Mick Douglas Norfolk Lurchers

[Colin Smith 8]

Mick was a man of many talents. Over the years and many bottles of home brew my wife and i learnt a lot about a different way of life. He and his wife made pottery and sold it on markets, Acle being one. He bred some of the finest working dogs inc. terriers as well as lurchers. He could make hunting knifes and his leather work was the best. My wife still has a bag he made for her birthday 27yrs ago.

We had a 24 inch lurcher pup to grow up with my son, what she lacked in size, she made up in craftiness, a dog to put food on table day or night. My sons companion for years.

Mick never suffered fools gladly, even going to prison over a matter of principle, he made a mockery out of the judge! No electric just a huge generator, did succumb to the phone. Lost contact over the years....What a man....

[Colin Smith 8]

More memories of Mick.

As we had just moved on to a 3000 acre farm with no keeper, over run with foxes, rabbit and hares. My wife had a good lurcher but my jack was a ratter with queen Anne legs. I replied to an ad for Lakeland x Jack deal done. Off to collect after milking 400 cows! We found the AA phone box and crossed the rail line. Set off through wind and sleet, got totally lost! Then spotted lamp flashing a Morse signal to guide us in.

Met Mick at gate, took one look at Ali and said 'bloody hell woman'! She was 8 months pregnant. A mile walk to what was a marshmans cottage, across a dyke via liger [plank] and greeted by growling, howling hounds on chains, lying in the snow despite having good kennels.

On entering we was greeted by Rolly the Lakeland, the kitchen door was eaten away, thus passion took place. I'll let the mother in but don't move or touch her till she,s ready! She jumped straight on Ali. It was because the Babby in her. Then the banter started, tea for Ali and bottles of Micks special home brew!! Deal shook on pup and left at 2.30, back to start milking at 4.00am.

That was first meet of man seen on tv being sentenced over a right off way issue. Will ad more on yrs to come unless you tell me to stop, Lurchers to come..

[Bosun11 537]

Colin I've took the liberty of doing a bit of editing on your posts, I think they may have been done on a smart phone, I hope they now read right?

Keep posting, its interesting stuff.

[swg dave 334]

 

Really,thats very intresting.He told me about a guy called Dougie cooper,who ran his own pest control company in surrey CTF ? I THINK

he said in lurchers and long dogs pic of dougie dog being slipped in a race,etc.

 

i went over on marshes a few times to visit him.....

 

Thanks for info..

I was a friend of Dougie Cooper, and his pest control company was called

CTF Pest Control, in Sutton in Surrey.He had a field sport shop above the premises

called CTF FIELD SPORTS SUPPLYS

selling just about anything to do with fieldsports. There was loads of black and white

photographs, some of Mick Douglas the fenman,

i noticed he was not wearing shoes,, and loads of top

quality pictures of lamping, ratting, allsorts, his shop was a hunters paradise

and doug new Quite a few charachters.I worked a couple of the game fairs with Dougie

back in the early 80s, and Dougie use to speak of the fenman. Dougie if im right was in the

book Diary Of A Hunter, About his dog Dylan being able to take fox single handed,,

being it a very small beddlington whippet, oh yeah Dougie passed away God Bless him.

I hope this was of some use, Regards SWG DAVE..

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Yeah,..I remember both of these characters,...seems a lifetime ago,...but then,.I suppose it was....

[crowsnest 55]

I met him once at a show, cant remember where but I think he judged one for us, a gent, and that lurcher that poacher 3161 put up, a bloke near me had one, dead spit to that one, a good lamper on the bunnys, this was back in the 80s

[eden 0]

have read a lot about mick douglas proper old school think he was in a plummer video talking about his dogs and walking on the stubble fields in his bare feet

[sandymere 8,263]

looking back it was a different world, some good dogs and good men or is that just the rose tinted glasses of time. Lived in Ipswich for a couple of years back in the late 70’s early ’s, trained as a brickie and whilst on a job in Newmarket bought I a little rough coated fawn smutt, about 22”, from a fella after watching his dogs run one afternoon. That lurcher and I in an old Morris van went all over Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire; although in truth think the van spent as much time broken down by the side of the road as it did on it. I met a fair few sorts including a fella up in Norfolk who didn’t go much on shoes, seemed a nice bloke, praised my dog so must have been sensible lol. Can’t recall his name, in truth probably never asked but guessing it’s the same chap as right part of the country, although was a few without shoes in them days. Twas a golden age.

Edited February 4, 2014 by sandymere

[bunnys 1,228]

great days back then, atb bunnys.

