Lamping with dogs - Cruel or control?

Posted this on another section but would like to start a disscusion on it.

We were drawn into the lamping world by chance and I would like to share my experience of it as i hate blood sports.

My brother in law is the Game keeper in his local area and one of his main jobs is controling the populations of the various 'pests'. Foxes he shots during the winter but never in spring or summer and rabbits he lamps.

When we got Cassie it was clear to see she was a working dog in her old life (she was brought over from Ireland by the dogs trust), my BIL was keen to try her our on the bunnies as it had been many years since his dad owned running dogs (he has a lovely trio of working springers). At frist i was reluctant, as already mentioned i was a firm believer in banning hunting with dogs. What made me decide to go is that how can you disagree with something if you have never seen it first hand? Fox hunting i have seen and hated but at least i knwo what i'm talking about when i saw i hate it.

Anyway we went out one night and Cassie was transformed, gone was the still slightly nervous not too bright though lovely girl. She was a predator with a level of skill i didn't know she had in her. Watching her run was a thing of beauty, she caught 6 rabbits out of the 10 or so she ran. Out of the 6, 2 were ill in some way (one had the start of mixi the other a huge abses). I can say hand on heart that it was NOT cruel in anyway. The rabbit has better night vision (the lamp is not used to stun the rabbit but to help the dog see where they are going), its the bunnies home ground and they have better agility. At no point were guns or nets used, once the rabbit was caught Cassie brought it back (she carries it by the scruff like a puppy! They don't even make a noise when she picks them up) and my BIL broke its neck. From start to finish it was just over a min, how long do you think cows stand around waiting to be killed?

I still don't agree with it being used as a sport or organised by catching rabbits and releasing them into ready made fenced fields but as a method of control it is much better then gasing or mixi. Its also darwin in action the most natural thing in the world predator and prey.

Personally I don't have a problem with it, because I often takes my lot out and allow them to try and catch a rabbit or two.

I personally find it cruel, but I have pet dogs, not workers, and think people are intitled to freedom of choice, because I could not do it, Do not miscall people who do.....

Sorry Raz, I have to say that reading your post just made me feel very sad. I am a soft townie and there is no way I could allow my dog to go chasing another living creature only for it to have it's neck broken
I suspect there will wide, varying views on this, this is just mine.

Sorry being one of the faint hearted...I wouldn't do it, the break it's neck bit, wouldn't sit well with me either. But it is a free world isn't it, so it is down to the individual

The main problem i have with people who dissagree with personally killing a prey animal is that they eat meat.

A chicken is a living creature just like a rabbit and people are more then happy to pick on up from the supermarket. Because its all wrapped up with no head or feathers people can disassoicate with the fact that someone had to kill it for it to get there.

It is the chase I dislike. Whether that makes sense or not, I imagine what it must be like to be chased, the fear it must go through before being caught and killed. Better a "clean kill"
But as Youngstevie says each to their own.

Fair point Hun, but some of us are Veggie's.
Like I said down to the individual, I just wouldn't like my dogs to chase...but again that's me.
I have nothing against what others want to do, my Grandfather was a game keeper, and My Mother worked at a country home, when she was a young girl, she used to help feed the hounds.

speaking from experience, my mum has about an acre and the rabbits have completely taken over her field and garden, literally from the patio window you can count 20 in one go...

now when we had the cat there was no problem never saw them!

Our mechanic uses his border terriers and gun to hunt them and only does it for control....

he came round and despatched about 15 in one go!
his dogs were magnificent...personally i believe that an element of control needs to be exerted as other wise they spread out of control and end up starving getting ill etc and that is far more cruel.

I hate fox hunting, but at least if it is done without excess pain then all the better

I hate fox hunting, it is not the best way to control foxes. If they wanted a quick way to kill foxes then why breed hounds made for stamina rather then speed?

The huntsman don't have as much control of the hounds as they think either, our cat was killed by the hunt. There were not even meant to be near our land as we bred rare breed poultry.