This is an interesting point. I've been "hunting" Isla on private land (I have permission to walk on it) and on occasion she has flushed a rabbit and managed to catch it. Now, these Rabbits seem to be diseased in some way. Not Mxy, but they don't seem to be able to get away properly? When Isla catches one I ask her to leave, which she does. The rabbit is never injured when I reach it, but seems to die from heart failure shortly after, possibly due to stress during the chase etc?

Would Isla catching a rabbit in this way constitue poaching?

Not that I'm worried mind, we're over run with rabbits at the moment and I know the landowner wouldn't object to my activities.

Good Morning Emma and all
The following is an extract from the Hunting act

While it is ultimately for the courts to define what constitutes hunting in the light of cases brought before them, hunting should be understood in its ordinary English meaning, which includes searching for wild mammals, chasing them, or pursuing them with the intention of catching or killing them.
Hope this will help answer your other question, normally rabbits with this disease die in a very short period of time unlike myxi
Viral Hemorrhagic Disease. It’s a deadly disease that any rabbit can catch, and it kills most of those that get it. It first appeared in Britain in 1992 and was a notifiable disease until October 1996, when the MAFF (now DEFRA) lifted restrictions on affected premises - the disease had become so widespread that such measures were futile.

Only vaccination can control the spread of the disease in domestic rabbits. VHD is so deadly it has been released in Australia to kill wild rabbits with great success. The problem is, it kills pet rabbits too.

Have a good day everyone

Hmm are you trying to be irritating or does it come naturally?

I don't think I 'need' correcting? But you can feel free to share your opinion - without thinking it is my need to be corrected...

Anyyyway...

What you have done is to take my words and then mix them up to fit the sentenses you wanted to make actually...I never said animals 'wander' around wounded after being shot - if you can quote that exact line then feel free to make a point of it.

Although I do agree I could have worded

alot better but I didn't realise I was going to enter any technical debates as a result of that post or I would have taken more time.

It should read: shoot it, trap it, or watch them wander around half dying (of mixy) and that's fine.

But then you could have asked rather than making the wrong assumption.

I was refering to the diseased riddled poor rabbits that I see more often than not. Yes it is not nice when one of the poor little things are wandering about blinded with sores all over.

I have never seen a rabbit being mauled to death for 10 minuets myself by any dog. On the odd occassion mine have caught one if I haven't told them to drop, it's instant. Besides hunting rabbit with a dog is not deemed any crueler than other methods or it would be illegal.

And yes I will worry when I see no more mixy rabbits that outweigh the healthy rabbit population and when I stop seeing the guys that ride around in a pick up truck with a huge lamp on looking for the critters.

For the record I never go on anyones land I walk my dogs in public open spaces also for the record my dogs have caught maybe 3 to 4 rabbits max - the first few were riddled with mixy and couldn't see where they were running to - one or two of these times, ran from the sound of one dog running around playing and straight into the path of the other, who picked it up...So if someone wants to tell me I'm hunting with my dogs in those type of cases then I would laugh at them.

Both dogs have been excellent and when told to drop they have done instantly one or two of the times the rabbit was still alive - in one case, the dog dropped at it and looked at it's helpless little diseased riddled body and proceeded to wash it's eye's It would have been kinder for the dog to have killed it in the first place and I actually wanted my dog to put it out it's missery but they just sat looking worried at it so I took them away and then we put the poor thing out it's missery ourselves

It was almost the same exact situation again - another mixy rabbit another time the same thing but this time because I could clearly see it was on it's last legs already before the dogs reached it I didn't intervene.

Last time they caught one it was the only healthy one they had caught. It was on public land - never walk the dogs offlead on private land anyway - and so as not to waste it we skinned it and took it home. The dogs don't like to eat rabbit so we put it in the freezer for us a month or so later.

So there you go. Should my wrists be slapped for my dogs catching / rather putting them out of their missery - those poor diseased rabbits? or should I feel guilty that we just so happened to get a free meal out of the one healthy one they caught.

For peace of mind I stop my dogs at times from chasing rabbits etc...To back up my control for when it is really needed.

When they can stop releasing diseases to kill rabbits then I don't see that I am doing wrong by my dogs giving them the run around from time to time. I would rather have them fall prey to nature than I would see them contract these introduced diseases to control them.

Blimey, I started something here! I just wanted to warn of the dangers of allowing dogs to chase things. Mainly because of the fatal accidents I have either had first hand experience of, or have heard about. A dog chasing anything, can easily run out onto the road and get killed, or run into a fence etc etc.

Also, it only takes someone seeing you allow your dog to chase, catch and kill, who does not like it, from complaining about it. If you aren't doing anything to stop them at the time, I would have thought they would have enough ammo. There is the word "intent" but I imagine someone could argue that you weren't doing enough to call your dog off if you weren't shouting or whistling, particularly if it is a regular occurence.

I have certainly witnessed dogs not killing a rabbit quickly, it happens. Certainly because you haven't seen it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

If I see a myxied rabbit, I humanely dispatch it myself. I am in now way anti rabbiting with a dog but I don't have dogs that will do the job as I train them to either ignore it or to sit to flush - depending on the breed.

