Ever wondered what a greyhound crossed with a Sottish deerhound would look like?

Well, neither have I, but here's the answer anyway:




This has got to be one of the most awesome dogs I've ever seen, and, darn it, I can't remember his name.

The greyhound part of his genealogy is certain, but the deerhound part is just a guess. That scraggly, wiry hair made me think wolfhound at first, but he's not that big, so deerhound it is. That's what his owner's concluded, anyway.

He's fast. So fast, getting a picture in focus is nearly impossible.




You'd think such a fast dog would like to play with other fast dogs, like a vizsla, or whippet. But no. He likes pit bulls.




This 5-month-old puppy was more than happy for the companionship, even from a dog three times as tall, and at least twice as fast.




The puppy tried use his body as a speed bump a few times, but that simply did not work here.

Boing!



This is on a different day. Again, he sough out a pit bull, and off they went.




Man, I could never get enough pictures of this dog.

[kyricom]

Looks like a pup with a lot of energy. :-)

[daacon]

Cool that would wear ya out this dog needs a place to release all that energy without a doubt.

[atupdate]

I enjoyed your visit to the dog park vary much. Nice action shots.

Tim

[camerons]

Awesome shots. Really captures the dogs personality. Definitely an interesting mix.

[scratchpaddy]

Looks like a pup with a lot of energy. :-)

No kidding! He's a dog I like to watch, but maybe not one I'd like to own.

Cool that would wear ya out this dog needs a place to release all that energy without a doubt.

Luckily, he's got an owner that regularly takes him to the park. I'm sure he'd be a miserable "problem dog" without such a good owner: tearing around the house, knocking things over, chewing things up...

I enjoyed your visit to the dog park vary much. Nice action shots.

Thanks, Tim! I always enjoy your foster puppy shots, too.

Awesome shots. Really captures the dogs personality. Definitely an interesting mix.

Thanks very much! I always try to get not just a picture of the dog, but a window into their souls. That's what I thought after I got that third picture: "I've got your soul..." He's got a vibrant one, for sure.

[Canis]

Great shots! Great looking dog! Definitely built for speed!

[penguinsoda]

What a cool looking animal! And you got some great actions shots of him!

[Tako Kichi]

The mix sounds a bit like what is known as a 'Lurcher' in the UK and Ireland.

Lurcher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They were/are very popular with poachers who breed them for their speed and ability to take down prey animals like rabbits and hares but they will also take down any game birds they can catch on the ground like pheasant and grouse.

Any gamekeeper would certainly give you strange looks if he spotted you anywhere near his land with a lurcher in tow!

[scratchpaddy]

Great shots! Great looking dog! Definitely built for speed!

Thanks! He sure is fast. I read that greyhounds can run up to 40 miles per hour!

What a cool looking animal! And you got some great actions shots of him!

Thanks, much appreciated!

The mix sounds a bit like what is known as a 'Lurcher' in the UK and Ireland.

Lurcher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They were/are very popular with poachers who breed them for their speed and ability to take down prey animals like rabbits and hares but they will also take down any game birds they can catch on the ground like pheasant and grouse.

Any gamekeeper would certainly give you strange looks if he spotted you anywhere near his land with a lurcher in tow!

Wow, thanks for that information! All the breeds he resembles are extremely rare around here, but this explains why they all appear together in one dog. I notice there's a picture of a greyhound / deerhound / collie mix in that article. So cute! I'll be sure to pass this along to the owner.

I love being able to get tidbits like this from people all over the globe on these forums. I don't think I ever would have found that information on my own. Thanks again, Larry!

[Tako Kichi]

I love being able to get tidbits like this from people all over the globe on these forums. I don't think I ever would have found that information on my own. Thanks again, Larry!

No problem, I was born and raised in the UK (emigrated when I was 35) and used to hunt wild game (rabbits, pheasants, ducks etc.) with a shotgun and with ferrets or snares for the rabbits in the ground. Lurchers were a common sight in the 60'/70's but you don't see them very often any more.

Edit: I've just been doing a bit more research for you and if your beast is indeed a greyhound x deerhound then strictly speaking he's a 'longdog' rather than a lurcher.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longdog

A 'longdog' is a cross between two sighthounds (greyhounds and deerhounds both hunt by sight rather than smell, hence the name) whereas a lurcher is a cross between a sighthound and either a herding dog or a terrier.

[scratchpaddy]

I've just been doing a bit more research for you and if your beast is indeed a greyhound x deerhound then strictly speaking he's a 'longdog' rather than a lurcher.

Longdog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A 'longdog' is a cross between two sighthounds (greyhounds and deerhounds both hunt by sight rather than smell, hence the name) whereas a lurcher is a cross between a sighthound and either a herding dog or a terrier.

I was thinking along the same lines (two sighthounds), but it's entirely possible that there's some sheepdog or terrier in him. In any case, it's good to know that there's a term for that, too. Thanks some more!

As for my dog, I don't even know where to begin. On paper, she's a "lab," because it's generic and non-threatening. Here mother looked a lot like a ridgeback, but smaller. When she vocalizes, which is almost never, she bays like a hound. A lot of people think she looks like a Vizsla, but she doesn't have a pink nose. She's just Skippy. She can't be defined.