Pepper

We ask Pepper's owners what it was like to adopt a lurcher, one year on.

We adopted Pepper in February 2023 and she is now roughly 3 years old. Pepper is a very affectionate dog who loves everyone she meets, she has short bursts of energy and loves to run around and chase her ball but will then happily laze on the sofa all day. She has also loves coming to work and has become an office dog much to my colleague's delight. She has slotted into our lives from the first day and she brings us so much joy.

Have you had lurchers before? If not, why did you choose this breed?

No, Pepper is our first lurcher, and also our first dog as a couple, although we had both had some experience of dogs before. We hadn’t considered sighthounds previously, mainly because we assumed they would need ridiculous amounts of exercise! However good friends of ours had adopted a lurcher and whippet from another home and they introduced us to the breed. From there, we fell in love!

What’s your favourite thing about owning a lurcher?

We love that Pepper is such an easy-going girl. She is super friendly and gentle with everyone she meets and has adapted herself into our lives with far greater ease than we expected. She has a sweet nature and loves affection, so she’s adored by our family and friends. She loves her walking (with lots of sniffing) and has also learnt to chase a ball in the park…and bring it back! However,

her biggest love is her sofa and, after a bit of exercise, she’ll happily live her best life as a couch potato,

which makes it easy to get on with your day!

Lurcher dog Pepper relaxing on the sofa in her adopted home

Tell us about the hard bits too!

Honestly nothing with Pepper has been really hard! One thing we have worked on a bit has been her reactions around other dogs as she can be a bit reactive (barky!). We’re pretty sure this is excitement but it’s hard for other dog owners to tell! So we did a few sessions in a dog training class early on to pick up techniques and have persisted with these. Primarily it’s been about picking up signs she is going to react and either diverting her, or keeping her attention with a treat (which she loves!). Mostly now she’s able to pass other dogs without incident and is even beginning to interact more playfully when she gets the opportunity, which is lovely to see.

Her scavenging nature is also a bit of a pain at times, but with some gentle guidance (and a more secure bin!) she’s now pretty good around the house.

Lurchers also have such a high prey drive that it has been tricky letting her off lead and we are still practising with recall. Secure fields are a great way to allow lurchers to run free without the worry of losing them!

What surprised you about adopting?

We really valued the care that the home put into finding good homes and ‘matching’ us with Pepper. We were pleasantly surprised at how much guidance we got on looking after her well, both in general and tailored to what had been observed of Pepper’s behaviour while being looked after there. The conversations gave us the confidence we needed to be able to take her home and we’re so glad that we did.

What would your advice be to those thinking of adopting a dog?

I think the key thing is to prepare. Think about what you’re looking for from a dog but more importantly, what you can offer to them. Do research on breeds and look for characteristics that can fit your lifestyle, but also be prepared to adapt to them. Don’t reject a breed off the bat, it might just be the one for you, and make the most of the advice available to you.