Another successful hunt out in Gauteng yesterday. We met some new beagles as usual… hope they had fun!

After the very cold week we’ve had in JHB, Sunday was quite mild…!

We had a group of about 35 – 40 beagles

Just look at what a blur these speedy beagles are! (click on the picture for an enlarged version and see if you can spot your beagle!)

Here’s another one of the hounds in action… can you spot your beagle? I can see my Harry!

All the beagles seem to have had a great time… especially on the very last line, where they smelt a rabbit and most went chasing off after that scent instead of the scent we had laid for them! Needless to say, not many beagles finished the last line

Billy, who has only been to 2 or 3 hunts is doing incredibly well!! Now he must teach his big brother Ben how to follow the scent!

Billy the natural hunter!

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Harry was completely exhausted after all the running around. And he keeps rolling in the dirt – probably trying to get rid of that embarrassing England flag on his bib

Harry wasn’t the only tired beagle… look how exhausted Poppadom and Roti look!

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as usual, all the beagles got some cuddle time in

Lucy getting love from her mom… and Charlie getting a tickle too! (and in the background, Marmalade and Tammy getting scratches and loves)

Roger was also getting a good cuddle!

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These 3 ladies were very interested in something… Rebel, Pippen and Bella

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Thanks to everyone who makes these days possible! Our next hunt is on Sunday 1 August at 7:30am… sign up here.

We only have 4 more open hunts left in the 2010 season! And then the Top Ten Challenge where the top ten beagles of this season compete in a long line to see who has what it takes!!

After the season is over, and the points have been tallied, we have a black tie prize giving, where all beagles are awarded certificates, and there are rosettes and trophies and other prizes for various beagles… it is great fun and a lovely evening… Hopefully lots of you who have joined us in 2010 will come along to this, it is an awesome way to pay tribute to our hounds who have done us so proud! (see the photos from last year HERE … can you recognize anyone, without their beagles in tow, and not covered in muddy paw prints?? )

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What a big turnout!! Maybe it was the promise of the Vetkoek breakfast after the hunt

Lots of new faces too!! This was a very successful hunt in terms of new beagles finishing lines! I think “Best Newcomer” is going to be a VERY tough call this year… so, to all the new beagles, keep coming, keep working, maybe you can win a trophy at the year end prize giving!!

How great are these pics of the lines? Thanks Carmel

Look at them GO!!

I just love those action shots, don’t you?

Anyway… the hunts went REALLY well… up until the second last line where a few beagles went on their own little walk about and we spent AGES looking for a new little beagle, BLAKE … turned out he was back at the cars! It must be said, Blake is doing really well – considering Sunday was only his second time – and he is still a pup!

Here is Blake getting cuddles (and probably a talking to about disappearing

Little Penny was totally worn out by the end of the morning, and had to be carried around by her dad… what a little princess that one (Penny, not dad!!)

Here are some more beagles at the hunt:

Chelsea

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Matilda

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Aimee and Nelson

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Wendy and Misty

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Charlie

After the hunt is was time for the much anticipated “Vetkoek in the Veld”… prepared by our very own world renowned chefs, Trevor and Dilene (better known as Poppadom and Roti’s mom and dad)

Nom Nom

Trevor tucking in himself…

Thanks for going to the trouble guys – everyone really enjoyed it… can’t wait for next time

Here are a few more pics form Duke and Theai’s people

How cute are these ears!?

Thanks to everyone for making the morning a success!! Our nest hunt is on 6 June at 7am – sign up here

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Hey Guys…

here is the latest from Christine in Cape Town…

**NOTE** if you want to be part of the CPT hunts, you MUST email Christine and let her know to expect you, PLEASE don’t just pitch up!!

Also, you can join the Western Cape Beagles Facebook Group to keep up to date there too.

Good morning All,

We will be having our first run this Sunday 23^rd May 2010. Please can I have the yes’s and numbers by Thursday lunchtime.  Please note that even if you have indicated on Facebook that you are coming, I still require an confirmation email.

Once again, we’ll meet at the gate at 8am.

DIRECTIONS:

Directions to Anura, Klapmuts:

1. Take the N1 towards Paarl
2. Take the Wellington / Klamputs turnoff (R44)
3. Turn right and go under the N1
4. Go past Lanners Landing & Butterfly World
5. Go over the 4 way stop
6. Take 2^nd road to your left, towards Franschoek (R45)
7. First farm on your right – Anura

We’ll meet at the gate at 8am.

ITEMS TO REMEMBER:

1. Your hounds number disc & leash.  We will being redoing the numbering system this year, so if you don’t have a disc, don’t worry.
2. Boots (it can get a bit muddy)
3. R10 per hound to pay for the sausage.

