Had a little walk last night, and a bonus this evening.

robwelsh · April 14, 2012

Very nice looking dog, you can't beat a whippet..

bullseye · April 14, 2012

I don't really lamp finn much, but give him a few runs local here and there for excercise, and to try to teach him some manners

Anyway, i fell asleep when i got back in from work yesterday, so come 11/12 i couldn't sleep. The battery was charged so i thought i would slip out local, just around the house and see if i could get a few runs. The weather wasn't great with a quarter moon, and no wind or rain, but at least it was fairly dark.

I got the lamp and called the dog off the sofa, and headed out to the first paddock, dog on slip. Nothing. Not a great start. Across the road, over the gate, and the lamp lights up the hill, nothing. At the top it levels out and a flick of the beam reveals one coney already on route to saftey, off goes the dog, gets on it;s scut, but it flies under the fence and away into the wood. Lamp off. . . . and no dog back. Great thinks i, the little b*****d has decided to follow on in the dark into the wood. Lamp on, and pissed off becomes happy as, it reveals a second rabbit that had been sat with the first, flying back toward me, dog on it's tail. With the bonus of some light, he lifts it and is straight back, live to hand

We walk on a bit, nothing much doing in these fields. Over a stream and through some more fields, plenty of wood cock but no rabbits. Then a desperate run in a small rough paddock, but the rabbit makes it into the woods, where the dog crashed out on some scrub and fencing.

We go on, through a gate into some stubbles, and a look to the right shows a rabbit trying to slink up a furrow, off goes finn, can't see the rabbit yet, but bounces down the beam, and then he clocks it and puts his foot on the gas, bunny lifts and makes for the hedge, but is turned away. Finn goes to strike and takes a face full of earth, doing a flip, he gets up, and makes it back up on the rabbit as it gets under the wire into the hedge, he lunges in and draws it out.

We walk on through the stubbles, lighting up another rabbit sat hopelessly far out, and who has obviously avoided the beam all year, no where for him to go, a quick dash and a turn and he's in the bag.

That's it for the stubbles, so it's off back home, via a few small sheep fields, The first holds a bunny sat way down against the fence, the dog pulls, and is off, the bunny doesnt see him until late, and does a left, right, what the f**k, and tries to go past him, into the field, the dog strikes and misses, but turns quick and is up on him, and as he turns back toward the fence, he puts a good strike in

One last field, and a couple of rabbits sat out, the most likely candidate is lit up, a good way off, but i'm feeling confident finn has spotted it, off he goes, annnnd fluffs it dissapears off to the left. A little bit of internal cursing and then the dog is back, realising the error of his way and looking very shamefaced. Lamo back on and this time he sees it, off he goes and is on its arse, a few turns and it heads for some cover, darting through some bracken and through a hole in the fence, with finn coping a sharp peice of something in the face, resulting in two superficial cuts and some blood.

With that i was back at my gate, and in for a cuppa, only an hour out, but a decent bit of sport for local.

And then the bonus . . .

Went down to check the chickens earlier, with the lamp, and the dog followed, had a look in the pen, to see if any rats / mice were out feeding, but nothing doing, it was quite foggy, but i shown the lamp out over the next door field, out in the middle of the hill were a set if ruby dots, and off went dog over the fence, a nice straight line dash and a couple of weaves and he lifted it, and after a victory lap, returned to the garden with it live.

excellent read that ! thanks