OldPhil

Fine and beautiful pups

True words,.. facts are, I do miss the hunt,...I guess I always will....

Yeah,...its just a personal decision Brother ,...I've nothing against any genuine hunting man,.. doing what his conscience dictates,...I've been killing , various quarry, for over 65 years,...and I just felt that, for me,.. enough was enough. I believe in freedom of choice,.. and also minding my own business...I still love my wee mouching curs,...they are obviously not of the same mind-set as myself,. .so,.. accidents do happen, and that doesn't bother me one bit,..it is what it is,...but, like many of my close pals,. we don't go looking for it anymore.

There are pockets of rabbits all over the place,. and I wish them well, I'll never kill another one...

Nice strong 'n sturdy types.

Me and the Wife, don't get to any shows these days,...but we used to get about a fair bit,.. and these days out, were frequently used for arranging trips out with pals, and for discussing tactics,.. etc... I've also been privileged to Judge most of the large Lurcher Shows,.. In the early days ,.dogs would often turn up in a right old state,..(and this was not always due to hard work in the field) it was often down to neglect and ignorance. I always made it abundantly clear that whilst scars and marks on a dog were 100% invisible to me,...everything else was not... Folk sometimes

True words...Most of the ones that I've been around (or have bred) definitely showed a marked propensity to grip if they felt it appropriate to do so... They are a suspicious type of canine by design, and are frequently wary of strangers... Almost all of the specimens that I have encountered, acted in the same manner. When 'watered down' and hybridised with other breeds,.. this instinctive trait can either be dampened down, or in some cases, increased , often to such an extent that it becomes a definite problem.. Some folk deliberately seek out such aggressive behaviour

Good honest old rabbit dogs,.. super times,. great memories...

I understand...

You did right Brother,.. I've done the same myself with certain animals,.. Facts are,..it don't matter how good they are in the field,...ya still got to live with em..

The biggest problem we have had 'darn sarf',.. for many years,..is that once you give a farm or estate a good pasting with the dogs, ferrets, nets, traps and snares,.. plus the night shooting,.. the land, doesn't appear to lend itself to regeneration,..in short, once you have done' em,. you have fecking done' em.. Most of the big arable farms locally, have installed drop boxes, along miles of rabbit proof fencing,...and this,.. alongside the inevitable myxy,.. has depleted the rabbit population.... I've seen this coming for several decades, and freely admit to being a part of the C

Spaniel/Beddy /Whippet hybrid, is real handy for the Bushing/Mouching style of hunting,...almost boundless, non-stop hunting and amazing energy,...not much gets past that exceptional nose..

He was,..in my opinion,...a real sad old Jukel... .

Them Fecking Hares, they are nothing but trouble..