The American Beagler Forum

seems to be alot of these questions so heres mine. the dogs have been running for a few min. while the dogs are running a handler jumps another rabbit. the check is open and the original rabbit pops out and all the handlers see it. dog A comes out sees the rabbit and sight chases then picks up the track and pounds it 150 yards across the field. we are running beside the ohio river with a barge going by. the judge nor the dogs here dog A but all the handlers seen it. judge comes out we tell him the original rabbit and dog A are across the field. a handler says we have another line from the rabbit we jumped. dog A is still hammering alone. judge calls dead track handle dogs. dog A is still running the original rabbit so the handler of dog A has to go get his dog off the original rabbit to put it on another. dog A wasnt scored. my question is do you have the other four handlers put there dogs on the original rabbit that is still running or do you call dead track and put them on a new rabbit? do you score dog A a check for taking the rabbit across the field?

As being a judge, it makes it very hard in a situation like that. I take it the other dogs were not running either. So i would go to dog A and score from their. I might not check the dog because i missed seeing the dog get the check. Its hard to score something you dont see. But i definently wouldnt pull dog A off a running rabbit when the other dogs were not running. I would probably tell the other handlers to get their dog into the race. If the other dogs were running the other track it might make things a little different. They don't know what "original" rabbit is, they are just their to run. The check was open and the judge did not see the rabbits, so i guess i would just have to be judging the cast to know for sure what i would have done. And in the judges defense he didnt see any of it either. And it is a judges call on something like that. So it would be hard to say right or wrong without being on the cast myself. JMO

I agree Wilson Creek. Cant check it if you dont see it....but I would have put the dogs with the dog that was running, and went from checks when they all got together.......unless I was tired, lol....then I may call a dead track

Randy,
I hear ya on the being tired part..haha that does make a difference.