Can you believe August is here? We've had a stray storm or two come through this week so scenting has been excellent. I've took advantage of it by running some young dogs. I'm amost ready to put them away for a while and start working on a couple I want to trial. The AKC national Championship is comig up the first week in October and I need to get a couple ready for that as well.
I'm pasting up a video of 4 pups ( I suppose they are young dogs now insead of pups) I just went out and caught. I turned them loose about 9:30 last night and caught them a little after noon today. As you can see they are about done for but they are still trying. Take a look at the energy the bluetick out of Cocoa Blue and Sadie is showing. She kind puts me of mind of her grandmother, Oopsy Daisy.

Here's the video of the double mated 15" females I have listed on the for sale page of my site www.rabbithuntingbeagles.com
I know the video is crappy but at least you dont have to wait on it to load and can actually get to see (hear) it. It will give you an idea on the dogs anyway. If you want to run big females these are steals.

Well a new week has dawned and we have big news at RHB. Before I get to that I want to mention that Turkey Creek beagle club is a fun group of guys to be around. We really enjoyed our day in the mountains with those guys.
I made a video of Doug Grant talking while we were driving. I'll try to get it uploaded.
Oh ya, to clear up any misunderstanding, I was not trying to discourage anyone from getting started in breeding dogs. If you have thought it through and done your due diligence to insure all the puppies you produce will be properly cared for then by all means have at it.
Now for the news; Ken Murray is Engaged to his lovely girlfriend Andrea! I don't have a date for the wedding but will keep you posted. No word on whether Ken will be allowed to stay all day on hunting trips. Seriously, congratulations Ken and Andrea!

Hey you want to hear something insane? I am going to judge a trial tomorrow. Yes, I know it's July...I think I may have flipped my lid. The only saving grace is we have had a little break in the summer weather and tomorrow is only supposed to be around 84 degrees. Hopefully I want have a heat stroke.

Also, I've decided to start adding a picture with every post. They have have nothing to do with beagles so just ignore them if you want.

Here's something that just popped into my head while I was look at the pups out of Rocky and Legacy today: Mating a male and female dog and investing a little money in dog pens and then claiming to have a breeding program is like me buying a paint brush and some canvas, renting a studio and calling my self an artist!

I think some people truly believe breeding dogs is like adding numbers. You just add 3 + 4 and it equals 7.

If you want them to look a certain way, run a certain way, bark a certain way, for gods sake wag their tale a certain way......... Ohhhh never mind if you don't get my drift then it is probably pointless to try and explain it.

Another thing while I'm on a rant, what about a dog that couldn't even be taken rabbit hunting that was advertised so much people just started believing in the hype. The promoters just kept telling their spin counting on new people to come to the light...... and they do, at least some do. It blows my mind at how gullible people are.

Does any body run dogs for fun anymore? I know one guy who I think does. I think he runs dogs and truly has a good time doing it. Here is a link to his site...he has some really good videos. http://skyviewsbeagles.com/ I need to talk him into coming down here and videoing for me.

I dont have much to say tonight. Had a great evening here at the home place. Me and the three children went down to feed dogs this evening and I decided to ride down and see how my millet patch was doing. I had two rabbits in it one on both ends about 150 yards apart. I drove the Kawasaki mule back to the dog pens in high gear and pulled out a next years derby out of Yogi and a pair of Cocoa Star females. I took them back to where I saw the rabbit and turned them loose. I intended to just play withe the kids but I couldnt pass up that rabbit. Any way they had been running about an hour and me and the kids were in the back yard playing on the swing set when a bunny come running hard straight across the back yard. He was as surprised to see us as we were to see him. As the dogs approached I caught one of them leaving the pup and two year old female for about another hour. I made a terrible video with my cell phone. Hope you can see it.