[swg dave 334]

I remember Dougies shop on friday afternoons,

people buying lamps, wax coats, having the right crack, all smoking

rollups, story,s of dogs & dog men, all the latest lamps, second hand airguns

catapult elastic, traps, books, i was only about 14,, 15,, it was fecking brilliant

He also use to sell proper descent dealer boots

from Northhampton, they were pukka, they really were the good old days for me

and the fields were full o rabbits..

A bygone age..

[Tratante 92]

Hi all,

 

I knew Doug Cooper (he was at my wedding in 1986) very well and had many a mad moments on the broads with 'barefoot' Mick Douglas. Doug had a 3/4 bed, whip and won many shows with him even at Lambourne which is now long gone. Doug died of aggressive cancer due to the chemical he used on wasp nests. I once asked Mick how many goats he had and he took a summons from the table and said 63, both guys were legends and the fun we had was crazy. Mark Ripley was alive then and if anyone remembers him and mad Jim you can imagine what we used to get up to, Mark was shot by his wife in a pub in Wandsworth near to where we used to go ratting and mad Jim blew the yard up with his new fangled idea of vaporizing petrol and pumping it down the rat holes before lighting it.

 

Can't wait to get back to the UK and get a decent Patterdale Dog which will be late August..

[Tratante 92]

 

Really,thats very intresting.He told me about a guy called Dougie cooper,who ran his own pest control company in surrey CTF ? I THINK

he said in lurchers and long dogs pic of dougie dog being slipped in a race,etc.

 

i went over on marshes a few times to visit him.....

 

Thanks for info..

I was a friend of Dougie Cooper, and his pest control company was called

CTF Pest Control, in Sutton in Surrey.He had a field sport shop above the premises

called CTF FIELD SPORTS SUPPLYS

selling just about anything to do with fieldsports. There was loads of black and white

photographs, some of Mick Douglas the fenman,

i noticed he was not wearing shoes,, and loads of top

quality pictures of lamping, ratting, allsorts, his shop was a hunters paradise

and doug new Quite a few charachters.I worked a couple of the game fairs with Dougie

back in the early 80s, and Dougie use to speak of the fenman. Dougie if im right was in the

book Diary Of A Hunter, About his dog Dylan being able to take fox single handed,,

being it a very small beddlington whippet, oh yeah Dougie passed away God Bless him.

I hope this was of some use, Regards SWG DAVE..

 

Dave, that dog Dylan took too many foxes and used to yap, now my dog Solo used to outgun Dylan at all levels but couldn't win at shows due to only having one ball. BTW, if Doug or Mick could read this they world laugh......

[Tratante 92]

Mick was a man of many talents. Over the years and many bottles of home brew my wife and i learnt a lot about a different way of life. He and his wife made pottery and sold it on markets, Acle being one. He bred some of the finest working dogs inc. terriers as well as lurchers. He could make hunting knifes and his leather work was the best. My wife still has a bag he made for her birthday 27yrs ago.

We had a 24 inch lurcher pup to grow up with my son, what she lacked in size, she made up in craftiness, a dog to put food on table day or night. My sons companion for years.

Mick never suffered fools gladly, even going to prison over a matter of principle, he made a mockery out of the judge! No electric just a huge generator, did succumb to the phone. Lost contact over the years....What a man....

Mick used to bathe in the beck running outside his old wind millers croft and in any weather and knew those fens like the back of his hand. When I knew him (late 1970's) he had an old travelers pony which he rode into town now and again.

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Halcyon Days, eh...

[Tratante 92]

 

Really,thats very intresting.He told me about a guy called Dougie cooper,who ran his own pest control company in surrey CTF ? I THINK

he said in lurchers and long dogs pic of dougie dog being slipped in a race,etc.

 

i went over on marshes a few times to visit him.....

 

Thanks for info..

I was a friend of Dougie Cooper, and his pest control company was called

CTF Pest Control, in Sutton in Surrey.He had a field sport shop above the premises

called CTF FIELD SPORTS SUPPLYS

selling just about anything to do with fieldsports. There was loads of black and white

photographs, some of Mick Douglas the fenman,

i noticed he was not wearing shoes,, and loads of top

quality pictures of lamping, ratting, allsorts, his shop was a hunters paradise

and doug new Quite a few charachters.I worked a couple of the game fairs with Dougie

back in the early 80s, and Dougie use to speak of the fenman. Dougie if im right was in the

book Diary Of A Hunter, About his dog Dylan being able to take fox single handed,,

being it a very small beddlington whippet, oh yeah Dougie passed away God Bless him.

I hope this was of some use, Regards SWG DAVE..

 

Do you know John Pickton-Clark?