Noel - and how THL changed his life

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

Noel and How THL Changed His Life

Noel is just a simple 35 year old, Irish lad, a plasterer by trade. He has a wife and young girl. He has kept a few terriers and whippets his whole life. His family always had some around the farm. Noel's favourite thing to do is go of for a ramble in the fields with the dogs, forget work, and get away from the wife for a while; just be a kid again, get a rabbit or two, and have a bit of craic. He is happy with his dogs.

The missus got herself a computer laptop. Noel ain't got a clue about that sort of thing, he's never been good with the computers.

One evening when the child had gone to bed, and there was nothing on the telly, Noel asked the wife, what she was doing on the laptop, she showed him a few things. She said you could look up anything. He asked her to find anything about whippets and terriers. She found a forum, called The Hunting Life. He hadn't a clue what that was, but she went and signed him up and they both started browsing through photos and topics. His mind began to spin. The world of the Hunting Life was now open to him. He had never seen or heard of most of the breeds. He never knew a dog could do this or that, or take that, or kill that. He thought, where are the rabbits, where are the whippets? He did a search... A topic opened. There was a photo of 60 rabbits all laid out with some dog standing held by it's proud owner. The dog a Saluki cross... he had never heard of such a thing. His jaw dropped. He thought he had done well, one day when he got 8 rabbits, but 65! Then went to the terrier section. He tried looking up JackRussells, but none of them looked like his terriers. He couldn't believe it when he saw the scars, and the size of the trenches the lads had dug. He was truly shocked. Sure, he thought his terriers were good workers, but this was incredible. Then came the topics on what was a true worker, when can it be bred from, how much work a dog should see...

His joy left him that evening. Up until that day, he was happy with himself and his dogs. Now he knew what the "dog men" thought of him. He was a summer hunting, part-time, pet owner, with mongrel sounding worthless terriers (which would be culled in their kennels), and silly little yapping whippets that could only catch a few. The time when his two whippets caught a hare, he was overjoyed. Now that he thinks of it, that hare was out of season, in June in long grass, and it wasn't single-handed catch, with a fair slip. He felt sad the first time his dogs got a nip on the nose from a fox they found in the long grass one evening. All his dogs yapped like crazy. He told them to leave it alone. He probably should have culled them then and there.

He was a proud man before, now he felt pathetic. He didn't go back on that computer again. He was ashamed to go the dog shows now as well.

Noel, went out that weekend with the dogs. He walked on with his dogs regardless, but he never looked upon them ever the same way again.

Edited May 7, 2010 by cúagusgiorraí

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

my question to ye all is....

 

How has the internet changed your life, your perceptions of hunting, your hunting and hunting dogs?

Edited May 7, 2010 by cúagusgiorraí

[judge2010 196]

sounds like a good bloke likes his dogs and hes a plasterer.

[riohog 5,658]

my question to ye all is....

 

How has the internet changed your life, your perceptions of your hunting and hunting dogs?

cant believe there is so many experts in one place the thl

and it beats eastenders and corrie!!

[clint 45]

i no read all, but if write letter like so maybe he write book,autobio 'life on THL' & make ££££

[mexlad 189]

not changed my life just know alot more about countrysports than i did before

[the fezz 44]

hasnt really changed me as i dont come on here to bragg or put up loads of pics to big myself up , iam happy with my dogs and what they do

 

i do get a bit green when i see some posts with piles of rabbits been caught but i will live

[uno 62]

he should thank the wife for letting him find out via thl that his dogs are shit and he is a clueless halfwit.................only a matter of time and he will become a hunting life legend who doubles up on everything,kills the quary for the dogs,breeds from young untested stuff,write a few books and shag every swooning female member on here.iv learnt plenty on the internet,forgot most of it now though,anyway im of for some summer lamping in a bit,the grounds nice and hard an iv just fed the dogs,perfick.

[Bosun11 537]

I love the tale to pose the question Caugusgiorrai

 

For me it's changed nothing, in the field or about my dogs, i've always tried to seek the best of advice and apply it to my passion and I believe your never to old to share and learn. Thats what this forum should be about....!!

 

If anything i probably was more discontent before I ever was online, these days i've mellowed a little, with age!

 

I'll still forever try to improve my lott but won't go to the same lengths as I did.

 

[weasle 1,119]

If he`s happy and his dogs happy then he can hold his head up as far as im concered. As for Me is just reminds me why i left the crowds and went and worked my own dogs on my own,a long time ago,But then im a miserable bas***d!

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

I love the tale to pose the question Caugusgiorrai

 

thanks

[Cleanspade 3,322]

god little tale i'm of the older generation and tend to know just what i need from my dogs now. but if these places where here years ago. i would have been influenced by the superdog/hunter bullsh£t. you have to wonder how many good dogs are passed on/pts by gulable youngsters though

[Bosun11 537]

god little tale i'm of the older generation and tend to know just what i need from my dogs now. but if these places where here years ago. i would have been influenced by the superdog/hunter bullsh£t. you have to wonder how many good dogs are passed on/pts by gulable youngsters though

 

Very honest and very true Cleanspade

[MuttleMcTuttle 21]

he should thank the wife for letting him find out via thl that his dogs are shit and he is a clueless halfwit.................only a matter of time and he will become a hunting life legend who doubles up on everything,kills the quary for the dogs,breeds from young untested stuff,write a few books and shag every swooning female member on here.iv learnt plenty on the internet,forgot most of it now though,anyway im of for some summer lamping in a bit,the grounds nice and hard an iv just fed the dogs,perfick.

 

Class spelling's a bit too good though...

[stabba 10,745]

Im too long in the tooth to be past caring..my dogs are MY dogs and no matter what/who tries to tell me about my methods had better get ready to have their remarks fall on deaf ears. My dogs and i are happy with each others company and downfalls so no matter what the internet warriors think...im happy with my lot...atb stabba