PROVISIONAL DATES FOR FUTURE RUNS:

6^th June 2010

20^th June 2010

4^th July 2010

18^th July 2010

1^st August 2010

15^th August 2010

29^th August 2010

12^th September 2010

26^th September 2010

These dates might change depending on the weather and if we have to cancel runs due to rain.

GENERAL:

1. Parking – We have been asked NOT to park in front of the cellar door as they need five spaces for the staff. If everyone could therefore park up roadway leading up the hill.

Thanks & regards

Christine

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After arriving at the hunt venue to find the entrance to our hunting valley all dug up… we had to drive a little further down the dirt road to find another track to get into the valley… It was a very bumpy drive for those of us without Jeeps/Land Rovers etc!

Anyway… we made it there safe and sound… Welcomed the new people and set off on our lines. I think this is the very first time that not one dog went for a walk about… we didn’t need our search party at all!! Unless you count 2 of the new dogs who got slightly left behind the pack and couldn’t find their way down the mountain… We were all watching them, and one let out a very mournful “Hooooowwwwwl!!!!” to which the whole group did a communal “Aaaaaaaawwww!” It was very sweet!!

So many of the new dogs are starting to finish the lines! It’s awesome… To name a few: Gerry is doing well, as is Kujo. Kujo’s sister Tammy finished her first line yesterday. Little Blake who is only 10 months old finished a line (he was one of the beagles “lost” on the mountain). And a few others who have slipped my mind! Please leave a comment if you can remember!

Poppadom and Roti conyinued to outshine the rest of the group… it must be their new Liverpool bibs!

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Snoopy taking a moment to chill… looks like dad is having a nap too! hehe. PS check out dad’s awesome “Beagle Dad” shirt!!

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How cute is Stewie… all kitted out in his new blue bib! He is running a bit further on each line… keep it up boy!

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basil was taking it easy at the hunt yesterday… not up to his usual standard!! Check Enzo licking his chops in the background… wonder what he has been eating!

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Lucy whipped around at great speed when the bait came past her! How cute is her ear flapping around!!

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Pippen: Pretty in Pink. Pippen is also doing REALLY well this season!

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Gerry looking very tired! He’s doing so well too… for his first season… Now he just has to teach his sister, Tosca, to hunt like he does!

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Well done to all the beagles, and thanks to everyone involved in the hunts! It was a really fun morning.

See you all on the 23rd May… sign up here… IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE: after the hunt on 23 May, we are going to have a Vetkoek breakfast… if you are coming, PLEASE EMAIL ME and let me know how many people to cater for. The cost is R20 per person. I will be sending out an email to everyone, and I ask if you can please reply to that. If you are NOT on my emailing list, please send me a mail to confirm numbers for the breakfast.

Hope to see you all there!

- Happy Beagling!

After having experienced the coldest weather in gauteng ever (!!!) on saturday, we were all rather sceptical about whether there would even BE a hunt! It rained most of saturday and we all waited with baited breath to see what sunday morning would bring…
I woke up at 5:30 to pitch darkness, but no rain! yay!!

put on every item of winter clothing i owned and off we went – not expecting too much of a turnout!

Surprise! There was quite a big group today!! I would estimate close on 30-40 dogs…? Even a couple of new people – so brave to come out in this weather – well done guys!!

Our usual organisers were away this weekend… so we had a new team who stepped up to walk the lines, go over rules, blow the whistle… so, SPECIAL thanks to Gavin, Robert and Peter for standing in!!

the beagles seemed on a bit of a go-slow today, as very few of them finished the lines… BUT we did have a couple of the new dogs doing really well and Kujo finished a few times – today was his very first hunt!! Well done Kujo!

Well done KUJO!!

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Kujo’s sister, Tammy, was more interested in running off on her own mission than sticking with the pack!

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Before we even started our hunts… Roti decided to roll in some, ummm, rather unsavoury smelling stuff… which meant he had to run the lines naked! – Sheesh Trevor, you take one day off and look what happens to your dog… running around naked – sies!!

GROSS!!!!

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Naked boy!!

Naked beagle!

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Roti’s brother, Poppadom telling him how he smells… (or was it how good…?)

oh… and there was THE CUTEST little puppy who came to watch the hunt today!! Her name is Daisy… she was so tired and cold after a while, her mommy bundled her up in her jacket and she fell fast asleep and had special cuddles!!

Cutest thing i saw all day!!

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And little Penny had her customary nap on a tuft of grass…

I'm trying to sleep here!!

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By the way, Penny is still trying to grow into those ears!!

What you talking about? I have tiny ears!

