WORKING DOGS

© Warren Fahey 2008

(From Wood’s Natural History Mammalia volume by the Rev. J.G Woods, circa 1862.)

Lurchers

Possessing many of the elements of the sheep-dog, but employed for different purposes, the Lurcher has fallen into great disrepute, being seldom seen as the companion of respectable persons. It is bred from the greyhound and sheep-dog, and is supposed to be most valuable when its parents are the rough Scotch greyhound [Scottish Deerhound] and the Scotch colley.

It is a matter of some regret that the Dog should bear so bad a character, as it is a remarkably handsome animal, combining the best attributes of both parents, and being equally eminent in speed, scent, and intelligence. As, however, it is usually the companion of poachers and other disreputable characters, the gamekeeper bears a deadly hatred towards the Lurcher, and is sure to shoot the poor animal at the earliest opportunity. For this conduct there is some pretext, as the creature is so admirably adapted for the pursuit and capture of game that a single poacher is enabled, by the aid of his four-legged assistant, to secure at least twice as much game as could be taken by any two men without the help of the Dog.

That punishment generally falls on the wrong shoulders is proverbially true, and holds good in the present instance. For the poor Dog is only doing his duty when he is engaged in marking or capturing game, and ought not to be subjected to the penalty of wounds or death for obeying the order which he has received. If any one is to be punished, the penalty ought to fall on the master, and not on the Dog, which is only acting under his orders, and carrying out his intentions.

The sagacity of this Dog is really wonderful. It learns to comprehend the unspoken commands of its master, and appreciates quite as fully as himself the necessity for lying concealed when foes are near, and, in every case of moving as stealthily as possible. It is even trained to pioneer the way for its owner, and to give him timely warning of hidden enemies. Destructive to all game, whether winged or furred, the Lurcher is especially so in the rabbit warren, or in any locality where hares abound. Its delicate sense of smell permits it to perceive its prey at a distance, and its very great speed enables it to pounce upon the hare or rabbit before it can shelter itself in the accustomed place of refuge. As soon as the Lurcher has caught its prey it brings it to its master, deposits it in his hands, and silently renews its search after another victim. Even pheasants and partridges are often caught by this crafty and agile animal.

Sometimes the game-destroying instincts of the Lurcher take a wrong turn , and lead the animal to hunt sheep, instead of confining itself to ordinary game. When it becomes thus perverted it is a most dangerous foe to the flocks, and commits sad havoc among them. One farmer, living in Cornwall, lost no less than fifteen sheep in one month, all of which were killed by Lurchers.

There are many breeds of the Lurcher, on account of the various Dogs of which the parentage is formed. The greyhound and sheep-dog are the original progenitors, but their offspring is crossed with various other Dogs, in order to obtain the desired qualifications. Thus, the grey-hound is used on account of its speedy foot and silent tongue, and the sheep-dog on account of its hardiness, its sagacity, and its readiness in obeying its master. The spaniel is often made to take part in the pedigree, in order to give its well-known predilection for questing game, and the hound is employed for a similar purpose. But in all these crossings the grey-hound must morally predominate, although its form is barely to be traced under the rough lineaments of the Lurcher.

As the Lurcher causes such suspicion in the minds of the gamekeeper or the landlord, the owners of these Dogs are accustomed to cut off their tails, in order to make them look like honorable sheep-dogs, and so to escape the tax which presses upon sporting Dogs, and to elude the suspicious glance of the game-preserving landlord and his emissaries. So swift is this animal that it has been frequently used for the purpose of coursing the hare, and is said to perform this task to the satisfaction of its owner. It can also be entrusted with the guardianship of the house, and watches over the property committed to its charge with vigilance and fidelity. Or it can take upon itself that character in reality which its cropped tail too often falsely indicates, and can watch a fold, keep the sheep in order, or conduct them from one place to another, nearly if not quite as well as the true sheep-dog from which it sprang.”