It's dark thirty and I find my self sitting on the front porch listening to little Daisy solo a rabbit. We finally got a rain shower. In fact one Monday and then again today. The grass has turned delightfully green and the dogs can smell again. I think I may have broken my record for days of running in the month of July. I think now i have only missed Monday and have had several two a day races. I may have run more early in my career but July has always been a slow month for me and dog running. It's mostly one hot dry day after another and and after all, I have to make a living sometime:(
Form the sound of this pup I have out the smelling is real good this evening. I hope she circles it back around by the house as I don't want to have to fight my way into that area she is in.
I lasted blogged on Sunday and little Daisy is and Princess were running. Well I broke a shaft on my bush hog and needed to go to town and see if I could the a replacement. I didn't want to leave them out so I went and caught them. I had my son Mason with me and he and I rode over on the mule to catch them. I got close to them and luckily saw the rabbit. I put Mason down in a grassy spot (he's only16 months old) and got on the line to catch the dogs. Just as I was putting the leash on Princess I got hit my wasp right in the eye brow! I looked up to see a swarm. I hurried for cover grabbing up Mason as I to to him. I hooked those little female sot the back of the mule and took off. THAT WAS CLOSE! I was so thank full I put Mason down before I got to the dogs. Amy may not have let him go run dogs again till he was 10 if he'd gotten stung.
I'm attaching a picture I took an hour ago of Mason and Anna picking blue berries. Check out the rabbit cover in the back ground.
Oh ya, that pup is really giving that rabbit fits right now. I imagine tonight is about the first time she's ever been run when scenting was decent. I think she may be a good one!
Oh ya more news from the front. Legacy had her pups today. Looks like their were 4 of them. They are all looking good and have plenty of strength.

This morning is a first for my blog. I'm typing this as I sit on my front porch. The Lord has blessed us with an unusual July 5th morning. It's 10 AM and the temp is only 74 degrees. There's plenty of cloud cover and every now and then a few rain drop bounce around. My kids are playing on the steps and sidewalk (who ever thought of sidewalk chalk anyway?) I slept kinda late this morning so I didn't get up until about 8:30. First thing this morning I saw a half grown rabbit in the front yard. I slipped out and released two beagles in the area I saw the rabbit. I've had my breakfast and am just sitting out here listening to Princess and little Daisy hammering a rabbit. It's been over an hour now and they are sure enjoying this break in the weather. After the last week of dry hot weather it's great to hear a solid race. It's been a big commitment to purchase and payfor a piece of property like this but I expect it to really make a difference in bringing young dogs along.
Ladt Birds pups are doing great. Looks like wer gonna end up with nine of them!

Cheer up folks; we have rounded the corner. Even as I type this note the days are getting shorter and as sure as the dog days of summer still lie ahead, Autumn will be soon following.

It's been busy around Five Forks the last several days. I've ran dogs 5 of the last 7 days, (even had a couple two-a-days mixed in) and the puppies are starting to be born.

Amy and i were driving home last week and as we approached the house we counted five rabbits along the edge of the road from the start of our farm to the house. My place is set up near perfect for rabbits but my neighbors is too. Our place was part of a several hundred acre farm that belonged to one family. We have just 23 acres of it but the rest of the farm is still owned by the family and is in overgrown fields as well. It's just a great place for rabbits.

Lady Bird had her puppies. You can imagine how excited we were to see that she had whelped eleven! two of them didn't survive the night but she has nine the look great. They have made it forty eight hours now and in my experience any that live that long will do just fine. I don't believe in babying bitches in whelp (other than proper nutrition and housing.) If you get a bitch that you have to coddle to take car of puppies you have yourself a problem that Will be with you for a long time. C-sections are another thing. If a bitch requires one, she needs to be culled from breeding. Bitches that require a section produce puppies that have a high probability of requiring C-sections. In fact, it's my opinion, good solid bitches are the most important thing to strive for when endeavoring to improve any breed. Let's face it, you can choose from literally a hundred different males for a nominal cost. The bitch however, is something you must work for years to get! You may be able to save your self some time and trouble by purchasing a high quality bitch from someone, but you will be on your own to develop several like this.

Oh well, i suppose that enough rambling for the morning. I hope everyone has a great Independence Day. Take a minute sometime today 9or any day) to think about what Independence Day is all about. Let's pay attention not to allow our country and in fact our freedom to to be encroached upon so much as to be no better off than when the British ruled these colonies. Our for fathers created a wonderful thing for us, lets keep it.

My goodness it has been a long time since I update this blog. I had intended to start back next week.....July 1st...... but Ken's been on me to get back started so here i am.

The house is finally finished (at least mostly) and we are all moved in. I cant find anything and thier was a few times the first couple of days Amy panicked when she lost the kids. Sorry I dont have the final pictures on this pc but I'll get them up.

