The Harrier is an English pack hound developed to hunt hares by trailing their scent, with packs recorded as early as the 1200s. In size it sits between the Beagle and the English Foxhound, which it closely resembles. Harriers reached America in colonial times, and the American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1885, though it remains one of the rarest AKC breeds.
A Harrier is a muscular, athletic hound with a short, hard coat, low-set ears and a sweet expression, often in tricolor or lemon and white. Many are cheerful, sociable and gentle with children and other dogs, reflecting generations of pack life. They also have stamina, an independent streak and a nose that can lead them astray, so daily exercise, secure fencing and patient training matter.