Rock Piles

[fat man 4,741]

Most piles you can dig bud if you have the right crew of lads and the right machinery and tools. i know what your saying mixed grill its not for you that's fair enough but you can just as easily lose a dog in a earth as you can rock, but they aren't ornaments bud they are there to work, you take the chance of losing your dog every time you loosen that collar.

I have never worked what you call rock places,maybe a few places with a few big rocks but nothing hectic,lol but i reckon a deep sandy earth is every bit as dangerous as the rocks even though you can dig to the terrier,a lot of things can happen in the sand especially running sand.

[stop.end 4,079]

All round the Northwest of Donegal from the very tip on the coastline in malin head where you can see scotland along the ROCKS for 10 years and still do and plenty of folk on this site know its rocky and hunt it also to pettigo which is still lowland rock country. But its nowhwere near like what the welsh/scotch men run...to muck and re claimed lands in the north of Donegal Fatman if you up this way let me know and ill show you a few spots.

Now Neil if you have a problem with me and what I say take it to PM...and stop stalking me like an ex GF ya weirdo.. I was just 45 miles from your house 3 weeks ago and you knew I would be there you should have come and spoke to me personally... grow up man... its like your wring a portfolio on me ffs!

Edited August 5, 2016 by stop.end

[jiggy 3,209]

The bedlingtons that worked rocks were they big dogs or smaller than the types now and even though if they got to fox and killed it what happened if they couldnt get there would they stay and die trying to push on or would they come away after a few hours. I admire these rock dogs and i think the earth diggers probably think a stayer wouldnt get the job done and class the rock dog as a jacker. For example a young late born fox in september goes to ground in a cliff face would you drop in a large type bedlington fox slayer with little chance of pushing on and risk losing the dog. Its an interesting topic and lads should ask genuine questions to get genuine answers instead of playing the what i have is better than yours games.

[Treehands. 1,379]

Fat mans right, there's no bigger threat to digger and dog than in loose sand.

Even worse if it's an embankment,

I don't think anyone would openly sacrifice a moderate terrier never mind a

top class one if that's what your asking.

If you work terriers in any ground its inevitable that one day the quarry will be the victor,

wether it's rock , sand , concrete or drain.

[tank34 2,291]

The bedlingtons that worked rocks were they big dogs or smaller than the types now and even though if they got to fox and killed it what happened if they couldnt get there would they stay and die trying to push on or would they come away after a few hours. I admire these rock dogs and i think the earth diggers probably think a stayer wouldnt get the job done and class the rock dog as a jacker. For example a young late born fox in september goes to ground in a cliff face would you drop in a large type bedlington fox slayer with little chance of pushing on and risk losing the dog. Its an interesting topic and lads should ask genuine questions to get genuine answers instead of playing the what i have is better than yours games.

i think the bedlingtons lads have for rock are a hybred type with lakey , fell or border to bring size down with what lads say on here thay work very well in rock mate

[Bosun11 537]

Yup, Treehands is dead right, sand has killed more dogs than rock ever did!

 

As for rock dogs, my first good terrier was born out of rock dogs. Big Kev Stone from Wigan bred him, out of a Tyson dog Jack, to a Cowan bitch Lassie.

Jack was your text book digging dog, a good finder, staying till dug, in big places, a black n tan that was both a looker and a real worker. He looked and worked every inch the line he was from, big boned, hard coated and dead steady. A bayer that loved to get a grip when you broke through.

Lassie was a bit different, though still black n tan, she was light boned, leggy, gassey and a constant pain but could she kill foxes, she hated 'em!! Only her graft kept Kev from banjo'ing this constant pain in the arse. But when you got a bitch that swam up a freezing water filled pipe to destroy her fox, your gonna keep that pain... And that bitch could destroy a fox!

The pup that i got off em, Todd, threw more to that Cowan bitch, than the Tyson dog.

Leggy, gassy, with a obvious Bedlington top knot.

As he grew, Kev and a few of the lads in the old Wigan Club would tell me of that dogs real worth, in rock but to me that type of graft lived in old books...

I'd used him local and dug a few foxes when i got the offer of a day with Kev and the Wigan lads.

I'd just passed my test, 17 and green as grass. Drove to Wigan, loaded up boxes, spades of all types, bars and coats, boxes and boots, till my 60 quid Vauxhall Chevette was rammed to burstin..!

My Todd dog staying out of the boxes for the trip and perching on the back of Big Kev's seat and constantly whining down his ear. By ten miles up the road Kev was gonna kill that dog!!!

 

I was a kid back then and remember going through Darwen before stopping at a big dissued old quarry but i have no idea where we were. It was a big slab sided quarry and we tried the earths at the bottom first. Nice easy one first, bit of gorse, one big boulder and shaĺlow, Jack was put in and was fast on to his fox. We'd got nets on and 'boom'! Fox hits nets. Jack's out bit peppered but full of himself and fox goes to run. We move on, Lassie's next and we try a few specks but nothings home. Last place to maybe try and it goes into the bottom of the rock walls. 'Give that thing of yours a go Paul'?

