Now don't get me wrong I absolutely adore my Lurchers and sighthounds, they really are the most wonderful dogs who absolutely steal your heart. But I'm sure as many of you who have had to listen to escapades of my Lurchers will know, they can at times cause more than a few grey hairs. I thought it might be a good idea to publish a handy guide to owning a Lurcher/Sighthound:
- They have no sense of personal space - where ever you choose to sit or lie, you will joined by the pointie hound even if there is clearly not enough room for them! Not only will they join you, but the moment that you relinquish an inch of space they will take it over and before you know it they have the monopoly share of the sofa or bed and you are perched precariously on the edge. And although they can fold up really small, when sharing a sofa or bed they suddenly seem to sprout limbs and can't seem to curl up at all.
- Never ever own a Lurcher if you are punctual person - owing a Lurcher means you can kiss goodbye to getting anywhere on time, you can guarantee that the day of that important meeting or the appointment you cannot be late for will also coincide with the day your Lurcher decides to bog off on a walk.
- You will become better at spotting wildlife than David Attenborough; your sole mission on walks will be to spot wildlife before your Lurcher does.
- Get used to the fact that every local dog walker will know your own a Lurcher called "*****" (complete as necessary), as you will often be seen on walks clutching a lead and yelling your Lurcher's name, but said mythical beast will usually be no where in sight as it'll be on one of it's previously mentioned "bog off missions"!
- Lurchers are very much optimum weather creatures, do not expect them to go outside in the wind, snow, rain or heat. Or if you expect them to brave such weather conditions get used to the fact that your Lurcher will need a wardrobe of coats bigger than your own.
- Be prepared for the Lurcher "death scream" it'll sound like you have pulled a leg off them when in fact it maybe as simple as a hair is out of place.
- All Lurchers should come with a free surgical staple gun as they are made of tissue paper and at various points in their life will need to be stapled back together. So be prepared to transfer at least half your monthly salary to your vet to cover the cost of ongoing Lurcher repairs.