Following on from popularbreeds, what unusual breeds do you see in your area?

Being a shooting/farming estate I see mainly gundogs (specifically Labs and cocker/springer spaniels) and collies. We do get a few walkers but I haven't noticed anything really unusual. Probably the ones that stand out in my mind was a guy with two wolf dogs with funny tracker type collars on (at least I think that's what they were - they had a long aerial type thing coming off them) and they did look very wolf-like indeed, including their short tails and the nervy way they moved.
 
My friend from the yard has a Podenco and also has a powder puff Chinese crested.

We've got a Podenco in the area now. I'd love to stop and chat to its owner about it, but every time I see it, it's a blur speeding past chasing a squirrel with a defeated soul jogging behind it. Both dog and owner seem incapable of learning their lesson.
 
I visited a patient who had a smooth English Fox Terrier, I'm not a huge terrier fan but I'd have one of them and another who had a Sealyham, but these were old people with old fashioned breeds. Quite a few English pointers, they always seem to be in pairs. There's a couple who go to my local pub, they have 2 dachshunds, one a mini but the other's a Hungarian import, standard, and he's got proper legs, about 1/3 of his body length.
 
3 Dandy Dinmont terriers down the road in the next village. I see them off for a walk sometimes and another person in that village has a Sealyham that seems to get taken for a drag rather than a walk.
 
My OH did a longer route than me yesterday and came across what he thinks was an otter hound! Bloody huge, he says and the youngsters were intimidated, although Goose went to say hello. Don’t think I’ve ever seen one.
 
Has anyone had any interaction with a soft coat wheaten terrier?

They are on the vulnerable breeds list and I cant fathom why as they sound like lovely characters.
Weirdly, I was thinking of this thread today when in a training session with our head of Science, who weirdly-has a Softcoat Wheaten terrier! I think they don’t shed? The breed features in a book series I liked, where the King’s right hand man is a Soft coat, magic gone wrong.
 
After owning them for years and years and never seeing one out of a show, I met a pair of rough collies in a field near home, the week after I had my last put down.

I bumped into a Dandie dinmont last year, again never seen outside of a show, in a country park near me - chatted about the breed. Then saw the same dog and owner a week later in my vets, which I found very entertaining.

One neighbour has a Pharaoh Hound, who Is handsome but nutty, and another a flat coat who is very much the same!


We have a lovely kooikerhondje in a nearby village, who would make anyone want one. Truly smitten. A Tibetan spaniel lives in the same village and has a similar impact.


We saw a pair of Glen of imaals during our annual pilgrimage to north Norfolk this year, the owner was happy we knew what they were. And a trio of Lancashire heelers when away in Oxford, again the owner was happy someone knew they weren’t Jack Russells.


Primarily its poodle crosses, French bulldogs and dachshunds I cross paths with.
 
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Thought others might be interested to see the list of vulnerable breeds:

I see quite a few Norfolks. I really love them as a breed. I’m half surprised they are on the at watch list, and I’m half not given the price that some breeders charge for them…
 
My friend breeds rare breeds (Brussels griffons, Prague ratters) and my own pup is a mix of the two 🙂

We have a Finnish Laphund, who I saw out walking one day and bombarded the owner with questions - so gorgeous 😍

There's a couple of Basenji's, I love the breed and have always wanted one 🙂
 
Sadly as a vulnerable but non native breed schips don’t get any extra help or promotion from the KC, despite having fewer puppies per year than anything on the vulnerable native breed list.
But you could take any foreign breed and the situation in the UK is similar. I’ve always fancied a Norwegian elkhound, but they’re really scarce!
 
My friend has a couple of Dandie Dinmonts - one of them goes beating with her husband
There's a curlycoated retriever I see quite often locally - very sweet dog - and the biggest hairiest Bernese Mountain dog I've ever seen.
And another friend has a Huntaway who does agility
My step brother had a Pharaoh hound when I was growing up
There are a pair of rescue Podencos in the next village
There used to be a Caucasian Shepherd dog on one of my hacks, with scarily inadequate fencing but thankfully the people have moved - very big, hairy and very defensive

My OH used to have a pack of Petit Griffon Vendeen for his deer work. They were apparently amazing at tracking wounded deer.
 
Has anyone had any interaction with a soft coat wheaten terrier?

They are on the vulnerable breeds list and I cant fathom why as they sound like lovely characters.
Yes, I know someone with two whom she shows. Nice enough dogs, unfortunately hers have no manners outside the show pen but none of her dogs do because she babies and spoils them.
Despite this they seem to be intelligent, thoughtful little souls
 
My neighbourg has a Terre Neuve puppy ! He is gorgeous, all fluffy.

One of the owners at the yard as 3 sharp peis, they seems to be very smart dogs.

We have also a Berger Picard, great dogs and very trainable too.
 
My neighbourg has a Terre Neuve puppy ! He is gorgeous, all fluffy.

One of the owners at the yard as 3 sharp peis, they seems to be very smart dogs.

We have also a Berger Picard, great dogs and very trainable too.
Is this in the UK?

Saw a Tibetan terrier in the woods, black and white, quite big compared to the only other one I’ve ever known.
 
Is this in the UK?

Saw a Tibetan terrier in the woods, black and white, quite big compared to the only other one I’ve ever known.
Non, in Switzerland.

The Newfouland is so cute, he is afraid of the water at the moment, later on, he will get better.

The owner will train him to save people drowing.
 
We have a dandy dinmont, a long haired basset (petit griffon?) And a Newfoundland on the lane.
One granny had a Norwich terrier and the other a Chow.
I met a lady a Lowther with otter hounds that I think are quite rare now.
 
We see all sorts at shows. However, "in the wild" I've encountered a pair of Azawakh, a Chinese Crested, a Curly coat and a Portugese Pointer recently.
 
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