A small terrier ‘points’ at a brazen hare

A pair of hares have ventured onto a livestock farm. There, a small Border Terrier points its body towards the spot where one of the hares has settled. Originally from the border region between Scotland and England, this working dog was bred to help sheepdogs protect livestock from predators. Its size should not fool us: tenacity and daring are central to its character. For centuries, it has been used to control all kinds of vermin and rodents on farms. Ratting is one of its natural specialities. Barns, feed stores and stables benefit from its presence, which keeps them free of rats and mice that could transmit diseases to livestock or damage structures.

A great pest controller in a small package

It also keeps small and medium-sized predators, such as foxes and badgers, from getting close. Early in the breed’s history, these dogs were used to drive such species out of their burrows. Today, on modern farms, it is the best guardian for lambs, cattle calving areas and poultry.

But we had never seen a dog of this breed stand completely still, as if trying to imitate the pointing dogs used in small-game hunting, its body directed straight at a hare that has entered the farm where it lives.

It may look like a point, but it isn’t

We cannot call it pointing in the strict sense of the term, which refers to an instinct developed in certain specialist hunting breeds such as setters, the English Pointer, the Épagneul Breton and continental braque-type breeds. What we are seeing is a reaction of extreme caution from a dog that knows its “prey” has spotted it. The dog knows that any movement will send the hare, an animal much faster than it is, fleeing frantically and ruin any remote chance of catching it. So the Border Terrier remains motionless, waiting for the hare to lose interest so it can continue its cautious approach.