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Basil and Enzo were having a competition to see who could look the saddest…

Mirror, Mirror on the wall - who is the saddest of them all

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Humphrey’s pack with famous Barnaby in his stylin’ pajamas were there to support Ben… I personally think that Barnaby wore his PJ’s to try and detract from the fact that he’s not *actually* a beagle… shhhh – dont tell him we noticed ;p

How cool are Barnaby's PJ's ... very slimming!!

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Ben doing his best impression of “Chinese Eyes”

Pilchards and "Flied-Lice" please

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Two of our new recruits who got their mom and dad to brave the weather… Pavlov and Piccolo with their dad

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Denver crying out for his one True Love… “Oscar, where are yoooooooooooou!!!!???”

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Maya is back on form and running (and baying) like a crazy little beagle

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Beagle Brothers, Harry & Oscar ready to rumble!

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Lucy had to be restrained by her mom, as all she wanted to do was take off after her dad who was walking upfront laying the scent!!

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and what would an update be without a photo of our very own mascot… Snoopy!!   ahhhroooo!

THANK YOU to everyone for braving the cold damp weather… hope all the new beagles had fun!!

REMEMBER to treat against ticks, fleas and worms (we do sell medication for all of these pests – pls enquire!!)

Our next hunt is on 9 MAY AT 7am… sign up here

We would love you guys to leave comments on our posts… whether you were there or not let us know how you enjoy the hunt, our site, the super cute photos… we love hearing feedback from all you beagle huggers out there!!

Until next time, Happy beagling!

I know this post is long overdue!! Apologies to everyone who has been waiting

Our first JHB hunt was on 11 April… we had quite a big group with a lot of new faces. The lines all went off quite well. Shaw made some of the lines a little shorter than normal, to try and get some of the new dogs to complete them… and we DID have a few new dogs finish – it was great!

The beagles seemed to have a blast as usual… back in their element

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How cute is Penny in her, ummm, BRIGHT pink bib!

aaaaaaawwwww!

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A happy tired Basil

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Pippen and Snoopy

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Chelsea is one of the few Veterans we have at the hunts

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Poppadom & Roti in their very smart new bibs!! – nice one boykies!

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Happy Harry

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Oscar is very focused!

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Basil and Kingsley

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Nom Nom! Pilchards

A great start to the season… looking forward to Sunday!! Sign up here

PS Remember to let the organisers of the hunt know that you are there on the day… the number of beagles attending is very important to the scoring!

Oh… and have you voted in the poll on the right of the site yet??

Happy beagling…

Until Sunday!

We had the JHB registration day yesterday…

It was good to have a few new beagles and their people come and register… we got some admin out of the way, chatted about the season, what to expect and the rules and how the hunts work.

We took the beagles for a walk through the valley where we normally hunt… just to familiarise everyone with the area a bit. the grass is LOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!!! if we weren’t on a path, there was no way of seeing any beagles!!

At one point about half way through the walk, Tinkerbell decided to head back to the parking area, which caused a bit of stress to her family who thought she has disappeared, but our trusty search team tracker her down I think she was a bit overwhelmed by it all, and had probably lost track of her people and headed back to the cars where she felt safe.

Other than that, the walk went off well, but it was VERY hot!! Now we understand why is it important to hunt ONLY in winter, and the earlier, the better for the beagles!

It was good to catch up with our beagle friends and make some new ones… i think everyone is looking forward to the new season!!

PLEASE NOTE: Fees are R180 per family for the season, please bring cash along to the first hunt (11 April). If you would like to order a bib for your beagle, please email me and we can arrange!

a few little pics from yesterday:

LUCY IN THE GRASS (not Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds   )

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Sweet little Snoopette… I mean Penny in her bright pink bib!!

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Dexter, kitted out in his blue bib… all ready for the 2010 season!

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Some of us walking through a patch of the shorter grass!!

We had our last hunt this morning.

Even though it was our last meeting, we still had new people join us, which is always great! There were about 35 to 40 beagles today. It was very hot out there! The beagles struggle quite a lot in the heat. Luckily the lines weren’t too long though. Lots and lots of beagles finished the lines, and no-one went off on their own mission again! It was great. I even heard Lucy finished a line for the first time today – well done girl!

Looking back over the 2009 season, it is so encouraging to see the dogs who started out as “newbies” earlier in the year are now running the lines like pro’s! The parents of 2009-first-time-hunters Denver, Basil, Ace, Jet and  Maya should all be extremely proud of their hounds who have done incredibly well this season and have fitted into the group wonderfully and are now really part of the furniture – so to speak. The other new guys who have become regulars have also done really well – for lack of time and space (and for fear of leaving out a name or two) I won’t mention everyone by name…! – but you know who you are, and should be proud! The guys who joined us later in the season, and are still catching on are showing great potential too – next year will be your time to shine!

