Fox Hunting

[Uhu]

Tally Ho!

That should be anti-hunting stance

I can see what you're getting at Avalon, but killing animals for food is different to killing them for pleasure. It may still be cruel (God knows I wouldn't want to visit an abatoir) but it is different nonetheless.

Sorry Meanbean,I wasn't ignoring your question, I've just finished work. No, I don't think the owners of these other breeds are cruel- just the opposite. To train a dog like that to a high standard you need a very good understanding of it's needs. However, the foxhound is fairly unique in the way it lives and works.
I have friends who are greyhound trainers and these dogs are trained from an early age to walk on the lead, be groomed, fussed, (wear little jackets!) and generally how to behave at the track in front of crowds of people. I also had neighbours who owned racing greyhounds for many years and it was common practice for them to have their dogs home for periods of time, when recovering from injury or when bitches were in season. When their dogs retired they fitted straight in to family life because it was literally a home from home. Greyhounds actually make very good pets because they are sprint animals and after a quick run are content to lie about the place, unlike the foxhound which is built for stamina.
Alsatians, Rottwiellers etc are usually trained in a very close one-to-one situation with their owner and a close bond develops-they don't live in packs.
Sorry, went on a bit-but you did ask!

Cam. Yes we do hate Tony Bliar. And why didn't he vote? Is he hedging his bets in case of civil unrest? Time will tell.

As a vegetarian I am personal against eating anything with a facwe however others feel differently nad it is expected taht slaughter houses/ abbatoirs kill animals ina humane way ie instantly with no suffering - however with fox hunting an animal is chased for a prolonged amount of time and is then possible killed or injured by the pack therfore causing the fox distress and possible if tehy escape injuryed an painful death when they can't fend for themselves.

for stupidgirl- this pretty much sums up my views.

Beansmum, "Is it cos I is black???"

Suggesting that fox-hunting is a class issue is like a mass-murderer suggesting that he's being harassed because of the colour of his skin.

As for 'terrorism' are you aware that I believe 3 animal rights protestors have been killed by 'the opposition'? There have been no deaths caused the other way round.

Gothicmama, while I agree with your stance on hunting, I have to disagree that the farming/slaughter system is any less cruel.

Oh, and Beansmum, those kind of arguments that are flagged up in the article you posted are the kind of arguments which supported slavery.

Stupidgirl, perhaps if you stand back and look at the thinking behind the article, which although tongue in cheek does address the fact that this law, what ever you think of it, is being pushed thro for political reasons, and very much opens up the whole parliamentry system to abuse.
We dont have PR but are supposed to have a two house system. This decision I think will do great damage to a party thats eager to divert attention to its last 'illegal' act in Iraq.

If you take both the horses and the word 'Sport' out of hunting, you are left with a very effective way to manage a preditor at the top of the food chain. Leave these two things in and you get the mess we are now in.

If the government is doing this for any other reason than a political reason , then all field sports would have been added to the bill.

Stupidgirl - you're comment about animal rights protestors - a scientist was murdered quite a few years ago by animal rights protestors.

Without going into too much detail directors at the company where I work (in the north) have recently had paint stripper poured over their cars (and their families cars) had graffiti daubed on their houses, phone calls in the middle of the night and been threatened that forged letters would be sent to their neighbours saying they were child abusers - all this because ANOTHER company in the Group - in the south of country was involved in some lab work at Oxford. If that's defending animal rights what does it make the protestors?

Yamamoto. The fact is that hunting is about perverts getting their kicks from killing. It is far from an effective means of 'control' of an animal whose population is self-controlling. Foxes are bred to be hunted, in many cases, other foxes are 'bagged' - caught before the hunt, and released specifically to be hunted. Hunters argue that they are performing a necessary duty, which is rubbish, they claim that they are guardians of the countryside and then ride roughshod over it.

It is nothing to do with horses - as I mentioned below, I had my own horse for many years, pre-children.

Joolstoo, having been very much involved with the animal rights movement, I can well understand the frustration which leads to such acts. I've been involved in similar non-violent direct action. There are certain actions which I don't condone, but again, I can understand the frustration which leads to it.

stupidgirl I am not a pervert but If I still had a horse I would LOVE to go hunting.
None of the hunting folk I know are perverts

Foxes are bred to be hunted?
Rubbish

It is absolutely not rubbish. Why would you hunt? It's blood lust.

Oh it all got too serious once Coddy stopped moderating - excellent job there, Cods, cracked me up

Sorry, but this really is something I feel extremely strongly about - I guess I can get quite...heated...

Actually, no, sod it, I'm not going to apologise for feeling the way I do.

stupidgirl, what do you think of Yamamoto's point that if banning hunting were not political, field sports would be included?

Perhaps you meant to say "in my opinion" and not "the fact is"???
Could you possibly pop round with YOUR means of effective control and have a chat with the local foxs, they keep killing our chickens and ducks!
Do you think the fox may become less bloodthirsty if we stop 'contolling' it or more adventurous?
As I said before, if you remove the horses from hunting you remove the majority of the problems.

Im sure that bagging does or has gone on, but just to make sure the oiks have a good gallop. Foot hunts hunt where their are foxes, irrespective of terrain, ie not just where the hunt jumps are.

Please explain how an animal at the top of the food chain will regulate its own numbers, look at what happened in Australia when the oiks introduced the fox...

I really can understand your beliefs, but you must realise that country people have been hunting real local foxes for hundreds of years to make their farms viable. For the government to say NO MORE would like them saying to you NO MORE MUMSNET or the like!

Its a real life thing and as such is not Black or white...in my opinion, which I think Im allowed??

Last post for stupidgirl!

And white people had black slaves for hundreds of years. That was a tradition, does that mean it should stay???

Foxes control their population according to what food is available.

Sorry, Yamamoto, did you think you'd intimidated me into leaving the debate???

So is a democratic two house government, should we keep that tradition or stick two fingures up at it?

What I'm saying is that 'tradition' isn't sufficient to justify cruelty.

And yeah, tbh I don't see very much democracy in the current system.