December 1, 2023
Hunting with Dogs Act in Scotland
On October 3, 2023, Scotland’s “Hunting With Dogs Bill” came into effect. The Bill was passed this January to ban all trail chasing (called a drag hunt in the U.S.) and any hunting with more than two hounds without a special license. This Bill replaces the Protection of Wild Mammals Act that has been in effect in Scotland since 2002. That Act allowed the hunting of foxes to protect livestock and ground-nesting birds or to prevent the spread of disease. The new Bill will affect eight foxhunt clubs and one mink hunt club located in Scotland. Two hunt clubs in Scotland now use bloodhounds as of this season to chase a group of runners (called “clean boot”) and should be unaffected by the Bill.
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De La Brooke Foxhounds at the Potomac River
Karenan Smart took a fun photo of the De La Brooke Foxhounds visiting the Potomac River at a recent meet this November.
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Michael Dempsey MFH Appreciation
Michael Dempsey MFH, a household name in hunting circles all over the world, sadly passed away last week at age 98, in the loving care of his son Tom and his wife Mairead. He hunted the Galway Blazers for 20 seasons and was Joint Master for 40 seasons. His son Tom followed as huntsman for another 20 seasons. Michael also hunted Lady Molly Cusack-Smith’s Bermingham & North Galway Hounds and the East Galway Hounds, which possibly made him the only huntsman to hunt all of the County Galway foxhound packs.
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