Cat Down

Being able to walk properly would be a fucking start.

I'm bored, frustrated, and putting up with low level pain.

But anyway, c'mon - since when did you stick up for illiterates[1]
like the OP?

[1] don't care if this is spelt wrong

 

Most dogs will chase a cat that wanders into its garden, lurchers are no
worse than any other dog for this. Where lurchers do differ from most
dogs is that they stand a very good chance of catching what they chase.
Two lurchers giving chase means the unfortunate cat stands little
chance. My commiserations to Krusty, that can't have been pleasant to
watch (I like cats too).

As for lurchers being dangerous dogs, that is certainly not my
experience, and I'm on my third. I've found them to be gentle,
obedient, intelligent and easy to train. I've never known them to be
aggressive - quite the reverse, they're often nervous and skittish, and
some tremble constantly in unfamiliar surroundings. They get very
excited if you race them, and will sometimes snap at each other on the
track (and so they're muzzled) - but that's about the limit of their
aggression.

As for attacking a child? I've certainly never heard of a lurcher doing
this (that's not to say it's never happened though), and I've seen no
behaviour to suggest this is likely to be a danger. Unless a kid tried
to take the dog's food away, but that'll upset most dogs.

My dog is always on a lead when she's out walking because

(a)if she sees something worth chasing she'll chase it - and if a
lurcher's in pursuit of something the fucking dog's deaf to all
commands, and oblivious to traffic or any other danger. (This applies to
all lurchers & sighthounds, no matter how good their trainer.)

and (b) if another dog approaches in a way she considers threatening
she'll run all the way home - again completely oblivious to traffic etc.
(This doesn't apply to all lurchers & sighthounds.)

I've had this one for twelve years now, and she's getting a bit long in
the tooth. I'll certainly miss the sodding thing when it's gone.

As for muzzling her in my own garden, not a fucking chance.

 

<big snip>

So to summarise, there's no way lurchers could have mauled Krusty's
cat to death?

 

At least you appreciate the responsibility that goes with any pet
ownership. Such responsibility exists whether it's a goldfish or a
horse (although the level of responsibility is different, of course).

I quite agree. Sounds like they've gone stir crazy being locked up,
poor buggers.

Again, responsible pet ownership.

As I said before, living alongside dogs with such a temperament would
make me a bit uneasy, even more so if my kids were toddlers (which may
be a bit irrational, but I make no excuses).

Our next door neighbour has a mongrel, part shaggy wolfhound, part
rottie. It will chase cats if it gets the chance, but has not got the
faintest notion of what to do if catches up with one, the silly old sod.

 

Okay, I'm not a dog owner so I guess what you are describing is a
territory type thing, which wouldn't necessarily extend beyond the
boundaries of the garden.

It would still make me uneasy, particularly if I were the owner taking
them down the park.

 

It was a particularly nasty incident, indeed the worst example of
injuries sustained in a fight with another cat that the vets had ever
seen. One abcess (of many) which eupted left a 10cm long gaping (and
festering) wound which refused to heal. The vet reckons that the
assailant must be carrying some pretty nasty bugs to have caused such a
mass of infection.

It was touch and go, very much so, and she was under the vet's care for
almost 3 months, so the end bill was about what we expected, to be
honest.

 

I don't think that's what I wrote, but in case I did I'll try again.

Lurchers are dogs. Dogs chase cats. Lurchers are no more evil than
Fifi the toy poodle.

Unfortunately for cats lurchers are much, much faster than Fifi the toy
poodle, therefore escape is less likely. So I have no doubt lurchers
mauled Krusty's cat.

If you're not small and furry, however, lurchers are one of the less
dangerous breeds of dog.

Is that better?

 

Actually, I thought this one was rather slow - rather like a Harley.

 

Oh, ok, not such a bad / uncommon plan then (if you have to do that
sort of thing etc). :-(

All the best ..

T i m

 

Priceless!

 

I'm amazed by how fast I lose track of who's winning, or indeed the
combatants. It was Phil in the Red corner and Alex in the Blue, but who
tagged Ogden?

 

Seconded.

Our Lurcher was as soppy as ar$eholes. He didn't seem to have_a_clue
and I never saw him actually attack anything (other that the one time
I mentioned and that was soon after we got him from the rescue). Chase
stuff yes, attack, no.

As you mentioned, as long as you weren't a small fluffy animal he
would generally run in the opposite direction at a good 45 mph!

I think this pretty well covers everything the Lurcher owners here
have already said:

http://www.dogshome.org/docs/G852_Lurcher_FactsheetQXD.pdf

All the best ..

T i m

p.s. I actually saw our blue (grey actually, also rescue) pedigree
whippet, snatch a low flying bird out of the air (just the once). I
think she thought it was the ball or summat .. :-(

 

We had a lurcher alsation cross (Kety) from a rescue place to go with
our setter, and I have never had a more good-natured dog. Once we got
over her fear of sheds and showed her how to play, she was a lovely dog.
One morning I came downstairs and found my two year old daughter playing
with her, by putting wodden spring-type clothes pegs on her ears.
Katie was just sitting there patiently with three or four pegs on each ear.

Mind, this was before dogs became dangerous.

 

Much!

 

Beautiful, and exactly our experience of them (and typical all of our
dogs so far).

How true.

All the best ..

T i m

 

It's why they're such paw shots. Not helped by the fact that they have
to use muzzle-loaders.

 

Ah. Nah, nasty imprecise things. Shotguns, that is, not esses.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, djb

Omnia culpa Ursus est.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, prawn