Johnsey’s tribute to Bagpipe was first published in the 2016 Yearbook of the Tennessee Valley Hunt. The hunt, founded in 1989, is unique in that most of the founding members had never foxhunted prior to forming the hunt. Fortunately, they found their way to Dr. Todd “Doc” Addis who, along with his wife Happy, brought his hounds to Tennessee and taught the fledgling foxhunters all about hunting. Before leaving, Doc made a gift of twenty couple of Penn-Marydels to the Tennessee Valley Hunt.
Kimberton’s Bagpipe 2010 / Gretchen Pelham photo
I’ve chosen Kimberton’s Bagpipe 2010 as this year’s Hound of the Year. Prior to last hunt season, Bagpipe was nothing more than your everyday, stubborn, old filler hound. Terrified of his own shadow and extremely anti-social when it came to humans, Bagpipe did everything on his own terms. By the end of the 2014/2015 season he would pack in, walk out, and was only decent in the hunt field.
Then came summer. Stricken with a nasty infectious disease, he spent most of the summer crippled and fighting to breath normally. Months of living at a vet clinic and then more time spent at Dr. Wheeler’s farm, where Mike and Fran slowly brought him back to life, proved to be worth it.
Bagpipe made his way back to the kennels late fall and was gradually introduced back to a hunting routine. Doing things on his own terms, as always, he would occasionally run a fox. Slowly, he took back to running coyote. Now, he’s at the front of most runs, the first hound to right the pack at a loss, and never afraid to give his stubborn opinion.
Bagpipe lives loose in the kennel barn and is the most spoiled foxhound you will ever come across. He sleeps all day and hunts all night. Every Thursday and Saturday morning he is one of the first hounds on the trailer heading to a meet. Thank you, Dr. Wheeler, for making sure Bagpipe had the opportunity to become Hound of the Year and one of the most loved hounds in the pack…we owe you.
Posted September 14, 2016
Gretchen Pelham photo