cruz

It was about Xmas 1958 I don't get dressed up to go pugging. Next time, I'll wear my moleskins , cords,and have a shave.

It was one of my old Dad's ,so lay off.

Have you ever used recharge?

Humans get their energy from carbohydrates ,dogs get most of theirs from fats. I would give the dog an electrolyte drink such as Recharge,which can be bought from greyhound suppliers, a glucose tab would do no harm , failing that honey and water mixed beforehand is a mainstay.At 10 you need to be realistic about the dog's capabilities, and keep a look out for signs of flagging/loss of drive etc.

Nothing , never found use for it.

Basil Brush ,Ba - boom!

I didn't post the pics but I know the quality of the dog mentioned in them ,and the quality of it's owner. On that note why don't we let it rest? Good Hunting Cruz.

No, I have no idea as to your abilities at rabbit control,I cannot judge that, as I haven't been out with you , but your comments on running two dogs together do not inspire me with confidence . I can judge you on your comments regarding our dogs conditioning however , and on that I do think you are clueless . If I seem reluctant to be "smoothed over " ,it is because I resent my partners name ,and, by association my own being traduced by some one who neither knows us , our dogs ,how they are worked or ,how they are kept and fed. Yours in Sport. Cruz.

Thanks for your comments. Work commitments mean Magwitch has only weekends to get out and about, I am usually out every day with the juks.

I have to view your confident assurance that you have "some knowledge of the subject" with scepticism ,because neither of the dogs Magwitch pictured are" pure running dog" as you call it. Ted is a quarter bedlington, Smokey is a quarter bedlington,a quarter collie a half whippet. In other words both are lurchers ,one with terrier blood infused into the sight hound the other with both terrier and pastoral,[ collie,] blood. The fact that you failed to spot this ,makes me dubious about your claims of expertise. The only time I would not run two dogs on quarry from choice, would be if coursing was still legal ,and if I were a lamping . The picture you paint of horrifc collisions when two dogs are on one quarry is simply a very rare occurence otherwise all the doubled handed greyhound courses of the past ,[and those still occurring in other countries,] would end in disaster. This again makes me wonder just how much actual work with dogs you do? Neither do our dogs fight over their catch, in fact they retrieve together as, I believe, past pictures posted by Magwitch will verify. I don't wish to disparage your catch rate , after all you can only catch what is there, but 8 rabbits is nothing to shout from the roof tops ,and the only reason we are not taking big numbers on the farm featured in the pictures is ,because the dogs have caught a large proportion of them . Your comments bring to my mind an old adage," a little learning is a dangerous thing" The next time you want to state that Magwitch or myself are inadvertently painting Lurcher work in a negative light by posting pictures of under weight dogs I suggest you stop and think about it first. from where I am sitting you are "The Biter Bit",and on the ****.

As the rabbiting partner of Magwitch, and the owner of Smokey the blue dog pictured with Ted ,his whippet cross, I take exception to your comments,, may I say Ted is in top notch running condition, ready, willing, and more than able to bush and flush cover , bolting and hoovering up rabbits all day long. He is a perpetual dynamo ,never stopping,scenting up bunnies and catching a good 80% of those he bolts .His catch rate is the best I have seen and his prey drive is fantastic. He is cared for with dedication, and fed very good quality mince and meal, this is reflected in his performance in the field I have judged lurchers at many shows over the years including the England Championship three times and run my hands over hundreds of dogs,so I hope I have some knowledge of a dogs optimum condition. The picture you put up of your red dog ,shows a dog that has no particular claims to good conformation at all,it appears a cloddy type of collie cross,of course photos can be deceiving,but I assume you have picked one that you consider, shows your dog off to his advantage,he appears short coupled , short and thick necked [a common fault with lurchers that have thrown to the collie side]. He also appears ,[from what is visible of it ,]to have what we call an over furnished tail. Too much substance for the length of his leg gives him a mongrelish appearance .And he is too short in the back. I am sure you think the world of him ,but if you throw stones, expect to get them thrown back In soft condition, with no condition lines visible on the flanks or quarters, and not a trace of a rib showing ,in short he is not in what I consider top running condition. He may give a decent account of himself on a few ferreted bunnies short runs , with usually a rest in between, but I very much doubt he would be up to a full days work with our dogs " I own running dogs" you say ,well I do too, and have done for 42 years,I have worked them in 8 counties of this country and coursed with some success, with 4 top clubs for many years when it was legal , so I hope I may be allowed my views. In short, I don't think you know what you are talking about really.CRUZ

How's that lamping going down your end LB? Been out recently?

It does look like a cut, but its actually a leaf, if you look at the later pics ,further down, you can see it's gone.I wouldn't run a dog with an injury like that.

Well done ,never forget my first french!

I received my copy of Jonathan Darcy's latest book ,"The Hare and the Swift Hound ",on Friday . Just finished it. It is a photographic record, coupled with pertinent comments,of the eternal duel between our greatest mammalian athlete, The Brown Hare,and its pursuer,the specialist bred long dog. This is a book about coursing,and the dogs, and men ,that took part in it,[preban]. As such it is unsurpassed, both in the quality ,and the clarity of the photos, inside it. The photos of hares, are simply the best I have ever seen.They show Lepus in his natural habitat ,in full flight, ,at play, safe in his form,and stretching his legs , ears back, in front of top class dogs. Dynamic action shots of great dogs ,doing what they have been bred to do for centuries, illustrate the magnificent spectacle that is single handed coursing. Darcy's photos put you right in the action,in field ,and fen,,after looking at them, you actually feel you were there. Jonathan has raised the bar, and set a new benchmark for running dog photography. Added to the stunning pictures, are enlightening interviews with two men ,who need no introduction to coursing aficionados. Alan Sankey & Craig Nuttall. Recaps of their early days,and their triumphs in top competition are discussed, as well as the great dogs that achieved them. Anyone who has an interest in coursing ,and or Lurcherwork ,will love this book. What a great Xmas present it would make? Luckily for me, Xmas has come early ! Cruz --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That would be it thank you.

Does anyone know how the charity auction is going? I am interested in the pen and ink drawing of the dogs ,as one of them is my dog Smokey.

Most of the hares look "big",how many were in young?

I think it might be best if we leave that to your imagination.

When we gutted that dozen, only one had the start of youngsters in it.

My girlfriend thinks Smokey, [the blue dog], looks like a Bill Sykes dog,but he is whippet/collie/ beddie x whippet beddie. The little black flyer Ted,is a beddie x whippet.

I'm sure we are all suitably envious of Mr Flock! Cruz.

At my age I would rather not see pictures of me at all, but Pat is rather bashful.As for Mrs Sweepy, who wouldnt want to see pictures of her? Cruz

MrsS .I am neither young nor a Gentleman,but if my hunting partner brings his camera Sat I will give you another wave!

Well I'm sixty, so I dont qualify ?Thanks for the rejection, no more waves in photos for you