I haven't seen any clear information about it yet, but I suspect that the gov't will go the whole hog and ban any situation where hunting could 'accidentally' take place, and that is likely to include drag hunting. The trail hunting debacle has shown that the lawless hunts will take on any guise that allows them to continue hunting illegally. I hope I am wrong, but I'm not sure how the wording could be made so watertight that drag hunting could continue without any risk of it being used as a cover by some people.
Woman tells court how she saw 'hounds savage fox in her garden'
Four men deny all charges relating to fox hunts in Hingham and Tittleshall, Norfolk, in 2023.www.bbc.co.uk
Wow that is pretty desperate"Stephen Welford, defending all four men, suggested that what Ms Field had described as a pack of hounds had been a flock of sheep."
Oh.my.dog."Stephen Welford, defending all four men, suggested that what Ms Field had described as a pack of hounds had been a flock of sheep."
I completely agree with your first paragraph, but not so sure about the second one. I have lived in several counties where the majority of the hunts are run by farmers or other working people, and the field is full of various locals, none of whom are upper class or rich. I have also lived near very wealthy hunts, but I don't think the majority are like that, and haven't been for a long time. I suppose that perception is possibly more important than reality for the press and general public though, and large numbers of them seem to think that anyone who owns a horse is rich and posh, so I can see why that opinion extends to hunting.
Is that why they race home?? Oh my dog that's so sad
Its a bit different when probably 80% are using trail hunting as a smokescreen.
Fair point but not drag hunts.
I can not speak for drag hunts as we do not have one in the area. we do however have a "" Trail hunt"" who do most certainly and obviously use it to hunt and kill foxes as well as causing disruption on the roads, upsetting livestock and killing pets.
No, they race home because they have a homing instinct. And like sheep dogs have been bred for years for that instinct.Is that why they race home?? Oh my dog that's so sad
Will it really though? I'm not sure it will go down because drag hunters haven't taken the moral high ground (and absolutely, they should). I think it will be because both types are tarred with the same brush, mostly though ignorance of the difference between the two.
Their having a strong homing instinct doesn't make exploiting it for fun any more (or at all) ethical. Racing pigeons frequently meet unpleasant fates on their way home or are found exhausted by members of the public. In the same vein my neighbour's collie was run over by a bike as a puppy and has had MSK problems all his life - while she's a brilliant owner who spends a huge amount of time and effort balancing his physical abilities with his mental needs, the fact that he has a strong drive is a real drawback for him given that his body can't really stand up to it. Breeding these strong drives into animals and then exploiting them could be considered really dubious ethically.
So really only pet dogs should be bred? That’s not meant to sound unduly aggressive but if you are going to do any sport with a dog it needs drive.
I guess it comes down to how willing anyone is to use an animal as sporting equipment. We may admire them physically or for their abilities, but we don't have to live in their bodies/heads. When the drive becomes a welfare issue for whatever reason it's the animal that has to suffer for it, even though it doesn't understand *why*. And the stronger the drive, the more likely it will be to cause problems in less than optimum circumstances. I'm only wondering. In a person 'drive' might be considered pathological, almost.