Lurcher

thumb|alt=engraving of a rough-haired dog of sighthound type|Lurcher, illustration from ''The Sportsman's Cabinet by William Taplin, 1803; engraved from a painting by Philip Reinagle A lurcher is a crossbred dog resulting from mating a greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type such as a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher is not a "breed": the term is a generic descriptor of a diverse group of dogs. They are known for being loyal, fast, and versatile. For hundreds of years, lurchers were strongly associated with poaching; in modern times, they are kept as hunting or companion dogs.

== History == Lurcher is an old English term for a crossbred dog; specifically, the result of mating a sighthound with a dog of another type, typically a working breed. The term was first used with this meaning in 1668; it is considered to be derived from the verb lurch, apparently a variant form of lurk, meaning lurk or steal. The tendency to "wrench" and "cut" rather than "course" was considered to be unfair and a violation of "The Law of the Leash."