Helen

Hello firstly to Helen. Its good to have you back!!. It seems Ive rattled someone cage lol. As for being irritating, well i guess that only applies to people that get agitated so easy in the first place. One thing i would like to point out is that no dog catches prey by chance. It either hunts or it doesn't. Chance doesn't come into the equation, it might be unsuccessful at catching its prey, there is certainly no grey area regarding this, in law. It doesn't matter either whether the animal was diseased or not. I walk a length of tow path with my dogs, purely because there are plenty of rabbits there. I dont have permission to take rabbits on British Waterways land so therefore i am breaking the law, would i be prosecuted for it. I think the answer would be a definite yes. It would only take a person in authority to deem that i was partaking in a unlawful activity and i would be standing before a magistrate. (first hand experience)
As for you comment regarding spreading myxi, thats been illegal since 1953. I have worked in and around forestry and farming for 30 odd years and i dont know of anyone spreading it. Its seen for what it is, no one like to see the sight of how they suffer. I used to shoot on a piece of ground over a 10 year period. (22acres)When i first went i shot 331 in a week without stepping inside the gateway. Three years latter myxi came back again and probably wiped out 70% of the population. Today there are twice as many, some still show signs of having had myxi, scaring around the eyes and face. But they have recovered, and theres no doubt be back again in the future

Now to me this would mean the owner, not the dog! So from my perspective I'm well within the law as I don't intend to chase, catch or kill a rabbit. It's is purely the ones that don't run that get caught!

I'm out to train Isla to flush, not to intentionally hunt the animals.

No doubt you'll disagree, but can I please ask you to be polite in your reply, as some of your replies have been rather rude on this thread, IMO.

Emma, Hi, firstly my apologies if in some of my post i have upset anyone. Sometimes i feel as though, what i post either falls on deaf ears, or are to difficult for some people to understand. Maybe its just me, getting frustrated over some of the replies that have been posted on here. I have lived and worked around dogs and dog people most of my life and by that i dont mean a stroll round the park. I,m talking rat packs, earth dogs and shooting dog.I'm not knocking pet owners here. Yes,every body is welcome to there opinion,, but what are those opinions based on. First hand experience or ignorance. Dont knock it until you've tried it. That might seem a little harsh, but if you know an alternative to the two Ive mentioned please tell me what the other options are, i would love to know
To answer your question, You are responsible for your dog, so if you allow your dog to hunt game without permission, yes in theory , you are breaking the law. If your dog was worrying sheep and the owner shot your dog he would still see you in court, seeking compensation, because you are responsible for not having your dog under proper control. It stands to reason you dog cant be responsible for its own actions. Going back to your original question, even if your dog chases game on a public park, forestry land, or any land owned by organization, they will have there own byelaw's. Normally its worded along the lines of- your dog must be kept on a lead or kept under close control. If your walking on private land, IE a public right of way your normally expected to follow the same code. People have ignored this for so long it has now become the norm. I have always walked my dogs for years off the lead, hunting the hedgerows, never with permission and apart from one occasion, its never been a problem. That makes me a bigger flaunter of the law than most people, and probably the most irresponsible person on here, but its difficult to change the habits of a lifetime, i love my way of life and so do my dogs.
Kindest Regards John

There arent many landowners who would object to your dogs hunting rabbits Rips.I openly encourage Vegas to chase whatever takes his fancy and in theory-im breaking the law cause he also chases Muntjac deer and hunting them with dogs is now illegal (unless they're being flushed to waiting guns).

Not Really?

You haven't rattled 'anyone's cage' - it takes more than that.

You went on along time about the diffuculty of my screen name - profile etc etc it did irritate me as it wasn't really necessary.

Also why the 'I've seemed to rattle someone's cage'? and 'Only applies to people to get that easily agitated in the first place...' It just lacks a bit of ettiquette don't you think - I've been a member here for eons and in these 2 posts you just seem patronising.

Everyone that knows me on here know I'm all up for banter and I have a big sense of humor but maybe it might be worth getting to know forum members first - your the stranger here not me.

I'm confussed as to your stance really? Your pushing the law and then saying that you let your dogs do it (catch rabbits etc)? We don't actually differ on opinions - Only it sounds as though yours catch far more than I let mine.

To the law yes it might not matter if the animal is diseased or not but I was giving MY opinion - that I would rather see my dogs put a mixy rabbit out of it's missery. I know it would be prefered by law that the poor thing staggers around to suffer some more but still.

I made no comment about the spread of mixy I refered to the fact that the mixy rabbits in my area still outweigh the healthy one's by far. It is still very much here and hasn't gone away at all. We are over run by rabbits here and I think it is silly to fuss over dogs doing what dogs like to do then complain that the rabbits need to be controlled.

No one is advocating dogs chasing livestock here - my dogs would never be let off lead anywhere near them for their own safety against farmers. So long as you can control your dog to leave - drop - recall when it counts etc why worry to much over them chasing rabbits - with the amount that are in my area you simply have no where to walk the dogs offlead where there arn't dozens of rabbits.

Hunting rabbits with dogs is not illegal at all as it is seen that a dog can dispach of a rabbit no more harmful than any other way. That's what it says on the defra website. The only issue is the land they do it on.

There isn't much we actually disagree on is there? I'm not sure what your point is.

I don't understand what anyone is knocking? Or what we are supposed to have tried?