Lure Coursing!

And
History of the Greyhound

This page is to provide some history on the Greyhound breed and also to provide information on the amateur sport of lure coursing.

Greyhounds have been companions to man since the Bronze Age. It is thought that Odysseus had a greyhound named Peritas and he is mentioned in Homer's "The Odyssey". Artemis, Hecate, and Diana were depicted with the breed.

The traditional "job" of greyhounds is not racing, but hunting, a.k.a. coursing, hares, foxes, and other small game for the landowners in the Middle Ages. In 1014, a death sentence was given to "any meane person," commoner, caught harming or killing a greyhound. Shortly afterwards, the Forest Laws of King Canute were put into effect and ruled that commoners were prohibited from owning or hunting with greyhounds. Hounds owned commoners were to be lamed, either by removing toes from the front paws or severing the ligaments of the knees, to prevent the hunting of game.

Those who hunted with greyhounds in defiance of these laws favored dogs whose coloring made them harder to spot against natural terrain: blacks, reds, and brindle shades. Nobles, by contrast, bred the white and particolor hounds to stand out against the landscape.

Coursing greyhounds was a popular sport in Europe from the Renaissance onward. The hounds were usually raced in open fields, chasing hares. Most notable of the coursing events is the Waterloo Cup, which is run on the fields of Altcar in England.

No less popular in America, the greyhound is seen consistently in writings and art. General George A. Custer was a greyhound owner. In 1912, the mechanical lure was patented and its creation led to greyhound racing as we now know it.

Lure coursing is a sport which combines some aspects of hare coursing and track racing, and it is supposed to simulate hounds chasing live game. Live game is not used. In lure coursing, the hounds chase a lure, usually two or three plastic bags, that is attached to either a "dragline" or a "continuous loop," motorized system. The lure then zips around pulleys and goes through straights to simulate the running of a hare. The dogs are judged on five categories: speed, agility, endurance, enthusiasm, and follow.

Lure coursing is not restricted to greyhounds only. It is open to the following sighthound breeds, i.e., Afghan Hounds, Basenji, Borzoi, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Saluki, Scottish Deerhounds, and Whippets.

For more information on lure coursing, visit the American Sighthound Field Association, and the American Kennel Club, AKC, for starters. These are just two of the many websites with lure coursing information on the Internet.

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