Harrier History

‘Harrier’ refers to a dog that hunted Hare and Rabbits similar in appearance to, but smaller and finer  than a Foxhound .

The history of the Harrier spans over millennia as Hunting and gathering was humanoids most successful adaptation.20,000 years ago Man and Dog partnered up for hunting and since then the partnership was in a continuous change culminating with Dog being our most beloved Pet. 

There are a many references throughout history of scent hunting dogs similar to the modern Harrier including being mentioned in the Doomsday Book but the first recorded pack of Harriers was the Pennistone Pack owned by Sir Midas of Midhope in 1260 which existed as a cohesive pack for 500 years.

Hare hunting was a popular sport in 13 century England and it was one of the few pursuits available to commoners as they were able to follow the hounds on foot. Moreover, ordinary Harrier owners could add their few Harriers together forming a “scratch pack”.

Eduard III(1312-1377) maintained sixty couple of Harriers. The Harrier population endured past the reformation and into the early modern era. Harriers warranting a short section in John Caius’  De Canibus Britannicis – Of Englishe Dogges (1570). He thinks of the breed as “the kind of dog whom nature hath indued with the virtue of smelling” and, while that is not much to go on, it is proof that the Harrier was still going strong in 1570. James I (1566-1625) visited the Holcombe Harriers in 1617 .King Charles II (1630-1685) appointed a Master of Harriers to the Royal Household and the position would endure until the reign of George III (1738-1820).

In the Victorian era the Harrier was included in the original Kennel Club Studbook(1874) as one of the only 40 breeds recognised by the document. The last time Harriers were shown at a Kennel Club show or entered in their Studbook was in 1915. The last time they were shown at Crufts was 1898

In 1891 the Association of Masters of Harriers and Beagles (AMHB) was founded and registered 107 Harrier packs.

From the First World War until after the Second there was a significant decline not just in Harriers but in most breeds, working dogs and pet populations. Only Foxhounds received government support for food in order to manage the fox population. At the same time many privately owned Harrier packs hunted by the owners of large estates were disbanded. In the sporting Gazette of 1898 we read of the ‘Annual Leicester sale of Harriers’ at which the entire pack of 34 couple (68 hounds) belonging to the late Mr Carleton-Cowper was sold for a total of £550.10s. A further sale only a week later offered for sale 39 couple of hounds from three different packs. Such Harrier sales continued until soon after the WWII

It was over ten years after the war that the MFHA with the support of the Kennel Club took a firm stand to ensure that in terms of breeding there was a clear distinction between Harriers bred for the purpose of Hunting and those bred for the bench shows and pet owners.

By the middle of the 20th Century there were fewer than 50 Harrier packs and the AMHB banned the sale of registered Harriers and strictly controlled the breeding of dogs and sale of Harriers outside other registered packs, the result being that they all but disappeared outside the hunting community. The Kennel Club eventually withdraw breed recognition in the early 1970s

By 2013 there were only 18 Harrier Packs in the UK

In 2022 there are currently only 13 Harrier Packs (8 Stud Book, 5 West Country) meaning that there are now under 750 Harriers left in the UK and only 300 West Country Harriers left in the World

In France and the USA Harrier enthusiasts kept the breed going. The French are the only ones with 2 dogs achieving World recognition with Iran des Coutas in 1974 and Alicien in 2011. In the USA Emmy was BOB at Westminster Dog Show in 2018 and Whisper was BOB in 2020

The Harrier was re-recognised by the UK Kennel Club in January 2020 and as of 2022 there are now over 50 pure bred Harriers registered with the KC

At the World Dog Show 2021 British Harrier, Ross Demon for Evforce was awarded the title of World Winner becoming only the third Harrier to be awarded this title (Iran de Coutas WW1974, Alician WW2011)

In October 2021 the UK Kennel Club released the Interim Breed Standard which meant that for the first time in 50 years Harriers could be shown under Kennel Club Rules. The first KC show was The Ladies Kennel Association in Birmingham on December 11th 2021 where 18 Harriers were entered in AVNSC (Any Variety Not Separately Classified)

Best Of Breed was Evforce Miss Havoc at Henissy

Best Puppy was Evforce Golden Agent

Best Veteran was Frenzy at Henissy

We are very pleased to say that Crufts 2022 will see 19 Harriers being shown for the first time in 124 years on Friday 11th

Crufts 2022 ---BOB---Evforce Miss Havoc at Henissy 

RBOB -Evforce Clint West Gunner