Reflecting on old hounds.

[Redbird]

My dad and older brother both raised and traded beagles so I hunted with some great dogs as a child. When I married I bought my wife a puppy from my brother.

This pup was the runt and was tri-colored out of the litter of blueticks. She had something physically wrong with her in that when she ran she lifted both front feet at the same time and placed them down at the same time. Her paws would be even thus not having a lead paw and it looked like she was hopping. Needless to say we called her Hoppy.

This little beagle became an absolute gundog. She would jump a rabbit where you wouldnt think there would be one and bring that rabbit back with a great bawl mouth.

At the time there were no deer around so running other game wasn't a problem. So when she began to tree squirrels I was quite impressed! I killed many with her. Then one day she treed a coon in the daytime! She wound up treeing three coons in her short time on this earth. Hoppy died giving birth to her first litter at 2 years old. I'll never forget that special little dog.

[ANTHONY KERR]

I hunted alot when I was younger and quit for a good while. About six years ago I bought a beagle and after the puppy grew up I decided to call an old buddy who rabbit hunted and try my dog out. My dog was a complete failure. Lou has every imaginable bad habit a beagle could have and he is a walkie talkie, but my buddy had a 9 year old blutick bitch named Minnie that was the leader of his pack. That first morning I watched old Minnie wind a rabbit and dive under a blow down. The rabbit shot out the other side and jumped up about waist high with Minnie chopping and snapping at his tail. I WAS HOOKED RIGHT THEN AND THERE ! Minnie hunted a few more seasons and when you heard that raspy old chop you knew to put one in the chamber. Minnie never gave up other dogs would give up on a check then all of a sudden she would fire up like an old chrysler and it was on again. My buddy went to the pen one morning and she did not come out of the house. He couldn't bury her himself. He had to have somebody else do it for him.
Thanks to Minnie for bringing me back and thanks to Lou the backtracking, cold trailing, off game running, fighting walkie talkie for making me go in the first place. Lou still lives at my house. We had him neutered and let him run cats and tree rats at least twice a week. He can sit, stay,and catch treats out of the air. He never went rabbit hunting again.

[jlboomer]

seems like its hard to beat them old grade dogs. thats one thing i love about living in kentucky you can go back in some of these hollers in no mans land and find some old guys that have had there lines for years. some of the best dogs you'll come across. i found one such gentleman like that last year an old retired preacher who said he had his strain of beagles for near 40yrs i talked him out of a couple hounds gave 2 to my buddy and kept one male for myself. i got him nkc registerd and he will be the back bone of my kennel. if i can get this old female to come back in heat im going to cross these two dogs should make some dang nice hounds. as my granpa said papers don't run a rabbit the dog does.