'There's something regal about them'

Once the scourge of gamekeepers, lurchers have since leapt to dizzying heights of desirability and w make endearing family pets

- Katy Birchall

IMPY was a wonderfully wicked dog,’ declares Lady Rebecca Wharton, fondly recalling the lurcher once owned by her parents, Hugh Courtenay, the late 18th Earl of Devon, and Diana, Countess of Devon, at the family’s ancestral seat, Powderham Castle near Exeter. ‘On one occasion, she appeared in the middle of a wedding hosted in the grounds carrying a deer’s head that was weeks old, which she’d found on her run. She dragged it straight through the middle of the guests and trotted into the house. She was so naughty; she got away with everything.’

Impy’s infamous escapades did little to dampen the family’s love of lurchers—Lady Rebecca has had them ever since and currently has two. ‘I was out galloping one of my horses recently on a lovely bit of marsh with the dogs running alongside—it was just wonderful,’ she rhapsodies. ‘Lurchers have a classic, understated elegance. There’s something regal about them.’

Such a graceful portrait may seem at odds with this humble cross-breed’s long-standing association with poachers, but therein lies the lurcher’s appeal—this is a sighthound with an edge. Thanks to their hybrid ancestry, lurchers boast the quickness and kindness of the sighthound, plus the qualities of whatever else is thrown into the mix—the intelli- gence of a collie, the stamina of a terrier. They’re healthy, good family pets and, with their long legs, streamlined silhouette and bright eyes, they’re endearingly handsome. They have their flaws: obedience can be touch and go and recall is a weakness, especially if chasing at full throttle—but boy, can they run. At once sporting and serene, delicate yet ruthless, this versatile dog is suited to any manner of country home.