Foxhunter49
Well-Known Member
It all began back in the spring when two bitch pups arrived from the kennels, Rascal and Raindrop. They settled in as the pups do, they learned which of the resident pack would play, which would say they would have nothing to do with the interlopers and which said, No. and meant it.
A call came asking if we would have two Irish hounds. Like an idiot I agreed and two older and twice as big pups arrived. It was all right for a while and then the boys started to beat up on the girls. Bad enough during the day but at night I was soon unamused at having to go down to stop the troubles. The bitches were becoming cowed by the boys. The boys were returned. Not really true, they were collected and two younger pups arrived as replacements. A dog and a bitch Beaumont and Beeswax.
Everything is fine and dandy, they all get on well, happily play together and become firm friends. That is until Racal gets the call of the hill. Raindrop, being very biddable, wanted to go but retuned to call. Not so the two pups, they followed. Rascal returns home thirty minutes later, Beaumont and Beeswax are nearly three hours missing but finally, very tired and very hungry they found their way home.
Walking now became a matter of keeping the Rascal on a lead. This resulted in temper tantrums, she was like a large fish fighting against being landed. She would go straight up and throw herself over on her back all the time screaming. She would just lie there and I would drag her along whilst she was on her back. She soon learned and was happily towing me along our merry way.
Towards the end of July I was taking care of two children, Daisy, 6 and Alex, 10. We set off with all the dogs bar two oldies who decided to stay at home. Daisy wanted to hold Raindrop whilst Alex had two terriers on leads and I had Rascal. We had just set out when Raindrop darted through a young beech hedge.
Give her a good jerk! I call out.
Daisy leaned slightly forward to give a good pull as Raindrop leaped forward.
Ever seen a child go through a hedge with their feet off the ground? I have. By the time Daisy landed, right side up. Raindrop was at a good canter going downhill. Somehow hound went one side of a tree and Daisy the other so both were stopped abruptly.
Much to my amazement Daisy did not cry, something she is prone to do when things do not go her way. I think it was more for concern over my well being because I was gasping for breath with tears running down my cheeks.
I decided to go a different way to usual and we were walking outside of the woods. Alex suddenly calls out that his boot was stuck. He managed to extricate it and listened when I told him to walk on the tussocks of grass. Mean while Daisy had got herself bogged down. Her boots, being shorter were rapidly filling with water. I waded across to help her out. She pulled one foot free leaving the boot under the mud. I am trying to get the boot out and hold onto Rascal. Several of the dogs and the two loose pups think this is a good game and come to assist.
Balancing on one foot, bending over to get the now invisible boot extricated with dogs all milling around, pushing and shoving, without falling flat on my face feels like a great achievement!
I get Daisy out only to find that I am now bogged. It takes more manipulation to get my boot, with foot still in it, free without taking to much weight on the free foot so that gets bogged.
We cleared the boggy area without to much trouble, Daisy and I looked like mud monsters , her feet are squelching in her boots as she walks. Laughing at our state stops any complaints, of being both dirty and uncomfortable. We negotiated wire over a hunt jump and returned home. All dogs with us.
A few days of this walking with Rascal on a rope and it seemed unfair to keep her restrained so I took two extra collars and ropes with the idea of swapping half way, having the three on leads and Rascal loose.
Good idea in theory, not so easy in practice! Catching up and getting collars on wriggling Beaumont and Beeswax, in the middle of a field is not so easy. Swapping the third collar, which was on Rascal, and getting it on Raindrop, whilst the two already caught were trying to play and pull away took some manipulation on my behalf.
That, I thought was the hard part over. How wrong could I be? Holding three hound pups on halter ropes, pulling in three directions, none of them the way I am walking, takes a feat of strength. Holding three pups and remaining upright when they decided to start playing and bundling with each other, takes a feat of agility. Competitors in Strictly have never performed as many steps as I did to avoid falling flat on my face. If they had been on wool and my legs needles, they could have knitted and Aran sweater in the space of a mileI Add to the chaos Rascal bombarding us trying to get one or the other to chase her.
Next morning I decided to do the opposite and set off with the three on leads. That was easier getting the collars and ropes on them whilst in the yard. They were keen to get going so pulled rather than played. I felt so smug with myself as I entered the woods. Loose hound was busy crashing around with my Lab, Border Collie and GSD. The others were more interested in what the loose dogs were doing than playing with each other.
