A Brief History of the Modern Lurcher & Longdog Types.

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

Part Three

Having prepared the ground, (in part 1 & 2), now to answer the questions raised by Warrener's article, "More Hancock's, Tumblers and Norfolks"(Vol.143 June 04 E.D.R.D.). Firstly to express my surprise that in 30years of travelling all over the country to acquire the so called Norfolk Types, that he fails to mention the most well known and prolific breeder to have used the term in the last 30years, (i.e. Mick Douglas).

As I understand it, Mick started out with a bitch of genuine Smithfield/Norfolk breeding, whilst living in the Reading area before moving down onto the fens to live his hippy lifestyle. Initially he relied on one of the Lee travelling family to find fresh blood. However, once down on the fens (just like most others at this time) he gradually outcrossed to various more sighthound orientated coursing dogs -whatever was excelling at fen hare coursing at the time. In so doing, he bred some brilliant fen hare dogs, for which he built a very good reputation, but gradually drifted away from the brainier, more versatile all round stealth poaching blood he set out with. He did select for a profuse fawn coloured coat, but they became softer and silkier (losing the harshness) whilst the stamp of dog beneath got lighter and shellier built and leggier with frailer toes. These later stock would not have suited the chalk/flint stone of Hampshire or Dorset so well, but thrived on the fens.

An old-boy called John, who did a lot of rabbitting (ferreting) as well as hares from the Bedford/Luton area, brought one of these Douglas bitches to one of my studs a few years back and got a litter of Smithfield type as even as any K.C. registered breed. He also regained some harsher coat and stronger toes with brain and nose. I intended to use one of these to backcross but his father whose telephone number was the contact died and it never happened. I ought to mention here that I would never have allowed him to use my dog if I hadn't considered his Mick Douglas bred bitch worthy of perpetuating.

Unfortunately, some others who have tried to perpetuate the Douglas blood have outcrossed to things I should not like mixed with our blood. Also, due to the drift in type of the later Douglas stock those who have tried to close line breed have veered towards the shelly type with rat like feet. This was glaringly obvious when John took the same bitch to another Douglas bred dog, compared to the first litter. Indeed it is really a misnomer to describe the later shellier soft-coated, leggier, rat-footed stamp as Norfolk Type, since the term really historically (see part 1) describes the old, shorter legged, wiry-shorter-coated, stoutly built, pure rabbitting stamp as illustrated in the famous photo of warrener Reeves. The lesson here being that line-breeding after an outcross is line-breeding to the outcross unless you have clean lines of the old blood to revert to.

Anyway, as I have said, it really surprises me that Warrener (in his search) never acquired a Mick Douglas, so called Norfolk type, as they were very commonly available in the 1980's, and had a good reputation.

Warrener does mention obtaining one of similar lines to Col. Walsh, as illustrated in his book "Lurchers and Longdogs", from a lady in Yorkshire. Well if you consult the chapter of that book dealing with the bloodlines of these dogs you will see exactly what I mean by it being fashionable at this time to breed away from the genuine blood by profuse outcrossing to too much sighthound. The original bitch "Flame" already shows evidence of Salukie influence (despite Walsh's abhorrence of it) and the evidence clearly shows in both his own "Tarn" and "Dinah" when bred on. "Jake" was already half greyhound and their daughter "Saker" was put to "Gos"(reputedly deerhound/greyhound -although I have my doubts about that). Col. Walsh himself bred once again to pure greyhound, which makes "Gypsy" and "Dinah" only one-eight Lurcher at the most and definitely seven/eights sighthound blood.

What I do find fascinating is how the short, straight to the ground, standing under itself, quick-striding, accelerating back leg, inherited from the original old true Norfolk pure rabbitting dog (see part 1), kept cropping up, in the bitch line especially, of these now to all intensive purposes nearly pure sighthound hare coursing dogs. (See "Flame", "Saker", "Tarn" and "Dinah".) The author comments on it, what a pity he lacked the knowledge to understand and explain to his readers its original purpose. Now you know, anyway!

Having bred the genuine blood away, Col. Walsh, later, put it back in again by using a famous dog known as Mick White's "Lucky", which was sired by a (genuine Smithfield Lurcher) dog bought from my uncle out of the Exchange & Mart out of Jenkins' greyhoundy bitch. I sold "Lucky" to Mick White, because I preferred "Bluey"(who features in "Lurchers & Longdogs") which my brother had bred by the same dog but out of a better bitch (Sheila 1st.).

Col. Walsh's produce from "Lucky" are featured on the frontispiece photograph in the third edition of "Lurchers & Longdogs", called "Hettie" and "Rummage" and they have thrown showing mostly Smithfield with a touch of Salukie influence although "Hettie" still retains a shorter back leg.

Whilst mentioning these two and their origin I suggest you also compare them with dogs such as "Seagull" and "Nipper" which are featured on page 48 & 49 of Darley's book "Extreme Lurcher Work". The resemblance supports my contention that these ultimate fen hare coursing match dogs although being predominantly Salukie bred have a touch of the old Smithfield/Norfolk blood that gifts them with a superior striking ability.

The Leicestershire lads, whom I believe were behind the creation of both the "Merlin & Eve" strains and "Laddie The Accident" had access to roughcoated lurcher strains descended from "Bluey" Drake's famous fen champion hare coursing bitch known as "The One-Eyed-Bitch" ("Red"). I think they may also have used the more recent Garry's "Floss" blood and she was bedlington cross. "Red" was a classic Norfolk bitch with a fawn brickly wire coat, and her grandfather had the black saddle and fawn pattern, which I have mentioned as coming from Wales originally (see part 1). Which all makes sense as the original stock came from a member of the Welsh travelling family, the Lees. I myself have a photograph from 1916 with the Ledge wagons in the background and a broken coated black saddled and fawn dog of our own bloodlines identical to some from the strain, which are alive in Leicester today. "Laddie" although smooth coated had the Blue saddle and fawn pattern and is reputed to have descended from a roughcoated lurcher of unknown origin, he also had a large brainy head and feet that could run on flintstones and could run both Tumbler style or Lurcher style. I do not have proof of the old blood behind these strains, but as my Mother taught me, "I'll let my own eyes be my judge, and let my money be the last thing I part with.".