A Brief History of the Modern Lurcher & Longdog Types.

published in four parts in Earth Dog Running Dog
from Oct 2004 - Jan 2005

Part Four

Having dealt with those strains that I consider did at least start out with some genuine blood, even if they did quickly get diluted with sighthound sporting blood beyond recognition; we are left with some other types that have laid claim to the terms Smithfield and Norfolk. Personally, they are nothing like what I understand by the terms at all.

Firstly, historical references to the Smithfield drover's dog describe a tall upstanding animal - "was it a cross of shepherd dog and mastiff". (See Col. Walsh's Lurcher and Longdogs, for Taplin's complete description.). So, when Plummer tries to re-write history to suit his mate's puppy farming business, by claiming the Smithfield was merely a beardie collie - it is best taken with a pinch of salt. The Smithfield was in reality the result of a Belgian Cattle Dog import from the continent (a cousin of the Bouvoir De Flanders) so; I suggest you compare that with Taplins description (chap. 4 of Walsh's book) and be your own judge as to who's telling it as it was and who's the opportunist, speculating to promote a product.

Also, as I explained in Part 1, the word Norfolk is accurate only when applied to the short-legged, massive type accompanying warrener Reeves in the well known photo from 1927. So to confuse Smithfields or Norfolks, or to call beardie crosses either, just demonstrates a lack of knowledge (ignorance). The beardie can't produce either and should survive on their own merits and not highjack the reputation that rightly belongs to those who have preserved the genuine blood of the genuine thing. Mark Treadwell is an honest beardie cross breeder, he doesn't need to con people by calling them anything else, and his strain stand on their own four feet and merits.

Moving on to Mr. Powell from Exeter. He phoned me a while back and told me he acquired his stock from Aubrey Fry form Gloustershire, i.e. Queenie who appears in Col. Walsh's Lurchers and Longdogs. This bitch stood only about 18 inches and looked to me like a cross between a beardie and some sort of terrier. When crossed to sighthound blood the classic terrier features and characteristics low and behold are clear for all to see. See Whisky, with his shallow chest (spannable it looks to me), and its tail set on through pinchy hip-girdle and terrier back leg. Also note its short neck and narrow front shoulder - all ideal if you need to get to tight places below ground! Indeed Mr. Powell himself told me an amusing anecdote about a lady who was visiting him to do with ponies, when he admired her terrier only to be informed, "Terrier, that terrier is what you sold me as a Smithfield lurcher a few years back!" You couldn't make it up! as they say. Just compare Whisky with Bluey and Tina that also appear in Walsh's book and were bred by my brother, they are like chalk and cheese. They have got engines at the back (loin and ham muscles) and fuel tanks at the front (roomy chests) for a start! We claim a lot of our lurchers but going to ground? No!

Moving on to Audbury Fry, himself. I'll just say that in the 70's he wanted to buy Bluey (who was not for sale), then he wanted to buy a pup from Bluey but by then he had acquired the honour of being the first ever to grace our black list, of those we wish to keep from acquiring the strain. To put the record straight, Bluey never left our family, my brother bred her and she was the only one of that litter he parted with and I kept her till death. However, I must admit that at some stage Mr. Fry must have acquired some of the blood from some one we had sold a pup to, because the specimen that appears in Hancock's book "Lambourn" as Fry's strain clearly shows the genuine blood, it is nothing like his original stock. Incidentally, there is an even better example of the genuine old type in Hancock's photographic record, "Lambourn" on page 80. Note the author's (or Plummer's) comment and my references to the black-saddled strain in this article. The strain was readily available in Gloustershire, because I sold a pup out of Bluey to Richard Lovet from which he bred on. Richard called her Solo and she made a decent reputation for herself down there.

An amusing anecdote here is that some years later when my brother advertised some pups as from Tina and Bluey's strain, Richard rang and accused him of being an impostor because only he had BLUEY'S STRAIN. We didn't blacklist Richard, as considering some other's false claims (in his Gloustershire area) he was only trying to protect the strain from impostors, it's just amusing that he questioned the very man who bred Bluey and Tina.