UPDATED OCTOBER 2019. Did you ever wonder why you couldn’t find the lurcher bit you wanted on greydogtales, dear listener? No? We’ll tell you anyway. A while back, we wrote something we called Lurchers for Beginners, purely for fun. It drew on years of observing just how weird they could be at at times, far better than fiction. And things went a bit mad. As the series progressed, we found that we had no idea where we put most of it. So, we now present the only even vaguely organised list of our longdog-type articles in existence – the Secret Index.
Our lurchery pack do crop up in many other posts on the site, but often intermingled in articles with curious fiction or art, as the mood takes us. The ones below are pretty much all-canine terrain. We hope you still enjoy the series – especially as there’ll probably be a new chapter next month.
N.B. Posts are numbered purely to confuse, and are given with links which may well work. Random titles probably indicate that we forgot where we were in the series at the time.
N.B. again. Every dog is different, and you don’t get many who do all the odd things we mention. But boy, have we had some weird ones – and loved every one of them…
THE SECRET INDEX
(Not to be shared with spaniels)
1) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 1
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurchers-for-beginners/
The viral introductory chapter, which set the whole thing in motion.
“A lurcher is a cross between:
i) a dog which runs too fast for you and chases everything (a sighthound), and
ii) a dog which runs slightly more slowly but still chases everything (a working dog).
“A longdog is a cross between two sighthounds, which means you don’t have a chance.”
2) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 2
Where we introduced advanced concepts, such as THE LEAD.
3) THE BATTLE OF DORK’S DRIFT
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurcher-v-squirrel-the-battle-of-dorks-drift/
The neverending nightmare of Squirrel Wars.
4) WE WERE GARDENERS
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurchers-for-beginners-3-we-were-gardeners/
Why you don’t have a nice garden any more. An article we should have had sponsored by an Artificial Grass company, if we’d thought of it at the time.
5) THE REASON TO RESCUE
The importance of rescues. We use Lurcher Link in West Yorkshire, but in this post we also talked about Lurcher SOS
6) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 4
http://greydogtales.com/blog/common-lurcher-questions-its-lurchers-for-beginners-4/
Bad answers to good lurcher questions. Not only are we not veterinarians, we’re not even coherent some times.
7) DOGS, DELAYS AND DISTRACTIONS
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurchers-for-writers-a-tragedy-in-too-many-parts/
Why I can’t get anything done in a houseful of dogs, and thanks to them I’m not a best-selling author.
8) THE DJANGO CLOCK CONUNDRUM
Pups having fun, and that Django timetable which rules our days.
9) IT’S JUST NOT FUR!
Even includes proper bits, plus vaguely useful advice about your lurcher’s smooth or wiry coat, and the things you will find in it.
10) DAFFODIL WARS
Quite simply, Django’s daffodil addiction.
11) TRAINING YOUR HUMAN
Handy hints, but not for people. Humans need training far more than dogs, and it’s easy with our pull-out guide. WARNING – Do not attempt to pull this guide out.
12) TRAINING YOUR HUMAN AGAIN
More secrets on training your human, including the importance of communication. Not theirs, obviously.
13) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 8
Utter nonsense, if you ask us. The thoughts they really have.
14) BITEY-FACE
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurcher-for-beginners-9-bitey-face/
The Great Game explained and illustrated, with some great action photos of Bitey-Face in the raw.
15) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 10
http://greydogtales.com/blog/janet-and-john-go-lurcher-mad-eventually/
How we started rescuing dogs many many years ago, and why we are now poor.
16) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 11
Another guest dog joins us.
17) HISTORY FOR LONGDOGS
http://greydogtales.com/blog/the-utterly-true-history-of-the-lurcher/
A series of vital historical dates which the repressive paramilitary wing of the Kennel Club banned from being taught in schools. The people must know the truth!
18) POO!
http://greydogtales.com/blog/lurchers-beginners-12-poo/
This really needs no explanation. The delights of poop, and our special guide to consistency. A chart now used across the UK. Probably.
19) A LABRADOR IN THE MIST
http://greydogtales.com/blog/little-juggernaut-memoirs-lurcher-hell/
In remembrance of our beloved non-lurcher, Twiglet, who survived for years in lurcher territory.
20) THE MATING GAME
http://greydogtales.com/blog/training-human-mating-game/
How to stop humans having a love life, and make sure they’re focussed on you (the lurcher).
21) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 15
Pups at the seaside. A lot of sand, and a lot of water that just doesn’t seem right.
22) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS 16
A round-up of some of the other photos we’ve used of various lurchery wonders – ours, plus those of friends and acquaintances.
23) LURCHER RESCUES ARE GO!
Our thoughts (occasionally useful ones) on what to consider if you feel like re-homing a lurcher.
24) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS: WE IS SNIFFING
The nose has it…
25) THOSE LURCHERS IN THE MIST
More of our adventures on the North Sea coast, with explicit photos!
26) THE HUMAN MYTH
Examining the strange world of the tall pink ones…
27) LURCHERS FOR BEGINNERS: THE RAW TRUTH
Everything you didn’t want to know about how we feed our little donkeys the raw way.
We have no idea what Part 28 will be about, but then we never do…