Charter, secured at last / Nancy Kleck photoCharter, the elusive foxhound that has been on the lam for nearly four months, has finally been secured. A happy ending to a series of News items we ran after Charter and Perfect—male and female unentered hounds belonging to the Live Oak Hounds (FL)—became frightened and escaped from the Virginia Foxhound Show at Morven Park just before the Memorial Day weekend.

Perfect, who never left the Morven Park grounds, was caught a couple of weeks later in a box dog trap and returned to Live Oak, but Charter has been on an odyssey that took him from Leesburg south across two major east-west Virginia highways, Routes 7 and 50. He traveled on his own as far as Middleburg—perhaps twenty miles as the crow flies—where he settled in near Zulla Road and cadged a living wherever he could. He would not allow anyone to get near enough to capture him, however.

Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen and Live Oak Charter: a happy ending  /  Nancy Kleck photoPiedmont huntsman Spencer Allen, whipper-in Neil Amattt, Wayne Van Sant, Cynthia Daily, sporting artist Nancy Kleck, and others along the way have been instrumental in Charter’s recovery by putting out food for him and making many until now fruitless efforts to lure him into a trap. He was finally caught—safely and calmly—in a three-door hog trap on Wednesday, September 17.

Unfortunately, Charter somehow suffered a broken jaw while loose and lost a portion of his tongue, but was eating chopped, cooked meats and softened kibble put out for him regularly by the rescue team. Allen handled him while being released from the trap and held him during the drive to the clinic, where he remained calm and alert. Charter is under veterinary care, with jaw surgery scheduled. A full recovery and early return to his kennelmates in Florida is hoped for.

Posted September 18, 2014