It’s always a bit sad at the last hunt for the season… we have such great fun with our hounds throughout the year. I know I miss it in Summer time!

Next Sunday, at 7:30, is the Top Ten challenge. Anyone is welcome to come and watch – with leashed beagles, of course! The line for the Top Ten is about 6km long… and there is only one line – not 5 x 1km lines like we normally have.

After the hunt we’ll have a breakfast again (R20 per person, please email me if you want to stay for breakfast!)

** Watch this space for: **

• Top Ten announcement this week
• Details of End of Year Prize Giving Ball announcement this week
• Placing of the Top Ten Next Sunday!
• Details of social Beagle meet-ups in Summer

Each hunt brings us closer to the end of our season

Check out some photos here – they have been updated!

We had a really big turnout today! Even a few new faces. The hunts went off so smoothly it was ridiculous! No dogs went off on their own mission, we didn’t have to send our “search party” after anyone! Made a lovely change.

I also managed to get some good group shots of everyone lining up and getting ready to release (thanks mom!).

Lots and lots of beagles finished all the lines. Although there is not really anything to report about this morning’s hunt, it was a very successful day for all the beagles. I’m sure you are all tired of hearing how fantastically Maya is doing, so I won’t mention it again! :p Congrats to Avon, who finished her first line (I think it was the first time!). Also a well done to a new beagle Gerry – I heard his name being called out a few times, but I never got to meet the boy!

We were really feeling the change of season… it was very very warm! The poor beagles were also suffering a bit with the heat. Now we can see why our season is only during winter.

Look how exhausted poor Harry is (only halfway through the morning!)

After the hunt we had croissants and cold meats, cheese and fruits… Supplied by Jane. It was great to have some time to chat to everyone, and see the beagles without their hunting bibs on – they are SO much cuter naked (hee hee!).

Special thanks to Jane for supplying the breakfast – everything was great! Also, thanks once again to Shaw, and his team for laying the lines for us!!

Our last open hunt is on 13 September at 7:30… you can sign up here.

*** IMPORTANT NOTE *** Anyone who won a trophy last year, needs to have it engraved and RETURNED AT THE NEXT HUNT so we can start organising everything for the prize-giving evening (probably held in November some time).

After all the rain, hail and freeeeeezing cold in Jozi yesterday, I was ready to stay in bed and give hunting a miss this week! The thought of my beagles being stuck inside all day again made me get up in the pitch dark and drag myself off to the hunt though

It was probably the smallest group this season – only about 20 beagles. I have a feeling the rest of our crowd spent the day curled up under the covers. Despite the cold the day before – Sunday turned out rather pleasant.

A few new faces… Copper the Beagle was one new face. Copper arrived and was a little bit unsure of all these other hounds – but he quickly relaxed and started wagging his tail. He even completed a couple of lines! Can you believe it! On his first day – very impressive – well done, Boy!

The lines went off very well – with little newcomer Maya deserving a special mention! She is continuing to do brilliantly – coming in first place on every single line. It’s phenomenal to see a new beagle doing so well on pure instinct. She is one of the smallest beagles in the group – but she is a total hunting machine! Her dad, Roelf, must be very proud of her.

Bella was doing very well today – surprising George and Linda (and most of us too!). Basil is also doing very nicely – he is becoming more constant in his hunting performance. I noticed Bentley (who has only been to one or two hunts before) is also finishing lines – which is very impressive.

Basil having a rest with his dad

It was actually quite nice, in a way, to have a small group for a change. Although, even with a small group we managed to have some beagles go off on their own mission. Annie and Avon (very uncharacteristically) went for a loooooooooong walk in the wrong direction. They refused to come close to Trevor to be leashed and returned to their mom – naughty girls! (Trevor said he is used to girls running away from him though! Hee hee ). The girls were reunited with their mom – tails wagging very fast! Our new boy, Copper also went for a walk about – following after Oscar and Harry who were going off for some brotherly bonding!

Oscar howling his little beagle lungs out!

It was a great morning as usual. The wind even stayed away for most of the morning.

Thanks to everyone involved in the organising and laying the lines!!

Our next hunt is on 16 August… sign up here

JUST A FRIENDLY NOTE: Our hunts are a Beagles Only Event. A lot of our beagles have brothers and sisters of different breeds – but if everyone were to bring all their dogs along, it would be too chaotic. We have had a few “non-beagles” at some of our events and we have let it slide… But we, unfortunately, can’t have this becoming the norm. Please understand that your “non-beagle” dogs will need to stay at home on the mornings of the hunts. – Thank you for your understanding in this matter!

Charlie, Marmalade and Snoopy