They say, Pride goes before a fall and this was so. A doe suddenly crashes through I scream, Come away, LEAVE IT! which the loose dogs do. Rascal was brought to a halt when the GSD turned and she ran into her but the effect was good, the only problem was the three I had on the ropes charged forward and I could not get a grip on the wet path. They went either side of a hazel pulling me into it. One changed sides consequently tying me to the tree. Untangled I continued. Nearly out of the woods a Charlie decided to have some fun and crossed about twenty yards in front of us. My elderly BC charged from behind and the three followed, as did I. Somehow they stayed on the track, crossed a very muddy stream that I have made a makeshift bridge over by throwing branches into it, I neednt have bothered, because somehow I managed to clear it in one.
By this time I am running faster than I ever thought I could. My strides were getting longer, no mean feat on a slippery path. Somehow I managed to grab a tree as I went past and this gave me the brakes I needed. I stopped and the hounds, jerked to a standstill with a gasp. They gained their wind before I did, and were soon tangling each other trying to get after the loose dogs that were in full pursuit across the open field. I was to breathless to do more than issue a feeble shout. They had all disappeared from sight by the time I was able to call to them.
I dragged the three along the path knowing that my dogs would return soon enough and hoped Rascal would stay with them.
Much to my surprise before I had walked much further, the dogs appeared running back to me. I kid myself not that they were being obedient because they were being chased by a herd of cattle.
I was relieved to get out of the woods and catch Rascal and let the three loose. I had bloody scratches on my arms and hands, my knees were weakened and I felt as it my arms had been lengthened by at least six inches.
Of course I could send the two older pups back to the kennels but they are such a lovely couple and if you have one couple why not two? I have lost weight, got fitter and am thinking of entering all four and me in for Heeling to Music after all we have movements that no other dog has ever attempted.
Over the last few weeks Rascal seems to have caught on to the fact that if she remains with me she can stay off lead. If she goes off then she is back on a rope. The lure of the hill is there, she looks and starts to go but a call and Wassthis brings her back for a biscuit.
I kid myself not that she is cured she is a Foxhound and the joy (?) of walking them is to see the instinct to hunt coming out as they grow. The challenge is to see how long we can keep them before the worries of them clearing off gets to much.
Each year by the time they are ready to return I think that I will have a break next year, then when the pups start to arrive how can they be resisted? The cycle starts again.
Next year, because my forgetter is stronger than my rememberer, instead of picking out our pups I am going to ask what they are called. I want hounds that are named Peaceful Blissful Careful or Serenity I want no more Handfuls or Rascals!
A call came asking if we would have two Irish hounds. Like an idiot I agreed and two older and twice as big pups arrived. It was all right for a while and then the boys started to beat up on the girls. Bad enough during the day but at night I was soon unamused at having to go down to stop the troubles. The bitches were becoming cowed by the boys. The boys were returned. Not really true, they were collected and two younger pups arrived as replacements. A dog and a bitch Beaumont and Beeswax.
Everything is fine and dandy, they all get on well, happily play together and become firm friends. That is until Racal gets the call of the hill. Raindrop, being very biddable, wanted to go but retuned to call. Not so the two pups, they followed. Rascal returns home thirty minutes later, Beaumont and Beeswax are nearly three hours missing but finally, very tired and very hungry they found their way home.
Walking now became a matter of keeping the Rascal on a lead. This resulted in temper tantrums, she was like a large fish fighting against being landed. She would go straight up and throw herself over on her back all the time screaming. She would just lie there and I would drag her along whilst she was on her back. She soon learned and was happily towing me along our merry way.
Towards the end of July I was taking care of two children, Daisy, 6 and Alex, 10. We set off with all the dogs bar two oldies who decided to stay at home. Daisy wanted to hold Raindrop whilst Alex had two terriers on leads and I had Rascal. We had just set out when Raindrop darted through a young beech hedge.
Give her a good jerk! I call out.
Daisy leaned slightly forward to give a good pull as Raindrop leaped forward.
Ever seen a child go through a hedge with their feet off the ground? I have. By the time Daisy landed, right side up. Raindrop was at a good canter going downhill. Somehow hound went one side of a tree and Daisy the other so both were stopped abruptly.
Much to my amazement Daisy did not cry, something she is prone to do when things do not go her way. I think it was more for concern over my well being because I was gasping for breath with tears running down my cheeks.
I decided to go a different way to usual and we were walking outside of the woods. Alex suddenly calls out that his boot was stuck. He managed to extricate it and listened when I told him to walk on the tussocks of grass. Mean while Daisy had got herself bogged down. Her boots, being shorter were rapidly filling with water. I waded across to help her out. She pulled one foot free leaving the boot under the mud. I am trying to get the boot out and hold onto Rascal. Several of the dogs and the two loose pups think this is a good game and come to assist.
