working home, than to a bad working home. But the lurcher belongs to the renegades and poachers of this world, or so the media would have you believe .

and if a rescue dog killed a hare fox or deer il guarantee it would be swept under the table too. Wankers

[TOM HEAVY 140]

yea there's some deluded dim whit's out there like....

 

I don't even bother mentioning work to strangers just go along with what ever they have to say, only talk about working dogs to people I can trust. Even if I get asked randomly by a stranger if my dogs work I don't say yes...

 

Totally agree with you when you say rather go to a good pet home than a bad working home, as far as I'm concerned, the more lurchers that get looked after well pet or not the better, they don't half get chucked about as do a lot of dogs, no problem with people keeping them as pets at-all, as long as they stay dim and deluded lol

 

ATB

 

Tom Heavy

[Bosun11 537]

More lurchers get passed from pillar to post than any other dog. Dogs homes are choc-full of em.

 

Every other dog walked round here is a lurcher,usually overweight and stuck in a pissing harness (they should be banned!) the owner with no control, the dog with no chance of ever getting off that lead and doing what it was bred for.

 

To me its always a very sad sight. I just wish people would think before they breed...!!

[forest of dean redneck 11,558]

Never understand the harnesses ,by time get dog in one,I need a cuppa,lol

[Poacherspocket 189]

Last few years ive ran across loads of people walking lurchers, and meeting them ive been asked the same questions about my dogs, is yours a rescue dog where did you get it from ect, when i ask do you work your dog i get what do you mean flyball or agility. When i say do yours do pest control eg rabbiting rats ect, the look of horror on some faces. What the hell do they think lurchers were bred for, seems there becoming a bit of a fashion item. Now id rather see a dog go to a good non working home, than to a bad working home. But the lurcher belongs to the renegades and poachers of this world, or so the media would have you believe .

the best iv seen was a proper wierd couple with a big bull x similar to a bitch i had at the time and they were terrified to let it off. They tried telling me it was a labrador greyhoud and when i put them straight they werent impressed but anyway i managed to get them to let it off the lead with mine for a run round and as bull xs do they were play fighting and this couple really were shitting themselves. To this day i feel so sorry for that dog its going to end up a fat unhealthy sofa dog that is never aloud of the lead again and id say from what experiance i have with dogs tht it was very trainable and had been trained to some degree before they had it.

[skycat 6,173]

The saddest dogs I've seen have been rescued lurchers stuck on harnesses, and sometimes muzzled as well. When I ask why, they say it is to stop them killing rabbits. Almost without exception round here they are Saluki lurchers, and most seem to have lost their heart and soul, plodding slowly along with no light in their eyes. There is one, which, if we pass it, spends the next 5 minutes looking back at my dogs as they tear about hunting up the hedges on the common. Am I being anthropomorphic when I think that the dog is wistfully remembering how it might have hunted like that in a previous life? OK, that life might have been in the hands of an uncaring owner who might have dumped the dog, who might have treated it badly, but the thing remains ... a Saluki lurcher, bred from working dogs for generations, has generally only one thing in its life it truly enjoys, and that is hunting.

Problem is, that most of these dogs would disappear over the horizon if let off the lead, never having known what it is to be part of a team, with their owner that is, and so engrained is their need to hunt, and their inability to relate their human to the hunt that they don't hear the recall or know what it means. Would they be better off dead? It's a hard question to answer. They tell us that dogs adapt to whatever situation they are in, but all I know is that their eyes are dead and their minds shut down. And when I compare them to my raggle-taggle bunch whose ears are pricked and their eyes darting about looking for game, I know that I couldn't keep a dog in that way, denied forever its heritage.

[terryd 8,400]

I met a couple the other week who all ways keep a rescue lurcher and it wants for nothing and very well looked after. But I think they struggle a bit trying to stop them chasing things.

