What is a hound's life like?

[Fits]

I'm mostly a lurker here. I have hunted in the past and am pro hunting. I own two rescued lurchers, and since I have them, I've been wondering what a hound's life is like. I know they're normally fostered out as pups, but what happens during their working life? and after their hunting days are over? How many litters would the bitches have...

Would anyone care to shed light on this?

 

[loony_anti]

If they're no good a hunting they're shot.

 

[severnmiles]

Which is alot better than you do-gooders trying to rehome hounds which wouldn't settle as a pet in a family environment. Bang...and they know nothing of it.

 

[severnmiles]

Firstly welcome to HHO! We're mostly a good bunch but you get the odd trolls that come on here to cause trouble!

As you say, pups are usually handed out to various puppy walkers over the summer months, they learn a bit about life and come back to kennels when the walkers are fed up with them! Some in the autumn of that same year and others next spring.

What do you mean by your question 'what happens during their working life?', once in the main pack they'll go out on hound parades during the summer, the best ones will be shown, come autumn they'll be out on hound exercise and eventually cubbing(autumn sock hunting) and then proper hunting, if a small pack they might be out 2days a week.

Only the best bitches are bred from.

After they finish hunting most are PTS, its only fair really, they can't be rehomed and to leave them in kennels wouldn't be realistic and a life without hunting would probably be a life they wouldn't wish to live. However I know of some exceptional hounds that have been kept.

 

[Fits]

After they finish hunting most are PTS, its only fair really, they can't be rehomed and to leave them in kennels wouldn't be realistic and a life without hunting would probably be a life they wouldn't wish to live. However I know of some exceptional hounds that have been kept.

Thanks for your informative reply severnmiles.
I honestly dont believe that being PTS is the worst thing that can happen to a hound/dog. A lot of the greyhounds bred here in Ireland end up horribly in Spain, I'd much rather see them being PTS here than strangled by gypsies abroad. However, I cant quite accept that hounds arent suitable for rehoming. A lot of rescues seem to have a good success with rehoming foxhounds. Are you sure its not a prejudice similar to 'all greyhounds eat little kids and furry animals' ?
In fairness though I'd also rather they were pts than rehomed to anyone who wanted them.

The reason I asked the question is because I'm also on a dog rescue forum, where one of the members had rescued a harrier bitch. And said 'she was probably dumped by the hunt after a life of breeding puppies'. I just didnt know enough about how hounds live to argue otherwise.

 

[k9h]

A Hunt wouldn't dump a hound when they can PTS also the hounds are traceable back to them from the tattoo in their ears. One ear will have the hunts initials & the other ear will have an id code for that particular hound. Our Huntsman my OH tried to home one of his old hounds that he had bred (he had also bred its parents & them before that & also bred from this Hound). First 2 weeks he loved it sleeping infront of the fire. Then he started to pine to be back with his pack, he wouldn't eat or settle he went through the TV & then jumped through a window that wasn't open to get back to the pack. So in the end he had to be pts. If the person who has bred the hound & know it all its life can't rehome it then how can someone who knows nothing about it?? You can't leave them in the pack as the younger hounds will start fights fighting for alpha spot so it is the only far thing to the hound & at least then you know they aren't going to get passed from home to home & end up neglected or dumped. Harriers are'nt as quite as Foxhounds either their alot sharper so will be interesting how the lady manages (no offense to Foxhounds!)

 

[hornblower]

Some hounds are sucessfully rehomed, i have four.

 

[severnmiles]

Foxhounds?

 

[Fits]

I wouldnt dismiss every hound as unsuitable for rehoming on the basis of one story huntress.... I think that opinion is as much down to prejudice as it is to the hounds themselves. Lots of foxhounds, harriers and beagles are rehomed, according to the rescue websites.
Either way, I would rather see hounds being pts than sold on to unsavoury folk.

Any pics of your lot hornblower?

 

[milor]

My neighbour has 3 rehomed hounds - all succesfully settled in their new life.

Otterhounds/deerhounds/bloodhounds/swedish foxhounds ( Hamilstonstovare), Beagles etc are all now successful as family pets despite their instinctive desire to hunt.

The analogy with the racing world is a good one - it sems that wherever dogs are seen as tools of the trade they can be disposed of with impunity - and at around half their natural life span.

I am involved in the dog showing world - can you imagine the outcry if I and all other breeders killed any dogs that did not make the grade as show dogs ? - it simply would not be accepted - if you breed dogs then YOU are responsible for their welfare - and this does not include killing them when they become no longer viable or an inconvenience.

 

[druid]

Some of the older dogs will be returned to thier puppy walkers to live out thier days, other will be PTS if they are not suitable for rehoming