The West Country Harrier, sometimes called Somerset Harrier, is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

scent hound Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785 Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...

from the

south west The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

that is used to hunt

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

in packs. The West Country Harrier is often considered to be a variety of the more common Harrier breed, which is sometimes referred to as the Studbook Harrier.

History

The Harrier has been known in England from at least the 13th century, although some have claimed the breed was introduced into England by the Romans. The old Harrier was a slow moving, deep scenting hound breed that was closely related to the

Southern Hound The Southern Hound was a breed of dog that existed in Britain probably until sometime in the 19th century, now extinct. The exact date of its extinction is not known; it is likely that it was gradually interbred with other breeds until the genuine ...

, and the hunts were traditionally followed on foot. From the 19th century, significant

Foxhound A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on hor ...

blood was introduced into most Harrier packs, or frequently packs adopted pure Foxhound lines that were slightly bred down in size. This change was to produce faster hounds, and hare hunts began to be followed on horseback in a similar manner as

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

. It is believed the West Country Harrier is more closely related to the old Harrier breed, without significant infusions of Foxhound blood. Parson Jack Russell described the West Country Harrier as being descended from the old style Harrier and the now extinct

Staghound The Staghound, sometimes referred to as the English Staghound, is an extinct breed of scent hound from England. A pack hound, the breed was used to hunt red deer and became extinct in the 19th century when the last pack was sold. History The S ...

, the later having been introduced by several enthusiasts including Parson

John Froude The Reverend John Froude II (17779 September 1852) of Knowstone and East Anstey, both in Devon, England, Rector of Molland-cum-Knowstone, in Devon, was an extreme and notorious example of the "hunting parson", a phenomenon which started to disap ...

. The breed was developed in, and is most frequently found in the

English counties The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and political demarcation. The term "county" is defined in several ways and can apply to similar or the same areas used by each ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, they are sometimes called Somerset Harriers although the name West Country Harriers is preferred. The West Country Harrier is not recognised as a separate breed by

the Kennel Club The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also opera ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, but the country's official body for the governance of Harrier packs, the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles, maintains a separate studbook for the West Country Harrier.

Characteristics

Physically when compared to the Studbook Harrier, the West Country Harrier tends to be bigger and lighter in colour, being predominantly white with patches of cream or lemon markings. The West Country Harrier is said to lack some of the speed and drive of the Studbook Harrier, but it is claimed they have superior scenting abilities and more appealing voices.

References

{{British dogs Scent hounds Dog breeds originating in England

History

Characteristics

See also

References