Hi! Let me introduce myself, my entry year to the Leadon vale bassets was 2003, so I am a young gun! My mum is called Tiddler and she is a real good looker! In fact, she is on the front cover of our leaflet. I have a famous sister called Treacle, she featured big in the Shooting Times magazine feature in July.
I have been asked to give you a brief talk about the lives of hunting bassets. This is not new to me as I have had written letters to magazines and had them printed.We are a foot pack, meaning our Masters take us around on foot rather than horseback, so they have to be fit! We usually start training Masters just before the season starts, in late August. They have had a long break from March to August and need good exercise to lose any pounds that they have built up over the Summer from too much alcohol and Barbeque food!

Now I have got the critics off my chest I will move onto our lifestyle. We live in kennels as a pack; we get on well together with a leader keeping us in order. At the moment the boss is still Tarquin. He is extremely wise and quiet with a calm strength that one day I will learn.
Before I went to live in the kennels I lived with a family, puppy walkers.They looked after me from 8 weeks to 9 months. I was taught my name and basic manners. It is lovely start and when you come back to the kennels, you still see your family because they come hunting with you.

I started hunting a year after I was born; it is called your entry year (entry to the pack). The hounds tell you to watch and follow them. I was so excited on my first hunt it was great. Youngsters don’t hunt a lot in our first season as it is thought it might be too much for us. In fact I have taken to walking with Master but sometimes going and having a look. I thought I could probably learn more from Master about how these humans think.
When the hunting season finishes you would think we sleep all summer. THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE ALL WRONG!. It is HECTIC BUT FUN!. Our summer social events are very enjoyable.

We have a great team of humans showing and hunting us with some promising youngsters coming along. I like to play the up occasionally by going off in completely in the wrong direction and seeing if they are going to collect me up. Our Masters and Whippers-ins are not cruel or harsh. The word whip does not mean they can thrash us, just guide us in the right direction (mainly by voice). It is true to say we are the most strong willed of Hounds but we give a lot back in return. A quote by a famous Master said, “That the relationship with hounds should be a love affair not a dictatorship”. Hunting people are not harsh with big whips that are frequently used; the crack of the whip in the air and the voice is we all need.

The hunt is actually monitored by strict organisations and we all work together to conserve the hare. This may sound hypocritical but in fact, it is not. Master goes around to see the landowners in the area the preceding week before we hunt. This is called `clearing the ground` which means to make sure it is ok to hunt. After this the ground is `carded` meaning that it is accepted. During the initial chat with the landowner and at the meet itself, statistics and observations are made. The hunt is in the unique monitoring position so that the information is collated to help the hare population flourish. In fact, the information is used by the Game Conservancy Trust for their records.
We hounds kill few hares and it is mainly the weak and suffering animals that are culled. Perhaps to prevent a hare lying in pain for days before its inevitable end. For more interesting information on monitoring please visit our links page, the websites show how professional and interesting hunting is.

Finally enjoy our website, it is designed to show the fun and enjoyment we all have. Both young and old mix together regarding hounds and humans. We love the countryside and have respect for our quarry (what we hunt). Feel free to come and see us at our hunts or summer shows. Please do not bring a Burger into the ring I have a big weakness for them. I also love lots of cuddles so I really look forward to seeing you.

We have the Annual Puppy Show where newly entered puppies are shown and puppy walkers get recognition for all their hard work. After the presentations and speeches comes the best part, we get the left over sandwiches, cakes and other goodies.
The summer shows are great and we attend a show almost every week. We have the obligatory bath the night before it is in lovely warm water and is quite soothing. After a while I try to jump in the tub to show Master that I cannot wait!

Sometimes at the shows we have competitions with other packs and sometimes we just parade in the ring. The adults and children are invited to come into the ring to meet us. I look forward to this for you are guaranteed lose of hugs especially from the children.