a sheep dog put up a hare...

THE TRUE SPORTSMAN'S GAZETTE
The Era (London, England),
Sunday, January 27, 1839; Issue 18.

over a healthy part of the New Forest, I observed a sheep dog
put up a hare, which was immediately pursued by a lurcher,
attendant upon a farmer who was close at hand. Puss found that
she had very little superiority in speed over her pursuer, and as
there was no cover which she could resort to for shelter, she in
running over a part of the plain, where there were some rab-
bit burrows, retreated into one of their holes. A turf cutter
who was engaged near the spot was employed to dig her out.
of her temporary asylum. This act was not, however, so
speedily effected, for the burrows were so intersected, that it
was a long time ere he discovered the one in which she lay
concealed. On being at length captured, she was let go again
before the dogs, but as is almost invariably the case in such
instances, she was picked up by the hunters before she had run
fifty yards.

DRURY V. SCOTT

Jackson's Oxford Journal (Oxford, England),
Saturday, April 10, 1824; Issue 3702.

DRURY V. SCOTT,
This was an action to recover the value of a dog
which was killed by the defendant's gamekeeper. It
appeared in evidence that the plaintiff's servant was
out with the dog ( a lurcher), and that when near the
defendant's residence at Woodhall, he killed a hare.
The defendant's gamekeeper came up immediately
after; the servant threw the hare into a ditch, and
the dog instinctively ran away, the gamekeeper having
previously sworn vengeance against him. The
gamekeeper then seized hold of the man, and the dog
seeing this, returned to defend him. The game-
keeper threw a cord around the dog's neck, and
brought him to his master's house, and there hung
him. The servant was convicted of poaching, and
sent to the House of Correction for three monthes,
The only defence was that the dog was a lurcher, and
was found in the pursuit of game.- Verdict for the
plaintiff - damages 40s.

Three Hares

The three hares is a circular motif which appears in sacred sites from the Middle and Far-East to the churches of England, where it is often referred to as the Tinners’ Rabbits. It's precise origins and significance are uncertain, as are the reasons why it appears in such diverse locations.

more here

Hare Outsmarts Greyhounds