Bert Gripton.

[neil cooney 10,415]

At long last thankfully someone has put up this old footage of one of the best so enjoy and a very Happy Christmas to all of you and your families. 

yours in sport, Neil.

[marshman 7,756]

Great film Neil ! 

[eastcoast 3,727]

Strange to see the obvious Fox Terrier cross being shown, but I suppose that's show BUSINESS.

Regarding Drabble being a critic of terrier work I don't think he did too much damage as it had already been done by ' men' with terriers. There are different periods in history (and I can only comment on England) that were regarded as the Golden Years of terrier work. Well, the 1980's can certainly be regarded as the darkest days of terrier work. Certain people with terriers who were a gift from God to the antis.

A time when unemployment and crime was rife. The police did not have the resources to respond to calls. They would turn up the next day and give you a crime number. However on 2 occasions  I found myself under no illusion as to what resources that the police actually had at their fingertips. Various Panda cars and 4wd's, all full to the brim with officers, and a bloody helicopter. What was the crime that had been reported? Badger baiting!

I was not badger baiting. The 1st time we were on our way to a fox earth (on permission) and luckily no dog was to ground. The 2nd time very obviously doing a bit of ratting. I was very lucky not to be arrested and my dogs spirited away by the RSPCA never to be seen again. Some people were not so lucky in those days. Guilty until proved innocent.

10 years prior to those events we could take terriers to and from a hunt on public transport. The actions of certain men with terriers, and the resulting publicity, had changed the general public's perception of terrier work forever.

 

 

 

[Lozzer 237]

Even around the eighties and ninetees the damage was getting done for terrierwork and hunting. The years before that it must have been different for the right reasons.  And being accussed, it's the only law bysted enough to be the law that you have to prove yourself innocent and not the other way around.