Boots,Bear & Rose..

[FUJI 17,327]

46 minutes ago, OldPhil said:

Well, we have all survived,...just about...

Keep the faith mate.....

Hope your keeping well Phil,I've just finished reading one of your books AGAIN,whilst reading it I was wondering how you were keeping,I'll never forget in my early year's of keeping running dog's & reading your articles in the Lurcher Journal & the then called Shooting News & taking it all in. I took heed of much what you wrote about & was always intrigued by the collie curs you kept back then. When I got my first heavily saturated collie cross I hoped above anything that it could do some of what yours did,all these year's later & I still have old Don here,the last of my curs,I've never been without one in all those year's since my first. Great dog's,no they were all brilliant working dog's,you were a big influence on the path I took with my lurchers,thankyou for lighting up the way on the road I took. No they aren't for everyone but for me,I loved them & forever will,they & I just worked together like a well oiled machine. Cheers for everything matey.

[paulus 26]

3 hours ago, FUJI said:

Still kicking & breathing mate...just!! My back,hips,knees & ankles are about totally knackered but I still try my best to keep the dog's & myself active. I'm not in the greatest shape myself nowadays Paul so the five dog's I still have will be my last. I couldn't do a young dog justice anymore unfortunately, nothing lasts forever as the saying goes mate. Hope your all keeping well buddy.

I made that decision the other year when the last 3 all went within a 6 month period, Since then i have got fatter and spent a fortune on holidays abroad Lol. 

[FUJI 17,327]

Dad,lad & daughter out & about yesterday at daybreak

[Runner96 514]

Some grand photos and some cracking looking dogs!! 

[FUJI 17,327]

3 minutes ago, Runner96 said:

Some grand photos and some cracking looking dogs!! 

Thanks matey,a bit like myself they have all seen better day's but we keep on keeping on for now,cheers again 

[chartpolski 24,139]

1 minute ago, FUJI said:

Thanks matey,a bit like myself they have all seen better day's but we keep on keeping on for now,cheers again 

Good to see you still at it Andy !

Thought I might have bumped into you at the Horsley show ?

Cheers.

[FUJI 17,327]

31 minutes ago, chartpolski said:

Good to see you still at it Andy !

Thought I might have bumped into you at the Horsley show ?

Cheers.

Hey up matey,how's you keeping? Great to hear from you on here..I was away when Horsley was on bud, hopefully catch up with in a few month's time through there again.. any dog's still there with you bud or not?

[chartpolski 24,139]

3 minutes ago, FUJI said:

Hey up matey,how's you keeping? Great to hear from you on here..I was away when Horsley was on bud, hopefully catch up with in a few month's time through there again.. any dog's still there with you bud or not?

I think I told you I had to get old Delta put down, then the deer cross went the same way,

I was in two minds about getting another dog in as I’m in my 70’s now, but a mate brought a coursing greyhound bitch over from Ireland and lined it with one of his deerhounds and offered to gift me the pick of the bitch pups so I leapt at it and glad I did !

So I’ve got this big thing keeping me busy ,

I only go to the two local hunt shows now, Horsely and the one at Twice Brewed on the military road. Big George from over your way judged the lurchers last time , had a good craic with him .

Cheers.

[FUJI 17,327]

That dog will either keep you going or it'll be the death of you mate ..she's a smart looking thing,you've always loved the deerhound types & stuck with what works best for you. In latter years I've always been drawn to them myself,I've never owned one but I've been out with plenty throughout the year's & I do like them I have to say...I'll try pop over to both those shows then to see you,it's been too long bud..big George is a great lad,I know he's having a lot of health issues at the moment,I was just saying to a friend today I need to pop through to see him & Julie,I have no reason not to I live less than 5 minutes from them. George is the funniest man on this planet honestly,great lad,great character & he's walked the walk with working dog's for a very long time,way back in the 1980's he had a fantastic dog called Tig,serious fox slayer it was..hope all's well & I'll definitely be seeing you soon.

[FUJI 17,327]

Here's Boots on one of the many occasions I've worked him until almost his last breath,the dog has no quit in him,Bear & Rose his pups are exactly the same,all these dog's would lay their life on the line & die trying for me. None are world-beaters but they are trier's & I have no qualms in owning such dog's. On this occasion I travelled over 1000 miles,in fact it was a 1037 mile return trip to test Boots. Within 30 seconds of him exiting the car on arrival at our destination he proceeded to run flat out into an unseen ditch chasing a beastie, honestly when I got to where he was, he was laying horizontal in the ditch with no movement at all. I was fearing the worst but to my amazement after around a minute or so he let out a big gasp,his ribcage lifted & he somehow managed to get to his feet. He walked to me like a drunken sailor who had just gulped down a litre of rum. On checking him over I seen he had a hole in his chest & was obviously battered & bruised. On getting him in the car I decided I'd drive the 500 odd miles straight back home again from the north of Scotland,two hours into the drive I stopped to let him & my little Pom Ruby have a stretch of their legs & to have a pee. As we wandered away from the roadside towards a not too high mountain around 1/4 of a mile from the roadside Boots staggering behind me lifted his head & nosed the air & then immediately went past me at a slow but gathering pace,out of my eyesight he went & when I next caught sight of him he was almost at the summit some 30-40 yard's behind a big old beast. Ruby & I began the ascent & it must of been almost a hour before we crested the highline where we seen Boots go over. We scoured the vast plateau looking to see if we could see him but nothing,then out of a peat hag I seen something rise then disappear again,we headed to where I'd seen something & low & behold here he was with a beast. I couldn't believe it,the dog was barely walking after his exploits into the ditch just a couple of hours earlier yet here he was pushing through the pain barrier in a quest to lay one to rest. He almost died up on that mountain after reading the last rites to his quarry,the pic of him laying down was how he was immediately after that & the other pic is after I sat beside him for a good hour trying to get him up on his feet to be able to walk back to the motor. He may just be a Saluki cross but he has guts,grit determination & drive up there with most. I've tested his metal many many times & he's never shown me anything other than 100% commitment..you can't ask a dog for anymore than it's all..great dog,great memories 