Rabbit season ended on a high note with a great late February hunt in Georgia. I've been trying to work on rabbit farming some. The fields on our farm have been laying fallow for several years and saplings are almost trees. I've got a bush hog that is rated for material up to 4" so It's working out pretty good. I hope in a few years I'll have it all beat back to stuff under waste high. I'd like to biuld a new barn/kennel later in the summer. Money's pretty tight now with work coming slow so I'll have to play it by ear.

I've really been enjoying some of the younger pups. Their young dogs now and I"m real happy with how they do.

Any way, we got lots of squash and tomatos coming in now. I've planted the pumkin patch with hopes of jac-o-lanterns come October. I also sowed a clearing in Brown Top Millet the first of the month. It's really jumped with al lthe water. I'll try to get some pictures of that up too.

Oh ya, I found a little fawn last week bush hogging. Hopefully it reunited with it's mother pretty quick. If I can figure out how to upload the short video I made I'll add it. Until next time.......

I know it's been over a month since I posted on my blog. For the faith full readers I am sorry I've been slack. My father passed away the evening before Thanksgiving and I've been working hard to get the house ready for inspection. I got my inspection last Monday....!
Ken and I went hunting today with Ronald Phillips and his son Dillon. The scenting was incredibly good as it has been the hall fall. After two full years of drought the rain this fall has reminded me just how well the little beagles can chase a rabbit. We got started about 8:30 this morning and the running was fast and furious. By 10:30 we had run and killed 5 rabbits. The spot we were running on was kinda small and we run the 6Th rabbit over on some deer hunters so we caught the dogs and moved a half mile down the road to another spot we like. Since the first six dogs had 5 rabbits shot in front of them this AM we swapped dogs and got the second pack out about 11.15. In short order the rabbit was up and running. The dogs run about an hour or so and Ken had some work to do on the phone so he and Dillon disappeared to a shady spot up on the hill to take care of Ken's business. Ronald and I tried to cut that tricky rabbit off for a while then we decided to take a rest in a shady spot our selves. The bunny run near us several times but not where either of us could take shot. Finally about 1:00 we decided we needed to eat lunch so we headed up to the truck to join Ken and Dillon for soda and Vienna sausages. We shot the bull and ate lunch until about 2:00 when Ronald said, "listen to those dog, they are stroking that rabbit." With that we decided we need to go shoot that rabbit. When we got back down to where the dogs were running Dillon was able to shoot the rabbit and wound him. Just as the dogs and Ronald were about to catch the bunny he ducked into a hole. Since no one was willing to dig it out, except Lady Bird and Bell, the rabbit was left in the hole. In just a few minutes we had another rabbit going. This rabbit didn't stay up but 5 minutes and rand straight into the creek bank. Ronald said he saw him swim across and go up in the bank. It didn't seem possible so quickly so I talked him into tallyhoing the dogs over the water to the creek bank. Sure enough they smelled the bunny and started digging and fighting their way into the bank. I like to never got Lady Bird out of that hole. The next rabbit came quick and was shot by Ronald in less than a half hour. Ronald told me he was going up by the truck to turn out a brace of dogs he wanted to work for the trial this weekend and left Ken and I to tend to the shooting duties. As the dogs running was sounding good I sat down on log to take a rest. Directly, I spy ed a spot on the ground that looked like a good spot to lay down. It didn't take long and I was taking a good nap in the afternoon sun. As I was about to doze off listening to the two separate races, I remember thinking just how far I had come with these little beagles. The next thing I remember I was jolted from a sound sleep by the sound of barking dogs very near me. I woke up confused and dazed and was able to just see the rabbit hopping off into the broom straw field. I think Ken was the one who finally shot that rabbit and eventually Ronald and Dillon walked back down and joined us. We shot a few more rabbits and finally darkness put an end to a great day of rabbit hunting.
I know most people hunt in a lot different way than we do but I don't know why. The next time you go hunting make sure you plan enough time to enjoy yourself. Sit down, rest, maybe even take a nap and let the dogs run. You'll enjoy it a bunch.

