Lurcher

The lurcher is the offspring of a sighthound mated with another breed, most commonly a pastoral breed or a terrier type of dog. Historically a poacher's dog, lurchers in modern times are used as pets, hunting dogs and in racing. The lurcher is the offspring of a sighthound mated with another breed, most commonly a pastoral breed or a terrier type of dog. Historically a poacher's dog, lurchers in modern times are used as pets, hunting dogs and in racing. While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and a working dog breed. Collie crosses are popular, given the working instinct of a sheepdog when mated with a sighthound gives a dog of great intelligence plus speed—prerequisites for the hunter/poacher. In the U.S. Midwest, crosses with large scenthounds are fairly common. The distinction in England between a greyhound and a lurcher was both legal and biological. Greyhounds were used to hunt legally only by the privileged upper class who could show qualification by sufficient income or estate. Anyone else with a lower income was, from 1389, prohibited from hunting with any hound whatsoever, including a lurcher ('lerce' in Norman French). Brian Plummer identifies the Norfolk Lurcher as the predecessor of the modern lurcher.