Spring season came and went and like most areas, our hunt country was very wet.  This made maneuvering to follow hounds difficult.  The cool damp weather allowed scenting to be very good however and, on numerous occasions, our pack was in full cry.  The field was up close and personal to the action throughout the season thanks to the skillful handling of the Field Masters.

The spring season gave us the opportunity to start to enter some of our younger hounds and Hubba, Henry and Harvey fit in very well.  Over the summer these hounds will continue to walk out with the pack and our D puppies (eight of them) will slowly be entered as well. 

Like people and horses, some hounds are immediately ready for the task ahead and are outgoing and very confident.  Others can be very shy and timid.  Moving into the big lodge can be very traumatic.  This is a slow, delicate process and is necessary to ensure safety for all hounds and the best opportunity for all to develop their skills fully.

To make room for youngster we need to cull some of our older hounds and I am asking for your help in finding good homes for Captain, Crocus, Dyce, Dodge and Pippin.  These hounds have served us well and would love to enjoy the comforts of the couch.

An exciting fall season awaits; so continue to keep yourselves and your horses fit over the summer months.  Joint meets with Limestone Creek and Lake of Two Mountains Hunt(s) are just two social hunting opportunities for our members to enjoy Hunting behind our own pack of hounds will continue on

Thanks to all who helped with the work party at Pine Grove Pheasant Farm on Saturday.  Some good work was completed and will make for much better hunting there in the fall.  Two more work parties are on the schedule so please plan now to attend if you were unable to participate on Saturday.  Special thanks to Lenore and Darren who provided the members with a great meal following the work detail.

Upcoming Events

May 30^th see fifteen Beavers heading to the joint meet with Ottawa Valley Hunt.  Should be an exciting time renewing old acquaintances with their members and making new friendships.  Many of our members are traveling for the first time and I know they will enjoy the adventure.

June 7^th is the date that Beaver Meadow Foxhound members will parade our hounds at Everything Equine in Lindsay sponsored by the Agricultural Society of Lindsay.  John Curtis was kind enough to get us in this show and we are looking for a many members as possible to join us on this Sunday.  More details will be forthcoming next week.

 une 14^th is our annual Beaver Meadow Puppy Show.  This day will include terrier races, specialty classes for dog lovers and of course classes for our own D puppies.  Many members who named these hound pups have been working with their youngster getting them ready for the show ring and we anxiously await which D pup and handler will be named “Best in Show” and take home the coveted plaque and of course the prize money and the big rosette.

Mr. and Mrs. Chasmer have created a class entitled the “Governess Memorial Class” for retired hounds and their owners.  This class should include Dijon, Lily, Mango, Lesson, Legacy, and of course Carnage and all of their handlers.  It will be great to see these old friends return to the arena once more.

 Don’t forget last spring hunt day is Wednesday beginning at 9:00 a.m. so come along and close the season with a gallop.

Cheers

Our pet hound, Lawful (a.k.a. Lawfy) came to us in 2005.  She was about three years old and things were not looking hopeful for her future as a hunting hound: this was the perfect opportunity for her to join our family. 

Let me start by telling you a little bit about her life at our farm.  A very subdued young hound was greeted by Chloë, our rescued Australian Shepherd, on the day she arrived.  These two dogs immediately formed a close bond. Being young and adventurous, they explored their new domain within the bounds of the two acre Invisible Fence around our farm house.

Chloe and Lawful have become inseparable but their love for their ‘mum and dad’ goes beyond that. An enormous greeting awaits us if we happen to go out and Lawful looks lovingly into our eyes as if to say ‘I’m so glad you came back to Lawfy’. 

   Lawful loves to go “w-w.”  (We can’t say, “walky-walky” because she howls at the top of her lungs if she hears it.) She jumps in the back of the car and off we go to the hay field, where she runs and sniffs, and is able to act like a hound again (but we make sure we have biscuits in our pocket –a necessary bribe). Lawful loves to sleep stretched out on the couch in the tackroom and really doesn’t ask for much other than Dinner At 3.p.m. She has her big puffy bed to sleep on in the kitchen and a nice wood stove to sit in front of in the winter. Sometimes her sister ‘Lesson’(adopted from Beaver Meadows this past fall by Ryan Chasmer) visits and the two have a good old game in the back garden. Ryan and Jen say that Lesson is an awesome dog and she is such an important part of their family. I am really glad we gave Lawful a home after her fox hunting career had ended. I never realized the depth of intelligence and devotion these beautiful animals have, and I know that Lawful would do anything to please us. Hounds just need a little understanding and patience in the beginning until they settle into a routine and then you have a friend for life. I never bake without Lawful at my side (and Ron). She is interesting and fun and I just love her.  If you plan to adopt a hound give it time and patience, love and exercise, and I promise you it will reward you for the rest of its life.

The answer quickly comes back to me once I am with the hounds.  I am sure many of you experience this with your favorite steed.  Few of us enjoy the grooming and the tacking-up but once mounted all the cares of our everyday lives seem to be somewhat less important and we enjoy precious moments with our horse and nature itself.  The hounds do the same in some ways.  Each has its own personality and certainly the youngsters that will be entered this year are no exception. (Joshua, Jostler, Jacob, Henry, Harvey, Hubba will enter in the spring).  Tremendous energy pours from each of them and they continue to be a source of amusement and frustration.  I have always been one that believed that “come on” was better than “go on” and the hounds certainly encourage this ideology.

   Winter allows us time to research, ponder and make enquiries of “how to”-do things better and I have had good fortune this winter to learn more about the infamous foxhound.  I made contact with Dr. Todd Addis, VMD who has hunted hounds for 52 years now and asked this wonderful and very knowledgeable gentleman many questions.  I mentioned to him that I did not want to take up too much of his time on the phone and he indicated “take all the time you like—you are paying the bill!”  A week after our first conversation I received a wonderful surprise in the post and he sent me a personalized copy of his memoirs entitled A Backward Glance signed with a wonderful salutation of encouragement.  He also included a letter part of which I would like to share with you…

Dear Jamie, 

   It was a pleasure talking to you on the 19^th. I believe your interest in the Penn Marydel hound is a sound move that will in time bring great satisfaction.

Over the years my son and I have help bring about the change of some of the following packs: Marlborough Hunt, Red Mountain Hunt, Tennessee Valley Hunt, Thornton Hill Hounds etc. Any one of the above mentioned packs (I shortened the list) that have benefited from going all Penn Marydel are not about to change back to Crossbred or English or American strands. I have enclosed my memoirs and some other printings so you may put yourself to sleep with a smile.  Hope to meet you at the Penn Marydel Emporia April 2-5, 09.

 Sincerely,

Todd 

That’s life from the dog pound for this edition