Just a quick note to say we are all still alive and doing well in the sunny south. The dogs are getting run and the new Purina Pro Plan is performing great. Just when I decided the new shredded formula was going to work out great, Purina has decided ( by all the customer demand) to start the Pro Plan Chicken and Rice formula back up. It will be in 37.5 lb bags and should be at your local stores before thanksgiving! I know many of you are are concerned with the high price of dog food, so am I. I have plenty of friends who are taking the risky step of using dog food that is not subject to the same test trials as Purina. I urge you, think long and hard about it. What is $2 dollars a bag or even $5 a bag if you kill your dogs. For those 0f you who compete in field trials, my gosh, you spend thousands of dollars traveling to a trial. You run your dogs all hours of the day and night, you try solo, you brace, you pack them, and you are worried over $2 a bag for dog food. That sounds risky to me......... If you have 5 or more dogs and want to be a member of the Purina Pro Club please call me or send me an email. I will get you set up. By having me introduce you to the club, you are assured of continual support and someone you can get a hold of if you need help. I sometimes get coupons and other merchandise I can pass on as well.

Wow, what a nightmare I had last night. I dreamed it was a cool cloudy day. I was running four of my females over on the back side of my property. They were really making some noise. They were making every turn like they were following a painted yellow line. Just pushing through the briars and weeds with that steady CHOP-CHOP-CHOP, as if to say you can run rabbit but you can't hide. The race had gone on for about an hour and I was starting to get worried for the rabbit. After all, many hours and more dollars go into making sure the rabbits on my place have adequate food and cover. I want the dogs to run them hard and steady but I don't want them to catch them. what I heard next was a terrible commotion. I could tell that something was wrong at the house the Mastiffs were raising all king of sand. That was quickly followed by the sound of a kennel full of beagles doing the same. I hot footed it over to the kennels where I found 2 guys in suits looking at my dogs. I ask them what they were doing and they told me they were from the new government department responsible for the redistribution of wealth. Seems they had learned I owned way too many high quality female beagles. They said President Oboma needed to make sure some other beaglers who didn't have any quality females got one. They were their to seize all but two of mine so they could get them to those who really needed them. I told them I had been working on those dogs since I was a teenager, I told them I had worked really hard to invest in proper kennels and training grounds so I could improve them. Their only reply was to tell me I should feel good that now others less fortunate who didn't know how to get such good females would now be able to own a good one. I awoke in a fit of rage............
I sure hope America sobers up before next Tuesday!

The southeast is coming off of a huge beagling weekend. Last Wednesday we finally had some rain, in fact we had 3 inches of rain, and scenting was nearly perfect this weekend. Cove Creek Beagle club in Pickens, South Carolina held thier annual AKC license trial and any one who is anyone in the south east beagle world was thier for the big competition. I saw many friends from South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina. They were all thier for the same reason, to show off thier prize beagles.
What made this weekend different from most is the incredbly good scenting conditions the dogs had to work with. Nearly every pack ran like it could see the rabbit.
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being accompanied by my oldest daughter Ashlyn. Ashlyn was a real trooper and went out with me every time we went to the field. Ealry in the day Ashlyn told me, " daddy, I hope we win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd." The day went on and the competition got tougher. Ashlyn and I were both pleased when the dust settled to find out our own born and breed Lady Bird got the 3rd place award. It was good judging and and quality dogs that made it a good time. I don't think I heard a single complaint about the field trial. I know I had one happy little handler with me when we got home and Ashlyn showed off the the trophy we recieved. It was sure a good time, leaving both Ashlyn and myself ready to go back for more dog running.

It's with sadness on my heart I have to report the death of FC Tate's Lady Bear. Brad Carter called us just after daylight this morning to tell me the dreaded news. Lady Bear was such an outstanding hound it seems remiss to just say she was a great one. Lady bear was impressive in competition and deadly to Mr bunny when we were gun huting. I am a better breeder from seeing Lady Bear's offspring, I am a better hunter from shooting rabbits in front of Lady Bear, I am a better judge from following her many hours in the field. I have a bigger heart for making room for this outstanding little beagle in my faithfull breast. Having not even been around her for over a year I can tell you she is still missed as if she were here yesterday. Good bye Lady Bear. http://www.rabbithuntingbeagles.com/Pages/Beagles/Beagles.asp?pid=64&f=B2&fbid1=55&fbid2=56&FilteredFor=Rabbit+Hunting+Beagles

