An increasing number of people across the country are finding a new sport to take part in – along with their dogs.
In West Cumbria two clubs at Egremont and Flimby are catering for the apparent added interest in lure racing.
In the 50s and 60s people might remember the flat-caps on show at regular whippet racing meetings held in Cumbria, but these days canine participation has been widened.
Racing usually involves lurchers, whippets or terriers, but just about most other breeds make the occasional appearance.
Egremont Lure Racing Association and Flimby Lure Racing Club are both thriving in West Cumbria with regular meetings.
Egremont have Run for Fun racing on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons where anyone can run their dogs on the lure.
Competing dogs have varied from poodles to pure deerhounds and the action provide is reckoned to provide great spectator sport.
The club welcomes all breeds of dog and they can run as often as they wish if time allows.
Many of the county Lurcher, Whippet and Terrier shows now have a racing competition, but only for the those breeds.
This is more serious lure racing where the dogs all have to be muzzled and a designated slipper with stewards are involved to produce champions and reserves in the height categories.
In competitions the slipper has the responsibility of ensuring the dogs set off correctly and although there’s no betting involved they do race for some handsome trophies and rosettes.
A lure is a battery operated spool of line that can be set to any length, depending usually on the size of the dogs running, to the distance they run.
Different courses can be set by using pulleys to change the direction of the run into loops if desired, or just left as a straight line. Strips of ribbon or a bit of toy fur are tied to the end of the line to concentrate the minds of the dogs.
Anyone out there who fancies a go would be made extra welcome by either West Cumbrian club. Whether it’s for fun, or to exercise their dogs or simply to learn about the sport both clubs are contactable on their Facebook pages.
Egremont has been running for six years and Flimby for three.
Both groups are similar with slightly different set-ups but make new members very welcome.
Racing in this part of the county was previously organised for 30 years or so by the West Coast Terrier, Lurcher and Whippet Club.
