During 1776, in England, The Earl of Orford created the first public coursing club; before this time, they had all been private clubs. Coursing was originally practiced between 2 Greyhounds, in an open field, chasing a hare, which was given a 100 yard advantage. Lord Orford was considered rather eccentric in his day. He drove his own carriage, drawn by 4 stags. Once when he was entering the town of Newmarket, some hounds picked up the scent of the stags. Running at full speed, Lord Orford sped through the gateway of an inn. The gates were closed immediately, leaving the baying pack outside. Orford was obsessed with producing the perfect greyhound, and he tried every way imaginable. He tried crosses with Italian Greyhounds, Lurchers, and the most well-known cross, the Bulldog. The Bulldog experiment is one of the oldest of Greyhound legends. There is much controversy over the outcome of this experiment. Most seem to agree that it was a failure. Another cross that was tried was between the Greyhound and the Afghan--this, too, was considered a failure.
Moving on to America in the 1800's--the Greyhound was seen frequently in photos and art forms, but in 1876 there was a written report which included Greyhounds. General Custer came to fame during the battles with the Sioux nation in 1876. Custer was well-known for his interest in dogs. He favored the coursing breeds--Greyhounds, Foxhounds, and Staghounds. While marching, the dogs were usually free and could start to pursue game at any time.
Elizabeth Custer wrote several volumes about life with General George A. Custer. In the first volume she describes the General's Greyhound, Bryon. "We had a superb greyhound called Bryon, that was devoted to the General, and after successful chase it was rewarded with many a demonstration of affection. He was the most lordly dog I think I ever saw, powerful with deep chest, and carrying his head in a royal way. When he started for a run, with his nostrils distended and his delicate ears laid back on his noble head: each bound sent him flying through the air. He hardly touched the elastic cushions of his feet to earth, before he again was spread out like a dark straight thread. This gathering and leaping must be seen, to realize how marvelous is the rapidity and how the motion seems flying, almost, as the ground is scorned except as a sort of spring bound. He trotted back to the General, if he happened to be in advance, with the rabbit in his mouth, and, holding back his proud head, delivered the game only to his chief. The tribute that a woman pays to beauty in any form, I gave to Bryon, but I never cared much for him."