AS promised I am adding to my blog. September is over half way through and you tell the days are getting shorter. The crisp feel of the morning air makes it clear to all those who love the great outdoors, fall is drawing near. All summer I haven't really trained or conditioned dogs much. The main reason is I have been feverishly busy working on the new Five Forks canine athletics training facility. We purchased 22.5 acres back in May that we can devote to improving the strain of beagles that has been our lifes toil. The first thing that has to be completed is a home for my family. After many nails were driven the house is finally in th dry. I almost have the plumbing complete thanks to Chad Cape and I have been pulling the wire this last week. Robert Oliver is due over next week to get the HVAC roughed in. It won't be long until I can start work on the kennels and running enclosure. I plant o enclose a dab over 20 acres. This shoud work nicely for our program. I'll post a few pics of the house at the bottom ( I tried but couldn't so they are up top) of tonights post so you can see my work.
On the beagle front, the dogs have been getting worked some the last couple weeks. I've been to run dogs several times the last week or so and Ken has taken them 6 or 7
times. Daisy's latest litter is out of the starting pen and I really like one of them. Ken named her Black Eye Susan. We have onother little male out of Star and a Money female that we just got started that looks really good as well. Ken reports that our older group of 09 derbies all look wonderfull. Anthony Smith saw them run and commented that we must have been running them a lot. Little did he know they had been layed up all summer. Luckily the cool air has us as well as the dogs eager to be out in the field. By the time hunting season gets hear we will all be ready. I haven't forgot about the puppy articles I just need some time. In the mean time I hope you will visit some out our sponsors sites. Thier a lot to learn in side thier pages as well.

It's September and that means fleas are at their peak. If you have not done your due detergents this summer chances are the fleas are starting to show up.Flea & Tick Control is something that doesn't require a lot of effort if you just plan ahead. Both JeffersPet.com and Drs. Foster & Smith - The Trusted Name for Dog Products both are great places to order the supplies you need. While the dips work great for the adult dogs in the kennel, they are not labeled for puppies. You will find several products for puppies just remember not to use too much.
As I mentioned before you will have much more success dealing with fleas before they become a problem. Take a look around at Jeffers or Foster & Smiths. They have been in the dog supply business for many years. They know what products to sale, the ones that work and which ones to leave to the discount stores. I've added links to both sites for your convenience. Just remember to check back soon.
For SUPER low prices on your favorite pet supplies CLICK HERE

If you have had a beagle that gets out of the kennel, you will appreciate this video. The little dog is probably heck on a rabbit, she sure has brains.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-3EyMPzMoo

I hope to start working on my blog a little more. What I plan to start doing is listing some of the basic necessities every kennel needs. I find it interesting how many questions i get bout treating dogs for various illness's. Simple things we all have to learn. We do things to raise puppies that are second nature. Many people try to raise beagle litters with poor results. They do quiet well until the pups are weaned. After weaning is when the mother dog gets a break and we need to take some basic steps to insure the pups continue to grow and prosper.
Stay tuned and I will start to go over some of these details. Hopefully you want have to learn the hard way, like I did.

Beagle test

No matter what type of dog you have, heart worm prevention is critical to his care. They're several drugs available from your vet that will handle heart worms. The problem with these drugs is they tend to be on the expensive side. Ivermectin is something kennel owners and hunters have been using for many years. We used to have to get very precise dosages in order to be sure we didn't over dose. Then we had to give a tape worm expeller to get rid of tape worms. Now Horse Wormers are available from JeffersEquine.com that combine Ivermectin and Praziquantel in one. This makes parasite managment so much simpler. We use the Zyrmectin Gold . I give each adult beagle about a pea size squeeze. Another way to look at it is to use just a little less zyrmectin gold than you would put toothpaste on your toothbrush. We have found a squeeze of zyrmectin gold each month will keep your dogs healthy and in great shape. This is just on thing we have found that makes rasing a kennel of dogs much easier and less expensive. I will try to share other things as I can remember or as I get questions. Sometimes it's easy to forget the simple things that people want to learn about. Let me know if I can help you in any way. I am not a Veterinarian and recommend you talk to your vet before setting on a parasite control program.