Hunting with Dogs

[Bleys]

This subject has been back in the news a lot recently. On the lancashireweb site that existed for a short while we had quite a good debate about the pros and cons. What do people here feel about banning hunting with dogs?

Is hunting a cruel sport that should be banned or iis this just the nanny state interfering again? I heard today that in France it continues to be accepted and supported by a large majority of the population including green groups who believe it to be part of the natural order.

For my part (and Nessie may remember the debate) I think it is probably a necessary and important part of rural life, but I am something of a softie when it comes to animals in general so it does present me with some moral problems.

I would be interested in all your views.

[grannyclaret]

i agree that you dont want to be over run with fox,s but surely persueing them wih a pack of hounds is down right cruel.they would be better shot humainly or something quick .not terrorized like now...

[wayneyboy1942]

If fox's are a pest then they should be got rid of,but I can't believe hunting them with a pack of hounds is the most humane method,as for the Waterloo cup(hare courseing)
good ridance I say!

[Swinny]

:flamethro Let em have it:stop:

[Mattylad]

I can't say that I'm all for a pack of hounds tearing into them

my worry is when they have finished with this are the lobbyists going after angling next? (they'll have a bigger fight on thier hand then).

[grannyclaret]

i dont think they would stop fishing ,there,s no comparison with torturing fox,s and bull fighting and cock fighting etc ,they dont kill them to eat ,just for the hell of it ....

[jellytot]

using dogs to kill foxes is a nasty method! Like alot of you have said, surely there is more humane ways of cutting the fox population than by setting a pack of dogs on them!

[Mattylad]

Oh but they would, they have said that its another of thier targets.

I'd never cock fight... :D :D

I just wonder whats to happen to all those dogs now? surely they will be put down.

[janet]

If these people think anything about the dogs then they should keep them as pets. But there again you have to be an animal lover, and surely they are NOT.

[Kiki]

I object to the barbaric way the fox is killed, by being ripped to shred s when caught alive then surely this is the whole point to having a ban? We no longer live in the medieval times!

[wayneyboy1942]

Originally Posted by Mattylad

Oh but they would, they have said that its another of thier targets.

I'd never cock fight... :D :D

I just wonder whats to happen to all those dogs now? surely they will be put down.

The story the hunters put out is that the dogs will have to be put down,if a dog gets too old to keep up with the hunt they put them down anyway,they have known this law was on the cards,they can drag hunt etc but I bet without blood at the end it won't be much FUN for alot of them!
As for Cock fighting Matty I've never tried to fight one! :D

[Bleys]

When Parliament was debating the ban I heard one Minister go on record to say that the ban was more about class war than cruelty. It was continuing the work started by dismantling the hereditary peers mechanisms of the House of Lords and that in terms of cruelty it rated about 162nd on the list - way below chicken battery farming. Now the class system may be a perfectly legitimate target, but I object to having it put forward as an animal welfare issue if it really is about class. The government should be honest about it's aims and not try and get people to buy into legislation for the wrong reason.

Not sure who produced this but this website has some interesting views on cruelty etc,

[Quazi Washboard]

When all is said and done, foxhunting with dogs is a double standard. We don't allow dog fighting because it is cruel and barbaric yet a fox is a member of the same family as dogs and it doesn't even get a sporting chance of outfighting a pack of hounds.
As for foxes taking poultry, it's a bit sad that farmers can't build a fox proof hen house in this day and age. Spreading diseases? Every single wild animal spreads diseases. Deer spread diseases that can be caught by cattle and sheep but nobody's hunting them down with dogs. Badgers spread all the same diseases as foxes and they are protected.
I say leave 'em alone. They are one of the main natural preditors of rats and mice and other true vermin that we could use all the help we can get to control. Eventually, if left alone, nature will control fox populations, and if farmers want to protect their stock, they should buy a guard dog. German Shepards were originally bred and raised to live with flocks of sheep to protect them against wolves, I don't think foxes would give them much of a problem, infact, just the smell od a big dog amongs the sheep should keep foxes away, and with more foxes around, the farmers would have less rats and mice eating their crops.

[janet]

Well said Quazi.

[grannyclaret]

i agree ,that makes a lot of sense to me ,,