I had my own first dog (as opposed to the family dog when I lived with my parents) in 2004. Tigger had belonged to a poshrat Romanichal Rom & had lived on his father’s farm. Tigger had been a family dog during the failed marriage of his owner, but apart from that I don’t know the full circumstances as to why he needed a new permanent home. He’d been trained for lamping, rabbitting & killing foxes & badgers: Somerset was a dairy area & badgers are held responsible for bovine TB. The word went out that I was looking for a dog, preferably a Lurcher for love & protection in case my ex returned. I never found out if Andrew was stalking me to find out if I were a suitable owner for his beloved dog, or if the dog was an excuse to visit me frequently, either way I got the most gentle patient big dog who would love intruders to death silently rather than attacking them with barks & growls & my son & his friends rather frightened Andrew away!
Tig is/was a Lurcher ~ I was told that he was Saluki x Greyhound, but was never sure about that & after a little Staffy girl fell for him, I realised that there was definitely Staffy in his background. Tig was 7 when I got him & 10when he was stolen from my yard.
This is the first picture I took of Tig by our gate in Othery
“It went this a-way…”
January 25, 2009 at 11:24 pm
A cross between a Greyhound and a Saluki would be what you call a “long dog”, which is a cross between two sighthounds. A “lurcher” is a herding dog crossed with a sighthound.
I’m sorry that Tig was stolen. He was lovely.
January 26, 2009 at 11:28 am
You’re only the 2nd other person that I’ve met who knows about Long Hounds! Tig was much more a Greyhound X Staffy than a Saluki, so was definitely a Lurcher. Amongst the Romanichal Romani Greyhound/Whippet X Terrier is also very much a Lurcher. Beddies are in reality pedigree Lurchers now as they started off as Whippet X local Terriers & looking at my Beddy & my Wolfie, the similarities are incredible. The Travellers that see me out with my Wolfie keep asking me to mate her with a Greyhound to get rough coat “Lurchers” for them. I smile quietly & refrain from correcting them.
Tig was a wonderful dog & subsequent dogs have a hard job living up to him. I must add tails of the others we’ve had & still have to this page. Tashka, the Staffy on Whippet legs, their babies & grand babies, the Spaniels, Beddy, Wolfie, Jukkel the stray BCX.
January 26, 2009 at 5:44 pm
You’ll have to let me know when you put up pictures/stories about your other dogs. I’d love to see/read about them.