Should have listened to the gods.

[Moll. 1,770]

Out for a night tonight lamping with Woodga. He kindly offered to run one of my dogs again so i would not have to choose which one to take out

Loaded the 2 dogs into the back of the truck to keep them quiet whilst i got the lamps and gear together. Put the terriers out in the farmyard to do toilet, next thing i hear.....the terrier bitches are fighting.

I now have one terrier screaming the place down holding her front leg out, with puncture holes all around the top of it, and another with holes to her face!

So back indoors, a bit of feed and painkillers, phoned Woodga to tell him i would be late!

Finally got everything loaded, one terrier locked, here, another there and off i go.

Now because i was later than planned i hit rush hour on the A1, and to make matters worse, encountered 3 abnormal load lorries with yellow flashing lights at various stretches, making me even more late, and even more stressed

 

So.....eventually we hit the first field, a very small field. And the night was perfect, in this field alone, Woodga got 5 with Boo, and i got 6 with Rudie, things were finally looking up and i felt all the tension go

 

We then drove just a short way up the road to another spot, planning to lamp about 2 mile further south on one side of the road cross over then lamp the other side back to the truck. These fields were very poor compared to the first one, very little out even though Woodga has left these fields alone all season, and what was there was very lamp shy. But we trudged on, up and down hills. Rudie got another one. Then i spotted one in some reeds making its way back out into the field, i was on the right side of the field, Woodga and Boo on the left, lamped it and slipped Rudie, all going well till it made its way up hill and out of my sight, at this pooint Woodga took over the lamping for him, and a split second later heard the squeal, heart in my stomach time, i could not see him and he had not returned, of course i feared the worst.

A minute or so later he appeared over the brow, limping on his front left leg. All Woodga had seen was him go down as if to strike at the rabbit. He had a gash on his left knuckle, cut to his right toes, and more on his chest and upper legs. When we went to check there were fallen boulders from the dry stome walls littered in the field. It looks like he had gone to strike at the same time he encountered the rocks. We continued on a bit further to see if it would 'walk off' as some injuries do, but the swelling made it apparent it was not going to, although it did not stop him wanting to and nearly had Woodga off his feet a time or two.

We still crossed over the road and i lamped with Boo back to the truck, and got another 3. The highlight of the night for me...yes there was one! Boo striking through a wire fence to grab a rabbit after it had made it's escape, he has definitely overcome his fence/hedge reluctance

The journey home was deafening, either Rudie has badly injured his leg or the adrenolin decrease has let the big lump know he has an injury....he is a bit of a drama queen! But he literally screamed on and off the whole 2hrs going home

 

Then finally when i got home, i found some of my newly hatched chicks had got stuck away from the electric hen and were lying dead.

 

Rudie is now in the porta mag dosed up with Rimadyl, and i will see tommorrow, how he has faired. Fingers crossed it is nothing serious, never had a knuckle injury on a dog before so do not know how easily they are badly damaged, but the hit the rock hard enough for it to split the skin.

 

A massive thank you to Woodga for spending the time and energy to take my dog out for me tonight, even if it did not go as we had hoped.

Thank you.

 

 

Here's hoping that is all of my bad luck for the forseeable future used up in one night

[reddawn 2,173]

hope the dog is up an about in no time, well done moll, keep at em

[Westy76 546]

Nice write up and hope he's better soon

[trinder 127]

Hope dog makes quick and full recovery , nice bag too wasnt all bad

Atb Trinder

[Ginny Spinner 455]

Hope the dogs better soon Moll. Still a good bag and nice to be out

[thee undertaker 78]

not done bad there 15 rabbits . . . . im lucky to get 6-7 round my neck of the woods atb . . .

[The Duncan 802]

I feel for you moll, injured dogs n dead chicks in the same night!

At least you scored some bunnies to salvage the night.

Hope your dogs heal quick M.

Atb

D

[skycat 6,173]

Well, that run of bad luck should now be over: comes in threes, so they say. Hope dogs are OK.

[BEARINATOR 2,864]

Good result Moll, hope the dogs better soon

[stroller 341]

mate i had a very similair day on sunday but nothing was hurt or dead just a run on technical faults and my own stupidity. Hope the dogs are all right

[chartpolski 22,647]

And I was moaning 'cause I had a blank night on tuesday !! At least I had no drama's ! Hope the dog recovers quickly !!

 

Cheers.

[Good Man 196]

Good read that, hope the dog is ok.

[Tyla 3,179]

Some days are just b*****ds, got my fingers crossed for Rudie ATB

[Bosun11 537]

And I was moaning 'cause I had a blank night on tuesday !! At least I had no drama's ! Hope the dog recovers quickly !!

 

Cheers.

 

Me too last night Richie!

Yep Moll, sometimes things just don't pan out like you hope, the ups and downs of this game eh.

 

I wish your dogs a speedy recovery.

[sowhat 1,572]

Hope your dog makes a full and speedy recovery

Nice write up, hopefuly things can only get better