Barty

Hi

I’m Barty and am a baby at 22 weeks old.

I have been living in a foster home in Ireland with other dogs and a cat just til I was fit and well enough to come to Kent to find my new family.

I can seem a little shy when you first meet me but it won’t take me long til I’m settled with you and then I’m just a normal, typical puppy.

I love to play, am very affectionate and, wow, I do LOVE a cuddle or two.

Please remember, puppies look cute but we are time consuming and can be hard work.  We need families who have the time to teach us right from wrong and can take us to puppy training classes.  If you can do this for us then the rewards will be unlimited and our friendship will be the strongest ever.

(Barty is classed a beige in his passport but he is really a lovely and unusual sable colour).

The lurchers often arrive at KGR via a dog pound so we do not know their history.   Some will be fostered in homes, in Ireland, for up to several months whilst waiting for their pet passport to be valid and for transport to be arranged.  We have a very good assessment of these dogs but we cannot guarantee they will behave the same way in your home.  Others will remain in kennels until they are ready to travel.  These dogs will be assessed once they arrive at KGR.  Dogs very much react to their surroundings and will behave differently for one owner than another – but amount of exercise you plan to give the dog and food also play an important part.

We use a best guestimate for the dogs age but this cannot be guaranteed.  Young dogs who have suffered emotionally and from lack of nutrition may flourish in a new home with good food  and grow – whereas some dogs may look older due to lack of nutrition and stress and may have the years literally fade away in a new home.    Cross breed dogs are more difficult to age than pedigrees, as there is no breed standard  to work from.  We do not definitely know their DNA so they will grow as big as nature decides.

We encourage all lurchers owners to take their dog to training classes to learn recall so they can run off lead.  Dogs very much react to their owners – if your dog is not behaving, then you need to take it to training classes.  Reading how to do it on the internet can actually make your dog worse if you do not understand the original problem. You need a dog trainer to look at you and your dog, and how you both behave, and then advise you how to fix the problem.    If you are not prepared to take your dog to training classes if their is a problem, then a lurcher is not the right dog for you.

Please do not mistake a lurcher for a small greyhound – thinking it is smaller so therefore easier.  Lurchers are bred for intelligence and stamina and will, in general, be a more time consuming option.  They will need you to provide them with more exercise and stimulation.  They are not suitable pets for families who do not have the time commitment.