Hi Greg,

Thanks for the "E" MAIL to Josie, who is the techno wizard behind the web site. Questions about the actual dogs and hunting she refers to me (Jeff).

Firstly, I enjoy reading your articles in E.D.R.D. and the one you sent Josie. It's clear that you are constantly at it, the sure sign of a real hunter. Unfortunately, we have a policy of not putting hunting stories on the site, which is entirely due to the political climate over here, where the extreme left wing (communists posing as middle ground politicians, in order to get elected) are imposing their repressive laws to eradicate traditional British culture, including hunting. The new labour's hidden agenda is communism by the back door achieved by social engineering, and spin their word to make lying more acceptable.

Consequently, we have to be crafty and present these working dogs in such a way on the site that impending repressive laws cannot stop us. So we emphasise that the qualities these dogs posses result from their working history, when in fact as you know they could not retain them unless they are still being tried and tested in the field still today. Believe me they, are and the breeding is dictated by success in the field.

In your letter you mention dogs bred by Hancock who is a puppy farmer who relies heavily on greyhound blood to give some hunting aptitude. You also mention Tom Reilly of Scotland, and although I do not know his dogs from what he says he to is the same. But just breeding sighthound-oriented mongrels relying on greyhound hunting instinct is fraught with problems and a high failure rate. A good strain of lurcher selectively bred over generations to do the job is a totally different kettle of fish.

You also mention a second-hand dog dealer. I suggest that, should you shake his hand, you would be wise to count your fingers and rinse with bleach after doing so!

You mention that your buddy wants to put a track greyhound over your German hunt terrier, which sounds like the terrier is the bitch. It would be cruel and asking for whelping problems to use such a large dog on so small a bitch, but would be o.k. the other way round (if the terrier was the male). But even then there would be no telling what size what pup would grow to be as adult. A whippet cross terrier would throw a more even litter. Even then though, you would have the fire of the terrier combined with the light trigger to chase of the sighthound with no controlling influence to prevent it taking off after deer or setting about you own terriers. I think the same applies to this latest craze of crossing bull and greyhound also. I can understand why David Harcomb suggested the cross as they will certainly do the job you require. The question is could you restrain them from doing a lot else besides.

The good thing about the genuine old-fashioned stealth poaching strains is they have equal hunting drive but are blessed with a control box called a brain.

Well before the bull and greyhound fashion, a cousin of mine crossed his two old-fashioned lurcher/tumbler bitches to the best Bull Terrier dogs in this country, using two different dogs. He then crossed the two resulting half-bred strains together, selecting carefully at each stage. The resultant bitches are about 12 years old now, and my cousin was well pleased with them as being far superior than any bull first cross. These bitches are very even in stamp and temperament. They stand about 21 1/2 to 22 inches to the shoulder and weigh about 44 to 45 lbs. They are o.k. with other dogs so could live with terriers which unselected bull crosses might not. They could certainly do the job you require, although I am not familiar with ground hogs or coons. I've known smaller bedlington cross whippets kill foxes but if you want to avoid down time through injuries my cousin's dogs are an ideal size. I should imagine a ground hog to be like an oversized squirrel with a nasty rat like bite but not robust in mass itself. The coon looks a tougher critter and more formidable, but I am sure that any dog that is capable of tackling a badger (an illegal practice I must add, nowadays) would suffice.

My cousin has bred on from these bitchs, bringing one back to "Roy", who appears on the web site. He is ¼ Welsh Hillman Shepherd (an almost extinct droving breed - far superior to border collie for lurcher breeding); the rest of him is two old lines of lurcher/tumbler. The only problem is the resulting bitch is too young to breed just yet and as we only breed to continue the good dogs for ourselves and wont puppy farm you would have to wait some considerable time for the perfect tool for your job which my cousins stock undoubtedly are.

If you want to get one quicker, the right pup (a smaller stouter individual) from the old bloodlines without the extra bull would do your job better than any of the suggestions you were considering. They used to be used for badgers before it was made illegal (and probably still are if the truth were known). I have seen the larger individuals tackle wild boar in the Kashmir in Pakistan, so the smaller ones should suffice for your job I should think. If you look at the web site you will find a bitch called "Sweep", who is about to produce a litter to "Roy" in the next few weeks. She is about 24 ½ inches to the shoulder and he is 26, so you would need to choose a small feisty pup from that litter, as both have smaller tumbler ancestors behind them (21inches).

Sweep is mostly the old bloodlines but she does have 1/8 outcross of Irish Red Terrier/greyhound/greyhound ancestor, which will be no disadvantage for you game. However, it's no use counting our chickens before they are hatched and I do have a waiting list (including that Danny Childs from E.D.R.D.).

Incidentally, the correct term for the job you require (nailing bolters) is a "Snatch-dog", but if you used that term to the modern lads they would be baffled, yet they think they know it all because they've read a couple of Plummer's books (a bloke who wrote as an expert about the job he knew next to nothing about). I think it is sad that the true old-fashioned knowledge died when the old fashioned bloodlines went to the wall all bar my stubborn tribe's refusal to submit to the pernicious repression.

Anyway, you are welcome to correspond further, but I must curb my tendency to write a book in reply, I hope I haven't bored you.

Yours in Sport Jeff.

P.S. The current price of pups amongst club members is £300 for rough-coated bitches, £250 for flat-coated bitches and rough-coated dogs and £200 for flat-coated dogs. But, we do intend to raise these by £50 across the board in the near future because veterinary charges keep escalating. You would also have the expense of export/importing to consider.