Renegade Rip

Issue date: 11/9/06 Section: Features

Media Credit: Jose M. Vega Female Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Hermani in front and Gucci in back, race their way to the finish line at the BC soccer field Oct. 29.

There were over 50 running dogs competing in the Inland Wilderness Hunt Club Test and Trial on Oct. 28-29 on the soccer field at BC. IWHC is regulated and sanctioned by the American Kennel Club. The competition is called Lure Coursing.
According to Field Secretary Renee Davis, 46, of San Diego, these sight hounds are bred to hunt with their eyes.
The dogs race in groups of three, along a track which consists of a lure attached to a continuous line that can vary from 600 to 1,000 yards long. The line is a big loop that is held taut around numerous stakes that make it turn sharply at every corner.
The lure is made of plastic, and how fast it moves is controlled by the lure operator. The lure operator uses a remote that controls a wheel that turns the line around the track.
Tammy Carver, 41, lure operator on Saturday, said her job was to get the dogs around the track and to simulate hunting a rabbit, "which can be difficult."
Carver explained one of the biggest challenges was keeping the lure ahead of the fastest dog, because some dogs cheat and cut the track.
Sebastian Franzen, 39, from Garden Grove, was a judge and lure operator on the second day.
Franzen is originally from Sweden, where his parents raised show dogs, which he explained started his love for dogs.
Franzen, along with his wife Tess, 36, had five greyhounds at the competition, which consisted of Star and Phantom and their three offspring.
The dogs are almost all dual champions, which means they have placed in dog shows and coursing. "I have a full-time job, but dogs are our passion," said Franzen.
Field Secretary Renee Davis said, "My job is to make sure everyone else is doing their job basically."
Davis said her main goal was to make sure the dogs were safe and handle any complaints.
Davis owns a Scottish deerhound, which competed in the event.
Like Davis, most of the people competing had a job to make the lure coursing trials run.
There are 14 breeds of dogs including Afghan hounds, greyhounds, Rhodesian ridgebacks and whippets that are allowed to compete.
The dogs must be at least one year old, and they have to pass an examination to make sure they are fit to compete.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools