What Makes A Man .....

[foxdropper 17,092]

I've recently had a long chat with the lad I've dug with for more than 20 years and he's informed me he's giving up the terriers to concentrate on gun dogs .He's basically got the same breeding as me and has kennelled a few of mine for years .A recent trajedy with a tree across kennels didn't help but what happens to make someone drop a bombshell like that .Can't get my head round it tbh .

[Fellman Mark 605]

Sorry to hear that mate hope he changes his mind

[foxdropper 17,092]

No chance mate .I've rehomed 2 bitches already and 4 more dogs going today .Will be end of our friendship as I can't see beyond it myself .Gutted .

[neil cooney 10,415]

It's a disease, maybe your mate got cured, LOL.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Joking aside Neil he's been at it as long as I have ,has built up the same breeding ,damn good terrier man but has dropped it in favour of paying huge price for a lab bitch .

[peterhunter86 8,627]

Mid life crisis probably

[man o kent 269]

Perhaps he wants an easier life. I have always said terrier work is a mugs game, and it's not getting any easier...

[Treehands 1,417]

Probably been on his mind for a while, but held back from telling you.

I'm sure it won't alter a man of your calibre, onward and forward.

 

"Pablo needs a buddy". Lol.

[neil cooney 10,415]

Joking aside Neil he's been at it as long as I have ,has built up the same breeding ,damn good terrier man but has dropped it in favour of paying huge price for a lab bitch .

I wasn't joking when I said it was a disease.

I've only ever had 2 proper holidays in my life because I'd rather be at home minding my dogs. They played a big part in my marriage break up. Nearly every bit of trouble I've had in life was terrier related.

I've been outside of Ireland 20 times, 19 of those times were hunting related. Nearly all my friends (and enemies) are terriermen and hunters.

It is a disease and maybe your friends recent bad luck was the excuse he needed.

A friend last year got out of the terriers.

He worked hard all week and was getting up at 5 on a Saturday to drive a round trip of a couple of hundred miles for some sport, home at all hours, and back up at 5 on Sunday to do the same. Back to work Monday.

I heard he got out of the terriers and I rang him to tell him if he changed his mind to let me know and I'd help him out.

He told me was just back from America after seeing his brother and family for the first time in many years because the terriers had always kept him at home.

He had found a freedom.

Yes, there's messers who get terriers for a wet weekend and call themselves terriermen but to a proper terrierman they're a drug that's impossible to get off.

It's one habit I don't mind having but over the years I have seen lads who kept terriers because they couldn't imagine not having them but when fortune dictates that they get out of them they walk away never to come back.

[Grunter123 1,092]

its like a bit on the side, to him at the moment,thinking the grass is greener, but he will wish he hadn't later on, and he will be back to it

[Grunter123 1,092]

 

Joking aside Neil he's been at it as long as I have ,has built up the same breeding ,damn good terrier man but has dropped it in favour of paying huge price for a lab bitch .

 

I wasn't joking when I said it was a disease.

I've only ever had 2 proper holidays in my life because I'd rather be at home minding my dogs. They played a big part in my marriage break up. Nearly every bit of trouble I've had in life was terrier related.

I've been outside of Ireland 20 times, 19 of those times were hunting related. Nearly all my friends (and enemies) are terriermen and hunters.

It is a disease and maybe your friends recent bad luck was the excuse he needed.

A friend last year got out of the terriers.

He worked hard all week and was getting up at 5 on a Saturday to drive a round trip of a couple of hundred miles for some sport, home at all hours, and back up at 5 on Sunday to do the same. Back to work Monday.

I heard he got out of the terriers and I rang him to tell him if he changed his mind to let me know and I'd help him out.

He told me was just back from America after seeing his brother and family for the first time in many years because the terriers had always kept him at home.

He had found a freedom.

Yes, there's messers who get terriers for a wet weekend and call themselves terriermen but to a proper terrierman they're a drug that's impossible to get off.

It's one habit I don't mind having but over the years I have seen lads who kept terriers because they couldn't imagine not having them but when fortune dictates that they get out of them they walk away never to come back.

I was like it with racing pigeons never went anywhere for years till got rid, But had terriers and lurchers nearly 40 years never without hem

[marshman 7,756]

I'll be honest lads I've been considering getting out recently. I won't go into much detail on here but my mind has been elsewhere and I'm in a place where I wish I wasn't , if that make sense . Anyway I've had a panic moment a few weeks back and I was sure I was getting out and even rung the lad that bred my pup to take him back.. Luckily he said that there'll be times when I feel I've got to get out and need to out of the place . I thought about what he said and Getting out with the dogs might be a time when I can gather my thoughts , I don't know if I'm coming or going at the moment .

[Plucky1 1,119]

I have seen many lads come and go in the serious digging game,some have been weekenders and some have never worked in a job, just lived for terriers, no lurchers, but I still maintain a friendship built on many years of them being there whenever I could get out with them, I am the last to still be at it coming up 60yrs old, 3 packed in around the ban coming in,their attitude was that if they couldn't do what they did before without looking over their shoulder then that was it, I took 1 of them that seemed to be wavering back out for a day as he still had a couple of terriers thinking he may come back,but what a shit day we had, we were digging a shallow 3 holer that had had rabbits in at some time and been opened up by "Charlie" when a helicopter started circling us,we were on permission I might add, we sorted everything,despatched the quarry,he took a tail for old times sake,upon getting back to my van at the farm we were met by 3 police cars and a very awkward sergeant that was intent on locking us up,the farmer explained he was losing lambs and sheep to fox but he still had the rspca,the dogs were checked then he wanted to see the game birds we were protecting, luckily I had put a few feeders out in a copse near to the farm, it was only then they fecked off but told us we could expect a visit now and then from the rspca, that was enough for my mate and has never even had a walk with his terriers since, I call on him on the way home now and then, I will drop him rabbits and stuff as he loves to cook but he laughs and just says "when are you gunna give all that shit up ??"

I have seen a few go over to gun dogs as a means of still getting onto the fields but they miss the terrier game, its easy to be critical of another mans choice but we are all individuals that will do what we want when push comes to shove, when you own nothing and have nothing as a lot of young kids in the game do there is nothing to hurt you but having a family and commitments can change how you live your life and if they put their family first then who am I to argue, I say good luck to him with his gun dogs etc but he will always be a terrier man at heart, it never leaves you and his life will be poorer from the loss of good friends he could count on as them game shooters are all 2 faced tw*ts at best, Plucky

[chesney 5,326]

Im on the way out of it myself to many shitheads at to be dealing with nowadays down this way had to deal with an awful lot of shit over dogs at the start of the season over lads shit stiring and causing to part with doga but not by choice. But things were not as bleak as we thought a few younger dogs spread out have stepped and look promising for the lads that have them so the season should finish on higher note than it started but myself il walk away now at seasons end .

[foxdropper 17,092]

See to me the heart was never in it 100% or he would not ,could not give it up .I'll have to see keepers to see if I've still got his perm but a few will be awkward I know .