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Thread: Just An Observation..

  1. #1
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    I took my young HWV bitch out on her yesterday, as it was such a beautiful evening and I wanted to work her on her own alongside where I knew we had pheasants down.

    As I started out, I could hear the hunting horn and realised that they were out working the hounds on foot, pre-season. I soon came across them and the sight was magical. As anyone who works any breed of dog will know, there is nothing quite like watching them do what they were bred for well. Hounds casting out and picking up scent literally 'sing'. It's like no other sound I've ever heard and it was quite haunting, particularly on such a golden autumn evening.

    I know realistically that there won't be many more evenings like those but the discipline of the hounds is something many pet owners should be made to study.
    As Molly and I walked up to them, she was surrounded by the pack, greeted and sniffed over and then they were gone. Not a grumble or growl, just well-cared for working dogs.

    It was a particularly prophetic encounter, as this morning, one of my suckler cows sadly calved a dead heifer calf. A phone call to Claude, the huntsman and the calf will be collected later today, at no cost to me (although I will slip him a tenner&#33.

    I make no excuses about it - I know I get pleasure out of watching hounds work and working my own gundogs and death is the inevitable result of both. The difference to me is in the way the job is done - efficiently, with respect to the quarry and contributing to maintaining the environment which provides me with opportunity to work my dogs. There are those who hunt or shoot who don't do the job well. They've always been in the minority but, like any walk of life, they spoil it for the rest of us - just like football hooligans or racist policemen - whatever.

    It doesn't seem right to me that a minority can ruin a sport for the majority, purely because they are mediaworthy and yet that is just what is happening now.
    Just Singin' the Blues ........



  2. #2
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    To add to that - an interesting point on animal behaviour.

    A couple of weeks ago, my cat was mullered by one of my greyhounds. (My fault entirely). Dog got hold of cat and shook her pretty much like a ragdoll. I screamed blue murder at dog and rescued cat which was in a crumpled heap.

    Rang father (retired vet with much common sense & parental advice), who calmed me down & said try to get it to pull thru' first 12 hours - DO NOT transport to vets as shock which had set in would be worsened by car journey. Slowly cat came back to normal - fed her with warm milk & glucose. Suprisingly she showed little concern for pain - Dad says this is normal & many animals do not react like we do.

    Took her next morning to local rip-off vets where they wanted to send her to Solihull as vast expense to get leg plated & pinned. My father advised on strapping up leg as 1) cats bones heal very quickly 2) bones are brittle & can splinter on drilling and 3) it would mean the cat did not have to have a general. Vets had a complete wobbly & after my dad being threatened with RSPCA, I managed to remove cat from their clutches (albeit £350 poorer - and all they did was an x-ray & some minor stitching).

    So cat is home - hopping around on 3 legs with other strapped up - she has had no painkillers since she has been home & has shown no need for them.

    Yesterday, she was sitting on the kitchen table (forbidden usually but she is an invalid) and she was happily watching the killer dogs out of the window, with no sign of any fear whatsoever. Similarly, she has been out in the garden and walked round the site where she was caught & is not bothered. You would have thought she would have been frightened or at the least a bit wary. Maybe she's a bit thick?
    tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito

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    Poor thing - hope she comes out ok.

    Dogs usually get on better with a familiar cat than they would with another dog. I would have thought that sort of thing is unusual.

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    Not with ex-racing greyhounds, I'd guess!


    Mine love our farm cat but any others lurking about get short shrift!

    Hope your cat recovers quickly, Kirsty. Your Pa sounds like my kinda vet!!
    Just Singin' the Blues ........



  5. #5
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    Damn right...........gratis!!!!!&#3 3;!
    Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

    False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

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    The older dog "Boots" has lived with her for 4 years and loves her - lies on sofa having her ears washed by cat - she looked on in a mixture of horror & strange excitement at whole event, But 2 younger dogs are kennelled & have not got eating all & sundry out of their systems yet. Khan eats first & thinks later, so much gets thrown up as it is really unsuitable fodder - usually out of the utility room.

    Cat will no doubt mend - have just posted off large thank you box of chocs to veterinary adviser (my old Pa) who actually lives fairly close to you, Julie, in Wiveliscombe.
    tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito

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