# Oakley Hunt Disgrace



## Jerome (13 December 2006)

"Bloody nightmare

A stag was torn to pieces by dogs in front of horrified householders.

The attack took place in Bromham on Wednesday afternoon when five dogs got away from the pack, which was draghunting nearby.

They picked up the scent of a deer and chased it into the front garden of Brett Drive resident Carol Burroughs, 48, who watched the sickening attack.

One dog then ran in to the road and was hit by a passing car, without serious injury.

Mrs Burroughs said: The poor screaming thing was ripped to death. It was horrendous. I thought hunting was illegal. To bring their dogs into a residential area is downright irresponsible. I am very anti-hunting. There is no need for it. If people want excitement, they should go bungee jumping. Hunting is barbaric. 

Last month, the Oakley Hunt found itself in trouble when dogs got away from another drag hunt and attacked a pack of domestic alpacas, llama-like animals reared for their wool.

A police spokeswoman said: We have spoken to the hunt and they collected the hounds and removed the dead deer. As the dogs had slipped the pack, they were not hunting and no offence has been committed under the Hunting Act. There is an offence of not keeping your dog under control in a public place and the best way forward would be to issue a reprimand. 

Master of the Hunt Simon Thomas said: Unfortunately our hounds did get away from us and were very sorry to residents for the results. The problem is that the countryside is increasingly wired-off and this can prevent us from keeping up with our hounds."

That's OK then, Simon!

3 December 2006
http://www.mk-news.co.uk/news/bedford/2006/dec/1/bloody nightmare.lpf


----------



## Agent XXX999 (13 December 2006)

Unfortunately it seems that hounds are neither supporters of Labour policy or intelligent enough to suppress their natural instinct.


----------



## Ereiam_jh (13 December 2006)

What do you suggest be done to stop this sort of thing happening Jerome?


----------



## metalmare (13 December 2006)

A sad thing but that woman's comments are... well... unintelligent, shall we say.  

'If people want excitement, they should go bungee jumping.'

That is the stupidest thing I have heard all week.  Yeah, sure!  How can you substitute one thing for another like that?  'Oh, sorry Sir but the caviare's off tonight - can I offer you a plate of sheep's eye-balls instead?  We don't have the Port, how about a nice glass of irn bru?'

Besides, she is missing the point entirely.  That is only one motive for hunting.


----------



## Jerome (13 December 2006)

If the hunt staff can't keep their hounds under proper control they shouldn't be out with them. Studied complacency like yours is one of the causes of the present ban. This is yet another dreadful PR disaster for hunting.


----------



## Jerome (13 December 2006)

I partly agree with you. Most people who hunt are townies who are, frankly, squeamish about death.


----------



## metalmare (13 December 2006)

Well I'm not sure if that's accurate.  Maybe in London quite a lot of the wealthy people go hunting in the country but I live in Derbyshire and up here we have a lot of small market town working classes who hunt.  So they are people who live a five minute walk from the country but, like 95% of the people in this country, most of them know very little about the countryside.


----------



## GTs (13 December 2006)

I don't see the big deal - sounds no worse than getting run over by a car, which is also an accident.


----------



## metalmare (13 December 2006)

Heh - I like your reasoning GTs.  You're more logical than me and I'm not bad.


----------



## Amymay (13 December 2006)

If the hunt staff can't keep their hounds under proper control they shouldn't be out with them. Studied complacency like yours is one of the causes of the present ban. This is yet another dreadful PR disaster for hunting.
		
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree.  If this is true then it is apalling.


----------



## Sooty (13 December 2006)

This was unfortunate. Like most hunts, accidents do happen, and I daresay the journalists had to scour the village to find an outraged anti to give them the quote they wanted.


----------



## Agent XXX999 (13 December 2006)

No matter how good the training you cannot suppress what is a natural instinct. My Terriers catch rats and have never been trained too -  it is a natural instinct and something that they will continue doing.
I am not stupid nor complacent, and I can see the reasons behind the ban and the reasons against it. I have formed an educated opinion on what I feel about it, not that I am going to get into it here.but my point still stands.Hounds are working dogs with a predatory instinct that has been bred into them for centuries. No matter how much training they receive will suppress had been trained into them for centuries. 
This incident was unfortunate but it wont be the last. What do suggest? I would be really interested to hear your comments on preventative measures..


----------



## Ferdinase514 (13 December 2006)

These things happen. 

GT's right. People just can't deal with the fact that animals kill each other. 

Just so annoying that the media stir it up. Proper Daily Mail story if I ever saw one


----------



## Sooty (13 December 2006)

Bedfordshire On Sunday...


----------



## flying_change (13 December 2006)

Since the woman who gave the quote was the resident of the house the driveway of which the animal was chased, I'd say that the scouring wasnt hard.


----------



## severnmiles (13 December 2006)

If the hunt staff can't keep their hounds under proper control they shouldn't be out with them.
		
Click to expand...

Oh if only the same attitude was applied to some of the muppets and their domesticated dogs.

They were only doing what they were bred for, accidents happen.

Also can we please have the link to this one...I wonder how much has been exaggerated?  I mean a pack of hounds tear it apart???  Very unusual for a hound, lurcher what have you to just take random bites at a deer, they will usually make their way to the neck as quickly as possible, in which case the deer wouldn't have survived for very long at all.

There was no intent so it was all perfectly legal...and fab venison for Christmas


----------



## Sooty (13 December 2006)

Yes, our local journos are notoriously lazy...


----------



## flying_change (13 December 2006)

"Oh if only the same attitude was applied to some of the muppets and their domesticated dogs."

It **does** apply.  Look at the uproar in the press and TV when a dog savages a child.  Look at all the fuss about dangerous pit bulls and rotties.

