Missing Hounds: Leesburg VA

[tangledweb]

Fwding in case anybody here has not heard

MISSING: TWO HOUNDS - LEESBURG AREA

Two young hounds from the Live Oak Hunt became frightened upon their arrival at the Virginia Hound Show kennels at Morven Park in Leesburg and ran off on Thursday night, May 22.

One of the hounds is a female named Perfect. She is mostly white with faint gray patches on her sides. She carries the “LOH” tattoo in her left ear and “B713” tattoo in her right ear.

The other is a male named Charter. He is a tri-color hound with a lot of black on his back. He carries the “LOH” tattoo in his left ear and “A413” tattoo in his right ear. Both hounds are about 1-1/2 years old.

Sightings of either hound may be reported to us, or to the animal control department in the locality where either hound is sighted. That department may then call the Loudoun County animal control office (703-777-0406) for the contact number of the owners, Marty and Daphne Wood.

[tangledweb]

Still missing:
http://www.foxhuntinglife.com/foxhunting-news/foxhunting-news/1127-missing-live-oak-hounds-update

[ParadoxFarm]

I hope they are safe and soon found.

[CarrieK]

I read the update; thanks for posting the link. I’m glad they’re at least being spotted.

[JBCool]

Jingles they get back home soon!

[florida_foxhunter]

The last I heard is one was found, is in good hands , etc…and we’re hoping the second will be soon!

[Beverley]

Thanks for the update, which is still missing, Perfect or Charter?

[laughATTACK]

Has Charter been recovered? If not, I just spotted him on Zulla Rd between Fursman Kennels and Hickory Tree.

[tangledweb]

Last update I saw was the one you commented on from June 11.

One of the two unentered Live Oak foxhounds that were spooked upon their arrival at Morven Park for the Virginia Foxhound Show last May has been recovered. Perfect, who never left the Morven Park area, was finally secured in a box dog trap.
Her companion in flight, Charter, has been more adventurous in his travels. He has been seen on Zulla Road in Middleburg, and Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen has been feeding him but hasn’t yet secured him. So long as Charter stays off the busy roads, chances are he will soon be in good hands as well.
A much-relieved Daphne Wood, MFH, Live Oak Hounds (FL), has expressed her gratitude to the Morven Park staff, retired huntsman Kevin Palmer, Piedmont MFH Tad Zimmerman, and Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen for their continued efforts on behalf of these young hounds.

It sounds like that’s the area they were looking for him a month ago. Can you give one of the parties involved a call to tell them that’s still his area?

[Beverley]

Here is a later update, posted by Norman Fine June 25:

http://www.foxhuntinglife.com/foxhunting-news/foxhunting-news/1137-live-oak-charter-still-at-large-posse-closing-in

"The latest report on the one Live Oak foxhound still on the lam is that he has made an art of his early retirement. Daphne Wood, MFH reports that Charter is alive and well, though thin. It turns out that the kind kitchen employees at the Middleburg Tennis Club on Zulla Road have been putting out kitchen scraps for him. The good news is that this regular source of food has probably kept him safe from roaming and crossing roads, but it has also made it unnecessary for him to venture into the trap that has been baited to secure him.

With Piedmont huntsman Spencer Allen on vacation, first whipper-in Neil Amatt has been deputized to capture the escapee. The plan is to send Amatt to the kitchen with a Spanish-speaking member of his posse to request that the kitchen scraps be turned over to him for baiting the trap.
Daphne’s fondest wish is to now “end this ordeal for all concerned”! She hopes to be soon able to send a concrete expression of her gratitude to Piedmont “to thank them for the endless efforts they continue to make to bring this to a happy ending.”
Posted June 25, 2014

[CarrieK]

Thanks for the update!

[Anne_FS]

Any updates?

[Beverley]

Last I saw on Facebook, as of July 17, still sightings, but no capture.

[gumtree]

Morven Park to Zulla Rd. this guy has covered a lot of territory. At least the Middleburg area is far less populated and a less traffic then the Leesburg area. So he has picked a good location to hang out.

If I were homeless in Middleburg I would hang around the Middleburg Tennis Club also. Nice place, good food and I bet really good “scraps”.

I wonder given the fact he has been “free ranging” for quite a while now will this make him difficult to train for what he is bred to do?

[gothedistance]

I suspect if he isn’t caught before cubbing begins, he’ll come right quick to the sound of the Orange County hounds once the pack starts hunting.

[Beverley]

Update per multiple posts on Facebook, Charter has been successfully captured thanks to the herculean efforts of several people, and is at a vet’s for treatment of a broken jaw before he journeys home.

[Polydor]

Yay! Hope he heals up quickly.

With his prolonged wanderings, would he go back into “training” or would he be more likely to be rehomed?

P.

[Beverley]

I would not presume to speak for Live Oak but in my experience hounds back to kennels after a long absence are delighted to be back home. He has a decent chance to go on and hunt just fine. Conversely though, people should understand that a young hound early in its hunting education can be ruined forever by just one action, kicked or stepped on by a horse, confused by people in the field speaking to it or cracking whips, people failing to give right of way and thus blocking the hound that is wanting to find the huntsman, and so forth. No one knows what adventures Charter has had, but once he is healed and back in the kennel routine I would not rule out hunting success, just might take a little longer .

[Polydor]

Cool! Glad to hear he may make it back into the hunt field. Thanks for the info Beverley. One day I shall go hunting.

P.

[Beverley]

Here is the Chronicle’s article on Charter: http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/lost-and-found-live-oak-foxhound