Now, i'm green as grass but i know when my pants are being pulled down. 'f**k Off Kev', i said but he gives me some 'ol blarney about my dog being a rock dog and in a flash my pride and joy is fireing through the gap and out of sight...

I'll never forget that wait... I thought i'd never see him again!

I could hear him deep, right fown in the gap and all i was thinking was what i'm gonna go home and say...

Suddenly "BOOM"! Todd's on and the noise is close. He's on it for a while and then we hear a scramble. Over to the right a flash of movement and Todd's got a grip on a fox thats almost breaking out!!

Big Kev's over there faster than i ever thought he could move and scruffs the jaw to jaw fox and pulls that and Todd free..

I wakes up enough to here his cries and legs over to choke Todd off...

 

We drove home with the terriers in boxes bar Todd, who perched on the back of Kevs seat and whined and pissed Kev off all trip but that Todd dog had made the difference and worked rock.

Kev always said i owned a dog that should always work rock as it was 'part cat'.

I'd confirm this as the dog went on to work in all sorts of situations, from rock to them big sand Cheshire places.

This is a young me and my dog Todd from back then...

[king 11,841]

Cracking write up bosun.enjoyed reading that mate.

[fat man 4,741]

All round the Northwest of Donegal from the very tip on the coastline in malin head where you can see scotland along the ROCKS for 10 years and still do and plenty of folk on this site know its rocky and hunt it also to pettigo which is still lowland rock country. But its nowhwere near like what the welsh/scotch men run...to muck and re claimed lands in the north of Donegal Fatman if you up this way let me know and ill show you a few spots.

Now Neil if you have a problem with me and what I say take it to PM...and stop stalking me like an ex GF ya weirdo.. I was just 45 miles from your house 3 weeks ago and you knew I would be there you should have come and spoke to me personally... grow up man... its like your wring a portfolio on me ffs!

Stop End i choose the men i dig with very carefully,and no offence to you but your not one of them,i have mates to show me ground in donegal and most places around the country.Now this thing with yourself and Neil Cooney is starting to get boring,its about time ye put it to rest.You are 1 of the reps for the IWTF in NI and yet your on here bickering like a bitch with Neil on most threads thats started,can you not see that the man is drawing you out and laughing his bolloxs off at the good of it.I am not taking any sides,i dont know you to speak with,i was standing beside you at the show,you had a russell type with you,i know Neil Cooney about 20 years,dug with the man and his Da for a few years,had 1 dig with him last season and that was the 1st in about 13-14 year but i will say 1 thing,he lives for his terriers and always has,does not sell or buy dogs and has gifted many the pup and keeps himself to himself and goes about his buisness descreetly unlike a lot of lads.I dont know what digging you do and truth be told i dont give a toss as long as your happy with your lot and me mine then everyone is happy.

[marshman 7,756]

Enjoyed that best post on here all summer Bosun ?

[HPR 1,160]

Good post mate nice dog to

[Kaizer Sozĕ 266]

Good post Bosun. It brings me to a question, slightly off the topic, "Is there any real working Lakelands left in Ireland or for that matter anywhere?" Never saw 1 work. I remember seeing a couple years ago at Adare gamefair that took my fancy. Rangy harsh broken coated, moderate but strong headed, rough & ready black & tans with plenty of work about them. Now they may not have been up to std. who knows but nice type! Always wondered about them...please dont reply mentioning Gary Midleton or the likes stuff!!

[coco 261]

 

 

Look big rock piles them coco do thay go deep?do you still work the rock mate

yes mate they are deep but that's the area I hunt I've got loads of pics I cud share but don't know how to do it lol

what typ of terrier do you work in the rock coco, it tuck me 5 year to put pic up mate lol

bedlington/ fell mate had them years atb

[tank34 2,291]

Good post bosun did you work a lot of rock ? Todd looked a nice stamp of a terrier is the line still going what Todd was bred from mate

[tank34 2,291]

 

 

 

Look big rock piles them coco do thay go deep?do you still work the rock mate

yes mate they are deep but that's the area I hunt I've got loads of pics I cud share but don't know how to do it lol

what typ of terrier do you work in the rock coco, it tuck me 5 year to put pic up mate lol

bedlington/ fell mate had them years atb

always liked the Beddy type there's just some thing about em I like a lot mate

[Bosun11 537]

Todd had a couple of goes each year Tank. I prefered to dig but when i went with them blokes they had a few specks in old quarrys etc.

That Todd dog came out of two lines, Cyril Tysons and John Cowans. I'd like to think that blood from either line is still knocking about but i have no idea. That photo is from about 1985. Todd never lined anything.