A great weekend

[Ereiam_jh]

I've had a great weekend pursuing wild mammals with my fourdogs.

Normally I either illegally flush out the animals and then restrain mjy dogs or if they are some way of when the giove chase, just see them later at the farm.

This time I knew the deer were there at over the valley and I managed to keep the dogs at my side. There were about twenty red deer. I stalked the deer, then flushed them with the dogs. I pursued the wild deer with the dogs for a couple of minutes and they easily outran us. I kept the dogs under control and waited for a while, then caught up with them again a little further up the valley. All in all I managed to find them three times. I don't think I was particularily cruel to those deer, they were never at risk and it was great fun stalking them, getting as close a s possible to them and then seeing them run away. They really are beatiful animals.

On the way back we even came across a badger, which we followed for a while. Then we hunted for otters back down the stream, but didn't find any.

Is pursuing wild mammals with dogs illegal?

 

[Paul T]

Were your dogs on leads, Giles?

 

[Ereiam_jh]

"Were your dogs on leads, Giles? "

God no. Two of my dogs have never been on a lead in their life. I hardly ever put the other two on a lead, it would inhibit their ability to hunt.

Try going through thick undergrowth in hot pursuit of a herd of red deer with four dogs on leads. It would be completely impossible.

 

[Paul T]

But they stayed by your side all the time?

 

[Ereiam_jh]

No I let them go some way ahead and we chased the deer together.

 

[Doreys_Mum]

Karl - my hunting dog would stay close if he were commanded - he was more likely to attempt an escape if he was off a lead.

We did attempt to chase wild mammals, but he's a bird hunting dog with a penchant for rabbits. We only ended up chasing the trail of our neighbours dog....

Having said that, he has hunted both fox and hare in the past (proving what bullshit it is to claim we need to train dogs to kill foxes!)

 

[Paul T]

Why all the fuss with cub-hunting then?

 

[Paul T]

Earlier you told me they're difficult to control when they're chasing deer.

 

[combat_claire]

Lucky you, I went to Ikea! :O

 

[Ereiam_jh]

They can be, if you just let them wander off and then they give chase, it's almost impossible to hold them back. The secret is to keep them near you during all of the chase. Once they are a hundred metres away and in full chase then there's no way they'll stop.

 

[brighteyes]

Pleeeeeeeease don't hunt otters - or chase them or flush them. xx

 

[Ereiam_jh]

I only searched for them, I wouldn't chase them. I often take my dogs along the bank of the stream, if there are otters there then I'm afraid they will be flushed.

I'm never cruel to animals and I don't use my dogs to kill or harm them.

 

[Paul T]

You just support others being cruel to them instead.

If your dogs are out of control when chasing animals it's difficult to say you're not using them to kill or harm animals with any degree of certainty.

 

[flying_change]

Well I tried to do some running, but my knee got really painful so I've had to rest it for a few days. I did go to the theatre though, and then managed to spend the rest of the weekend in the garden. Ikea sounds like a walk in the park.

 

[Ereiam_jh]

As I've said before I don't support cruelty, I would support a law against it.

"If your dogs are out of control when chasing animals it's difficult to say you're not using them to kill or harm animals with any degree of certainty."

If my dogs were'nt in control then it would be difficult to say I was 'using' them for anything.

I kept my dogs under control this weekend as I used them to pursue deer.

 

[Hercules]

''If your dogs are out of control when chasing animals it's difficult to say you're not using them to kill or harm animals with any degree of certainty.''

But try proving the intent.

 

[Ereiam_jh]

Exactly, if my dogs are out of control, then how can I intend them to be doing what they are doing. It's what they do when they are in control that's the issue.

 

[brighteyes]

I'll shut up then.

 

[Ereiam_jh]

I fully support your outrage about the idea of hunting otters with dogs.

I'm just using the word hunting in the ridiculous way the law and defra define it.

 

[Paul T]

But I thought you were in 'hot pursuit' going through thick undergrowth. A human can't go through thick undergrowth quickly but a dog can, so I can't see how they remained close to you.

 

[Ereiam_jh]

When they start to get away from me I keep calling them back. I can get through undergrowth pretty quickly. I went as fast as I could and made sure the dogs stayed with me.

The deer kept getting away but we caught back up with them.

 

[Ereiam_jh]

You keep trying to pick holes in what I'm saying Karl, do'nt you beleive it's possible to do this. Do you have dogs?

 

[Antoninus_Pluck]

I had a wonderful weekend too! It's nice to see young people out and about enjoying themselves.

 

[Paul T]

No, the Act requires you to be in control of your dogs if you're using them to flush out - if they're not it's no defence to argue it wasn't your intent but they somehow got out of control.

 

[Paul T]

How long were they out of control?

 

[Paul T]

I've always had dogs, and currently have a spaniel.

What's wrong with asking you questions? You ask enough.

 

[Antoninus_Pluck]

You can't beat a good spaniel. Watch out for the ears though - prone to get nits.

 

[Hercules]

''I've always had dogs, and currently have a spaniel''

A spaniel is born to hunt. By preventing the dog from following its natural instincts, do you consider your actions to be cruel?

 

[Paul T]

Not at all. No doubt he was also born to f*ck but the vet saw to that.

 

[Hercules]

Utter hypocrisy. Again.