Balancing on one foot, bending over to get the now invisible boot extricated with dogs all milling around, pushing and shoving, without falling flat on my face feels like a great achievement!
I get Daisy out only to find that I am now bogged. It takes more manipulation to get my boot, with foot still in it, free without taking to much weight on the free foot so that gets bogged.
We cleared the boggy area without to much trouble, Daisy and I looked like mud monsters , her feet are squelching in her boots as she walks. Laughing at our state stops any complaints, of being both dirty and uncomfortable. We negotiated wire over a hunt jump and returned home. All dogs with us.
A few days of this walking with Rascal on a rope and it seemed unfair to keep her restrained so I took two extra collars and ropes with the idea of swapping half way, having the three on leads and Rascal loose.
Good idea in theory, not so easy in practice! Catching up and getting collars on wriggling Beaumont and Beeswax, in the middle of a field is not so easy. Swapping the third collar, which was on Rascal, and getting it on Raindrop, whilst the two already caught were trying to play and pull away took some manipulation on my behalf.
That, I thought was the hard part over. How wrong could I be? Holding three hound pups on halter ropes, pulling in three directions, none of them the way I am walking, takes a feat of strength. Holding three pups and remaining upright when they decided to start playing and bundling with each other, takes a feat of agility. Competitors in Strictly have never performed as many steps as I did to avoid falling flat on my face. If they had been on wool and my legs needles, they could have knitted and Aran sweater in the space of a mileI Add to the chaos Rascal bombarding us trying to get one or the other to chase her.
Next morning I decided to do the opposite and set off with the three on leads. That was easier getting the collars and ropes on them whilst in the yard. They were keen to get going so pulled rather than played. I felt so smug with myself as I entered the woods. Loose hound was busy crashing around with my Lab, Border Collie and GSD. The others were more interested in what the loose dogs were doing than playing with each other.
They say, Pride goes before a fall and this was so. A doe suddenly crashes through I scream, Come away, LEAVE IT! which the loose dogs do. Rascal was brought to a halt when the GSD turned and she ran into her but the effect was good, the only problem was the three I had on the ropes charged forward and I could not get a grip on the wet path. They went either side of a hazel pulling me into it. One changed sides consequently tying me to the tree. Untangled I continued. Nearly out of the woods a Charlie decided to have some fun and crossed about twenty yards in front of us. My elderly BC charged from behind and the three followed, as did I. Somehow they stayed on the track, crossed a very muddy stream that I have made a makeshift bridge over by throwing branches into it, I neednt have bothered, because somehow I managed to clear it in one.
By this time I am running faster than I ever thought I could. My strides were getting longer, no mean feat on a slippery path. Somehow I managed to grab a tree as I went past and this gave me the brakes I needed. I stopped and the hounds, jerked to a standstill with a gasp. They gained their wind before I did, and were soon tangling each other trying to get after the loose dogs that were in full pursuit across the open field. I was to breathless to do more than issue a feeble shout. They had all disappeared from sight by the time I was able to call to them.
I dragged the three along the path knowing that my dogs would return soon enough and hoped Rascal would stay with them.
Much to my surprise before I had walked much further, the dogs appeared running back to me. I kid myself not that they were being obedient because they were being chased by a herd of cattle.
I was relieved to get out of the woods and catch Rascal and let the three loose. I had bloody scratches on my arms and hands, my knees were weakened and I felt as it my arms had been lengthened by at least six inches.
Of course I could send the two older pups back to the kennels but they are such a lovely couple and if you have one couple why not two? I have lost weight, got fitter and am thinking of entering all four and me in for Heeling to Music after all we have movements that no other dog has ever attempted.
Over the last few weeks Rascal seems to have caught on to the fact that if she remains with me she can stay off lead. If she goes off then she is back on a rope. The lure of the hill is there, she looks and starts to go but a call and Wassthis brings her back for a biscuit.
I kid myself not that she is cured she is a Foxhound and the joy (?) of walking them is to see the instinct to hunt coming out as they grow. The challenge is to see how long we can keep them before the worries of them clearing off gets to much.
Each year by the time they are ready to return I think that I will have a break next year, then when the pups start to arrive how can they be resisted? The cycle starts again.
Next year, because my forgetter is stronger than my rememberer, instead of picking out our pups I am going to ask what they are called. I want hounds that are named Peaceful Blissful Careful or Serenity I want no more Handfuls or Rascals!
Oh that brings back memories!! I walked the little poppets for 10 years and had to give up when I went to work in London. And when I returned home, I had started horse breeding and just didn't have the energy.