They said they had one with bull in once and it hit two and started trying to kill every thing sheep cats the lot. Jumped a fence and tried kill a dog so they sent it back and won't have one with bull in now

[mattyg1086 52]

My wifes friend has a saluki cross from a rescue centre the bitch is 10 months old and her relationship has broken down so we may have her for a while untill she sorts herself out with a new place. As said above the recall isnt very good and it is meeting my staffy for the first time today to see if they get on ok. Long story short ive never worked a lurcher before and was looking for a gundog untill this came up but i will be training that dog to catch a few to the best of my ability and will work its balls off as long as its with me so any pointers for training a saluki cross would be greatly recieved i have watched purdeys progress and all the other training vids i could find on youtube but every little helps

[paulsmithy83 567]

The saddest dogs I've seen have been rescued lurchers stuck on harnesses, and sometimes muzzled as well. When I ask why, they say it is to stop them killing rabbits. Almost without exception round here they are Saluki lurchers, and most seem to have lost their heart and soul, plodding slowly along with no light in their eyes. There is one, which, if we pass it, spends the next 5 minutes looking back at my dogs as they tear about hunting up the hedges on the common. Am I being anthropomorphic when I think that the dog is wistfully remembering how it might have hunted like that in a previous life? OK, that life might have been in the hands of an uncaring owner who might have dumped the dog, who might have treated it badly, but the thing remains ... a Saluki lurcher, bred from working dogs for generations, has generally only one thing in its life it truly enjoys, and that is hunting.

Problem is, that most of these dogs would disappear over the horizon if let off the lead, never having known what it is to be part of a team, with their owner that is, and so engrained is their need to hunt, and their inability to relate their human to the hunt that they don't hear the recall or know what it means. Would they be better off dead? It's a hard question to answer. They tell us that dogs adapt to whatever situation they are in, but all I know is that their eyes are dead and their minds shut down. And when I compare them to my raggle-taggle bunch whose ears are pricked and their eyes darting about looking for game, I know that I couldn't keep a dog in that way, denied forever its heritage.

couldnt think of anything worste for a saluki type being chained up to a lead wouldnt want that for any lurcher but saluki types sure find it hardest. this is where the horror stories arise of the breed being escape artist or no recall if they slip the lead. they just want to release all that energy. same with the husky types. then some fool will write a book saying how its the breed type not taking into the circumstances to why its made to bolt. reason why people like you penny who have a skill of writing need to use your info and experience to help educate said people. a well writen hand book could help these rescues ten fold

[neems 2,406]

There's a nice young 'rescued' Saluki x down the road from me,I asked the fella about it and he said it had been badly abused and beaten,but for a pup of that x in particular to still be confident and happy afterwards I don't believe it.

 

It's more retired Greyhounds around here though,usually very dog aggressive and on extendable leads.

[bird 9,872]

More lurchers get passed from pillar to post than any other dog. Dogs homes are choc-full of em.

 

Every other dog walked round here is a lurcher,usually overweight and stuck in a pissing harness (they should be banned!) the owner with no control, the dog with no chance of ever getting off that lead and doing what it was bred for.

 

To me its always a very sad sight. I just wish people would think before they breed...!!

that's it paul , there to many about now, when I started back 30 years ago the only people kept lurchers was poachers/ tinkers , but now there very common type dog to see with anybody. I meet fair few pet/ lurcher owners on my walks, and when they see my 2 lurchers chasing tree rats or the odd rabbit there in shock , more so when Buck flat out after them lol. the prob is these type of people treat there dogs like people and not bloody dogs, all are in houses 24/7. when I tell them mine are outside 24/7 and better off for it they look in shock lol, I say there bloody animals not humans . but I am starting to say nothing to them no more its a waste of time, and it good job thy don't know what Buck killed they have heart attack

[bob84 189]

All's you to do is look how many lurcher around my way are bred for showing and racing or pets and you'll see why so many in dog shelters and pounds and why its hard to get genuine working lurcher around my area .

Edited January 28, 2016 by bob84

[DeerhoundLurcherMan 997]

My deerhound lurcher would make a much better pet than my saluki lurcher.. Ol deerhoundy would be content with a little run round every day but the dog with the lungs needs working, he craves it I'm sure..

[fluff 409]

best thing they could do is put all rescue dogs down give them a month then put them down if they wiped all the shit out there wouldnt be a dog problem and same with immigrants send them home , pet rescues and imigrants next to the old bill at times biols my piss , on what they no about working dogs ,nothing

 

i see ex working dogs going about with people dogs that been taking of working dog men at times ,makes me angry inside ,