What is a Lurcher?

A Lurcher is a Greyhound cross, and Millie was the literate Lurcher who originally inspired this blog. She was the only girl in a litter of five puppies born to a racing Greyhound. The owner hadn’t wanted the pups because they weren’t pure Greyhounds and wouldn’t make him any money. When I found Millie on the Greyhound Rescue Wales site, I knew she was the right pup for me.

I’m probably biased, but there was something special about Millie. People were apt to fall in love with her on sight. When I went to pick her up, her foster carer had already grown so attached she was reluctant to part with her. I got the feeling the lady was checking me out to see if I would be a fit guardian for such a special being.

All puppies are full of fun, and Millie kept that joyful puppy spirit almost to the end of her life. She loved to play, but she was never one for learning tricks – you could almost hear her saying, ‘What’s the point?’ She enjoyed training classes – when I said ‘school’ to her, her ears would go up and she would do her happy dance – but she saw it as an opportunity to play rather than learn. She was like one of those bright kids who mess around in class because they’re bored.

Millie was emotionally intelligent. As a friend put it, when you looked into her eyes, you could see a real soul looking out at you. At times, she almost looked human.

Although my books are not about dogs, I do feel that Millie’s playful spirit inspired my work. I write fairy tales and ghost stories, and I always felt Millie had a special connection with nature spirits and the invisible realms.

Sighthounds are ideal companions for writers because they don’t demand too much attention. Contrary to popular myth, they don’t need much exercise, and most of the time they’re content to snooze on a comfy couch. Their quiet, gentle presence is so relaxing, and when they’re asleep I like to think they’re visiting the astral worlds so they can bring me great ideas for stories.

Millie ‘wrote’ posts for this blog for five years and passed on her literary skills to her foster sister Pearl, who wrote several posts of her own before following Millie across the Bridge.