mum24dog Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 It would be hypocritical of me to jump for joy at the fact you've bought a puppy because for me personally its not something that I would do That's the way I feel too - at least as a gut reaction. However, I also think it's hypocritical of me to be self-righteous about never buying a dog when many of the people who do do much, much more than I do for rescue. Helen has adopted 3 rescue dogs, and that's 3 more than a lot of people do. Furthermore, the pup that she has bought has been bred and bought to do a specific job, and that's the way it should be. She's not encouraging puppy farmers or bybs. And I don't have a problem with her new job either. It must be one with a great sense of satisfaction and connection with the land - sadly missing from much of life nowadays. Pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vashti Posted November 23, 2008 Report Share Posted November 23, 2008 Am I right in thinking that a gamekeeper gets the wildlife ready for people to shoot/ hunt? That's what I'd always thought but would like to know if I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslass Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Am I right in thinking that a gamekeeper gets the wildlife ready for people to shoot/ hunt? That's what I'd always thought but would like to know if I'm wrong. No, you're right. My problem with it is the "sport" aspect, which is probably hypocritical as well. I do eat certain free range meat and I fully understand how it gets to my plate, but for me, the thought of hunters and shooters out there enjoying the kill is a step too far. It also means foxes and other predators have to be controlled, by whatever means necessary, so that the "game" is left for the human predator. As I say, if I were truly sensitive, I would refuse to eat any meat, so I am probably unjustified in my squeamishness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegk68 Posted November 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 I just want to say a huge thank you to you all and also to say I totally respect each and everyone of your views . It was not an easy subject to bring up and not an easy subject for many, so I am really grateful for your honesty and graciousness (I really hope this doesn't sound condescending! ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Hello Helen , its nice to see you can I ask why a rescue pup could not have been trained to work with you or am I being naive in thinking rescue labs can be trained to be working dogs ( are the ones that work different to what I would know as Pet Labs ? ) I don't know a huge amount about differant types of labs so apologise in advance if the above is a very stupid question Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owl Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 Working labs have diverged considerably from show labs both in appearance and ability. A working lab might be too active and demanding for most pet homes, and a show/pet type is unlikely to have the degree of working ability required by a gamekeeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum24dog Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 can I ask why a rescue pup could not have been trained to work with you or am I being naive in thinking rescue labs can be trained to be working dogs ( are the ones that work different to what I would know as Pet Labs ? ) Working labs do come up in rescue - often mistakenly labelled as lab crosses from some I've seen because they are so different from show/pet lines in appearance. Much healthier too. I'm sure some of them could be trained up to do an adequate job but I guess Helen wanted to stack the odds in her favour by getting a pup from known working lines. (Having said that, I know one with an excellent working pedigree that is pretty hopeless at retrieving.) As I gather this dog will be part of her work, it's a bit more important to her to get the right one than for those of us who take a chance on a rescue for our hobbies - agility in my case. Pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 hello Helen, nice to see you back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegk68 Posted November 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 All the above are very true with regards to my motives for getting a pup, inaddition the competitions that I would wish to do with this pup (if he should want to do them and show potential that is, and certainly no worries if not ), would require him to be KC registered. Unlike say Agility, where you can register any dog with the KC to do such activities on a special list without it being actually ever being KC registered, you cannot do so for the types of gundog competitions I would like to do, they have to be from KC reg parents and be registered at birth. So the papers are integral....if that makes any sense? . It is something that I think is a bit of a shame really. Not entirely sure of the KC motives...anyone want to take a guess? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melp Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 I have a question for labby peeps please [its slightly off topic though] Would a police specialist dog [drugs and explosives] be from working lines and therefore different in shape/size etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegk68 Posted November 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 can I ask why a rescue pup could not have been trained to work with you or am I being naive in thinking rescue labs can be trained to be working dogs ( are the ones that work different to what I would know as Pet Labs ? ) No not at all naive, look at my Barney, he's a rescue. Although I have to say I am very lucky with him indeed . There are two strains of labs, the leaner Working type which are said to have more 'drive' and the chunky, monkey more 'show types', like my Bert, who has very little ability in the field but loads of ability in the cuddling stake . So you do need to be a little careful when selecting a dog for the job. But really, if you want to compete in Field Trials and the like, it is the KC papers that put a real dampner on things with regards to Rescue labs, and as I said above, that is really disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegk68 Posted November 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 (edited) I have a question for labby peeps please [its slightly off topic though]Would a police specialist dog [drugs and explosives] be from working lines and therefore different in shape/size etc? Not necessarily I think Melp. The police will assess a dog at an early age and go from there. So it could end up from any background/breeding. Whilst not all labs are good retrievers, they do all have a good nose! Some rescue dogs may find their way to the police force I believe (I met a police man at a country show this year looking for dogs), some familes actually donate their unruly dogs ( ). I don't think there are specific kennels out there breeding for the police force, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong! An interesting write up here on the dogs of the Tayside police, with their backgrounds. They look all shapes and sizes to me Tayside dogs Edited November 25, 2008 by tegk68 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegk68 Posted November 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Just as an aside, here's a couple of photos, which I hope show well how Barney's new job suits him both physically and mentally: At 11months old, and the first photo I saw of him At 2 1/2 years old the other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobleronie Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Nope the Police dogs can be any shape or size, we have rehomed several dogs to the police, private sniffer dog companies and more recently to the M.O.D. who are looking for 280 dogs in the next year and none have needed to conform to a certain look, the only thing they need to be is confident and be obsessed with a ball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happylittlegreensquirrel Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 . Not entirely sure of the KC motives...anyone want to take a guess? from the little I understand about the Kennel Club my personal guess would be the motivation is monetary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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