Lurchers are a type, rather than a breed, of dog. A Lurcher is usually one of the sighthound breeds (Greyhound, Whippet and Saluki, for example) crossed with a collie or terrier.
They are often bred for hunting, poaching and unofficial racing, but because they can look similar to purebred Greyhounds, they often face the same image problems when awaiting adoption. With the introduction of the Hunting Act 2004, banning hunting with dogs, many more of these wonderful dogs now need new homes.