[FUJI 17,327]

This was how Bear was every single day for a month after breaking his neck then another pic of him as he is now,I never went to bed for 30 day's,I turned him over every 2 hours to prevent him getting sores but he still got them,he couldn't stand to clean or eat/drink..I fed him by hand & squirted water down his throat 6 times within every 24 hour's to prevent dehydration,from how he was here,then thought his recovery & learning him to stand & then walk to how he is today is quite remarkable really. He is disabled but he doesn't know that I don't think. He can jump anything again now albeit not as stylish & athletic as he once could but still. In all my year's of keeping running dog's I think bringing Bear back from almost certain death is one of my greatest achievements..The vet's told me it was in Bear's best interests to have him put to sleep immediately & weeks after his hunting related accident but I chose otherwise & when he visits the vet's now the staff all congregate to see him & talk about how close he was to death. They call him the miracle dog. I'm not going to lie & say it was easy because it wasn't,would I do it again? Well my attitude has always been that we don't leave anyone behind in the team & or give up on one either so yes I'd probably do it all over again if I had to.

[iworkwhippets 12,638]

I'd like to shake your hand my mate, but I can't, so from afar, I pat you on your back, a truly good dog man 

[FUJI 17,327]

This was Rose after snapping two bones clean in half back in February 2022 whilst out working. She has a metal plate the whole length of her leg now right down to her wrist but unbelievably she came back later that year when the season started in phenomenal form. She had to return to the vets to have one of the screws removed but other than that she's been grand. Rose was the smallest pup in the litter & no one wanted her so I decided just to keep her & she's been worth her weight in gold to be fair to her. Very tough little thing,she's about 26tts & just over 30kg,she's hardly got any teeth left in her head but it doesn't hinder her too much at all. She's always had a bit of a nervous streak in her but not a bit of that whilst working. Anyways here she is immediately after having had an operation to pin & plate her two snapped bones in her leg & her again just now.

[paulus 26]

6 minutes ago, FUJI said:

This was how Bear was every single day for a month after breaking his neck then another pic of him as he is now,I never went to bed for 30 day's,I turned him over every 2 hours to prevent him getting sores but he still got them,he couldn't stand to clean or eat/drink..I fed him by hand & squirted water down his throat 6 times within every 24 hour's to prevent dehydration,from how he was here,then thought his recovery & learning him to stand & then walk to how he is today is quite remarkable really. He is disabled but he doesn't know that I don't think. He can jump anything again now albeit not as stylish & athletic as he once could but still. In all my year's of keeping running dog's I think bringing Bear back from almost certain death is one of my greatest achievements..The vet's told me it was in Bear's best interests to have him put to sleep immediately & weeks after his hunting related accident but I chose otherwise & when he visits the vet's now the staff all congregate to see him & talk about how close he was to death. They call him the miracle dog. I'm not going to lie & say it was easy because it wasn't,would I do it again? Well my attitude has always been that we don't leave anyone behind in the team & or give up on one either so yes I'd probably do it all over again if I had to.

I think i have posted this on here before but my old dog Diesel was recovering from a bad leg wound one summer when he put up something and and off he went, i found him collapsed in a ditch with what he had been chasing, He was over heating big style and there was no water anywhere, I carried him on my shoulders for a few fields until i reached the canal. to little to late. within 24hrs he had lost half his body weight, nursed him back over the next 12 months however he was never the same dog, caught shit loads of gear but just not the same dog, If you get what i am saying,  ended up with kidney failure aged  10, 

[FUJI 17,327]

5 minutes ago, paulus said:

I think i have posted this on here before but my old dog Diesel was recovering from a bad leg wound one summer when he put up something and and off he went, i found him collapsed in a ditch with what he had been chasing, He was over heating big style and there was no water anywhere, I carried him on my shoulders for a few fields until i reached the canal. to little to late. within 24hrs he had lost half his body weight, nursed him back over the next 12 months however he was never the same dog, caught shit loads of gear but just not the same dog, If you get what i am saying,  ended up with kidney failure aged  10, 

Yeah I can recall that Paul,it's a tough owld game at times, especially with dog's that have so much drive,passion grit,determination call it what you will..dog's like Diesel just don't know anything other than to give absolutely everything,yes it's a good thing but on rare occasions like that it can end up with them going too far & unfortunately it can see them never being the same animal again.