Testing Times..

[FUJI 17,327]

Back in September of 2018 I bred a litter of pups from my lurcher Boots,he's basically a 5/8 Grey & 3/8 Saluki & a 5/8 Grey 3/8 Bull bitch called Roxy my son owns..last season was obviously their 1st working & to say it's been a rollercoaster of a ride with them would be an understatement,the dog pup Bear started away beautifully,taking everything in his stride no matter what I put in front of him,he's a big brute of a dog standing 28tts & weighing 43.19kg or 93lb in layman's terms, fantastic temperament on him,just a lovely dog to have around,sadly in December he broke his neck just above his shoulder blades in a hunting accident which was confirmed by an x-ray & left him totally paralysed,the vet advised putting him to sleep on several occasions but I didn't want to give up on him without giving him a chance,in my younger days I know for sure i'd of took the vets advice. He was prescribed Tramadol & very strong steroids & I'm not going to lie for over a month it was real hard work,I never got to see my bed for a single night,I had to turn him every two hours to try and avoid sores,he still got them! I had to move his legs constantly back and forth with him just lying unable to move,hand feeding him & using a syringe to get fluids into him,he was peeing and crapping himself so it was an ever enduring task trying to keep him clean & his bedding,we had to learn him to stand again,just holding him upright for a minute at a time every hour of the day until he could stand himself and even then he could only stand for a few seconds before losing his balance & ending up in a heap on the floor. When he was strong enough to drag himself across the floor it got worse! He would drag himself from the tiled kitchen floor right through his pee & crap and it was horrendous! In one week he made it through into my living room when i was out with the other dogs dragging his mess all over my carpet,i had to get professional carpet cleaners in 4 times in one week! On another occasion he got jammed in the open door and chewed the door casing to matchsticks! After about 5 weeks we began to learn him to walk,it was a case of two of us holding him up and lifting one leg at a time and putting it in front of the other, with being such a big dog it was real hard work for all concerned but we eventually got him back to walking a bit like a baby giraffe,he had no coordinaton whatsoever in his ability to both stand or walk,it's been an emotional few months that's for sure but today he's back enjoying life,he can run absolutely fine,can jump fences,7 bar gates etc no problem at all,he won't ever get to fulfill his potential but his enthusiasm for the game has never faultered & he will still get to see plenty of action of that i have no doubt in the forthcoming seasons,his sister i also have Rose well initially she was so nervy i honestly didn't think she would do anything when it came to hunting,even getting her into the motor was a mission or even leading her up,she was that bad but with a lot of repetitive work of getting her in & out the motor etc we finally managed to curb that nervy streak in her,starting her off working well that was stressful too,if she caught or missed a rabbit getting her back on the leash was another thing but again after a couple of trips out lamping she came to & settled into her work without issue..she still has her flaws but towards the seasons end she was absolutely flying & I'm hoping this season will really see her coming to the fore, she will probably be my number one runner now so i hope she does as I hope..Bear was the pup that showed great potential from his very first foray & I had reason to believe he could of been quite special & I know for sure he will still put plenty of gear to bed but you have to be realistic and say he wont ever be the dog he may of been pre accident..so here's hoping for an injury free season in 20/21..looking forward to it,my little Pom Ruby will be 14 years old within the next few days but she's still going strong and she too will be back for another season in & amongst the mountains throughout the country alongside one or two of the runners..All the best folks..don't ever give up, at least not without trying first

[FUJI 17,327]

Rose

[FUJI 17,327]

Bear

[lurchers 2,845]

After all that mate I hope it all comes right for you he looks a nice strong thing and there isn’t many people that would of put that much time into a dog after that accident atb for the season mate you deserve it after all that.

[dogmad riley 1,344]

Some real nice dogs there built for job 

hats off to you for sticking by him and am sure he will reward you back. 

best of luck you deserve it 

[Phil Lloyd ? 5]

The lurcher game is not easy Respect to you for sticking by a pal

[poxon 5,741]

Good read Fuji Hope the dog does some business for you this season pal an fair play I’ve had a bit of poor luck my self over the last few seasons it’s not easy but you have to keep pushing forward in this game an do what you feel right by you not what others would do if they were in the situation 

[Shadow100 1,066]

Had a bad season myself last year but things can only get better, best of luck with both of them

Edited July 18, 2020 by Shadow100

[stormyboy 1,352]

Respect to you for sticking with your pal,been in the same boat myself. All the more rewarding for man and dog when they recover from serious injury and can be by your side.

[Black neck 16,009]

Fair play 

[Bobtheferret 1,248]

To many people are happy to just give up on dogs, people, work etc fantastic to read about the effort you put in to that dog and even better that it paid off. Good luck for the season you bloody deserve it! 

[FUJI 17,327]

This was him after breaking his neck..

[FUJI 17,327]

[FUJI 17,327]

[FUJI 17,327]

This was what I had to endure constantly for weeks..