"They were only doing what they were bred for, accidents happen."

True, but why is it unacceptable for someone to say they dont want it to happen on their drive.  The dogs are supposed to be under control.


----------



## severnmiles (13 December 2006)

And I'll be appalled if a hound ever mauls a child, however even with over 300 packs that are hunting 2/3/4 day weeks plus pups that go out to be walked....it never has happened.


----------



## wurzel (13 December 2006)

I think they should shoot stags in residential areas. Not shoot them !!


----------



## k9h (13 December 2006)

Had this prob with a local beagle pack years ago. They hunted this fox into the playing field of a local primary school. Teachers were in uproar saying how tramatised the children were &amp; crying. In reality it was the townie teachers that had moved to a rural primary school that was upset. All said kids were farmers children &amp; they were cheering on the hounds &amp; then asking the staff for the brush or a paw to take home!
But you can bet that that bit didn't make it into the press ONLY what the teachers said.


----------



## flying_change (14 December 2006)

So the same attitude does indeed apply.  Which is what you asked for.


----------



## severnmiles (14 December 2006)

So the same attitude does indeed apply.  Which is what you asked for.
		
Click to expand...

No it doesn't!  Take your dog for a walk in your local park.  I have friends that live on housing estates that say people let their dogs 5hit and pi55 on their gardens as they walk by.  

Hounds cannot tresspass...remember that!


----------



## flying_change (14 December 2006)

Okay......

hmmmm......

so maybe I should ask you what you meant by.....

"Oh if only the same attitude was applied to some of the muppets and their domesticated dogs.
They were only doing what they were bred for, accidents happen."


----------



## WelshRareBit (14 December 2006)

Very unfortunate thing to happen and I agree that its another black mark against hunting that wasnt needed. I am always amazed that the hunt ever does keep control of its dogs, I couldnt keep control of one let alone a pack. Feel sorry for the woman who had to see it but it was an accident atfer all - what hunt would let their dogs do that knowing the bad press they'd get?
x


----------



## Ereiam_jh (14 December 2006)

I think what she's saying is that people who have an agenda use incidents like this to attack hunts in general.

Just like pointing out that there are black crack women abiusing dealers would be used by a rascist.


----------



## Jerome (14 December 2006)

I find it genuinely astonishing that people like GTs think it's "no big deal" when some hounds on a rampage disembowel a stag in front of the general public. Apart from anything else it's really lousy PR for the hunt.

Don't forget that the hunt lost control of hounds the previous month, according to the article, when they attacked some alpacas.

If the Master can't keep control of his hounds he should resign.


----------



## severnmiles (14 December 2006)

'They were only doing what they were bred for'

Was a completely different statement to the previous one you mention in your post.

Domesticated dogs aren't bred to pee and 5hit in other peoples gardens.  Hounds are bred to hunt and kill.


----------



## severnmiles (14 December 2006)

Master?  We have three of those yet none are mounted...I think you mean huntsman.


----------



## endymion (14 December 2006)

......and you're not one to have an agenda are you Giles? It's not as if you would dream of using some small incident to attack the other side is it? Hmmm.......flushing....... hunting act....hehehe!! :grin:


----------



## Ereiam_jh (14 December 2006)

I attack the law which as we agree is anomalous and can be broken with complete impunity.  I attack antis for being hypocrites by pretending everyone has to obey the law when they know that they don't.

It's quite right that if you don't agree with a law you should just break it.  If the authorities don't either then they should let people get away with committing crimes under  it.  

I don't agree with not being allowed to chase a deer for as long as I like with four dogs, so I just carry on.  I'm not being cruel as you accept so why shouldn't I.  Because it's illegal, don't make me laugh!  The law's an anomally!

It's fine for people to use packs of dogs to chase deer and other mammals.  That's a fact.

Where would we be if people had to obey the laws they didn't like.


----------



## endymion (14 December 2006)

Read q for endy for my opinion on breaking the law. 

However, you rightly point out that this is an opinion that swings both ways and the demonising of hunt sabateurs for minor crimes such as trespassing is hypocrisy when the hunt often openly break the law.

As I said, I support the right of anyone to break the law as long as it is done in an open and non-violent manner. This applies to pro's and anti's.


----------



## flying_change (14 December 2006)

Okay......

hmmmm......

so maybe I should ask you what you meant by.....

"Oh if only the same attitude was applied to some of the muppets and their domesticated dogs."


----------



## Nigel (14 December 2006)

Hi All,

   Jerome is right in my opinion; it is badly publicity.

BUT,


You dont honestly expect me to believe whole heartedly an account from one person in a newspaper who declares herself anti hunting. We know only too well antis are incapable of telling the truth and consistently misrepresent and exaggerate the whole time. Already the Mrs Boroughs account using the phrase ripped to death has been exaggerated by Jerome to disembowel, see what I mean, one gross exaggeration leads to another.

The most likely possibility is the deer was probably severely injured after being struck by a car and  was laying up nearby before hounds got onto its scent and chased it unto Mrs Burroughs driveway. One or two hounds may or may not have bitten the stag at this at this point.

All the Best

Nigel


----------



## severnmiles (14 December 2006)

If only they could control their dogs out on walks....that is essentially all we do now hunting is banned, its just we have a pack and not one or two.


----------



## flying_change (14 December 2006)

I would put it to you that dogs on walks that are not in control, that foul playing fields, pathways etc are indeed frowned upon.


----------



## Vicki1986 (15 December 2006)

Jerome is right in my opinion; it is badly publicity.
BUT,
You dont honestly expect me to believe whole heartedly an account from one person in a newspaper who declares herself anti hunting.
		
Click to expand...

Couldnt agree more with this statement.  Its a totally one sided article.


----------

