An equal number of hounds and humans converged upon Brook Hollow Farm in Warren County on Sunday, October 24th as OWLs went Into the Wild with the Beagle Brigade. Although we were bundled for nippy air and armored against branches and brambles, the day proved to be much milder than anticipated. Golden sunlight beamed down upon the fields and furrows we trampled through, and the foliage was peaking in dominant shades of red and amber.

First, Cathy gave us a brief safety review regarding hand, body, and eye protection if the need arose to follow the hounds into some of the inaccessible areas they naturally gravitate toward in pursuit of game. Cathy had some great brush pants, which are sort of like jeans with extra thick, long patches of canvas down the legs and around the ankles.

We then had our introduction to the amiable and fearless pack of hounds. We outfitted them with radio collars in the event that we lost track of them, since they will travel to the ends of the Earth when in pursuit of game. After all, that is their job, and they love to do it! One can easily grow fond of these muscular little pooches with their white, black, and brown markings and their perpetually wagging tails. I really mean this; throughout the day, whether standing, trotting, bounding, tracking, or chasing, those little whips would beat a steady rhythm!

The canine gang consisted of April and Jake, parents to Penny and Smoky; and Muffin and Meadow. Each dog had distinctive markings, personalities, and voices. Meadow chose to relax with the humans and let the other dogs do the work, except that her innate curiosity occasionally got the better of her and she ambled off into the fray, sometimes drawing attention in the wrong direction, and she had absolutely no idea why she was being hissed at, called to, coaxed, and cajoled into staying quietly with the humans…According to Cathy’s Mom, Gloria, she was the smartest of the bunch, having learned early on that she got just as much love, attention, and food as the others without having to do all the work; but Lenny explained it as simply a preference brought on by a missing gene, despite her pedigree. In any event, she was sweet and good company.

Muffin is the elder dog, but does not acknowledge it in any way, keeping up with the other working dogs in every way. Age has it’s privileges, however, and Muffin gets to ride to and fro on Gloria’s nice, warm lap instead of in the (really rather nice) kennel in the back of the pick-up.

The pack on the scent trail of a rabbit.

We awaited the return of the hounds at the base of the hill and, sure enough, we were rewarded richly for our patience and attentiveness. Down the hill on a diagonal came the rabbit; and it temporarily stopped directly in front of us as if to regroup. A moment later, it bolted into action and hopped off in the direction of the field. It crossed the trail into the evergreens. Suddenly, the cacophony was upon us as the hounds followed the same exact route in hot pursuit. It was a classic visual, and embodied the spirit and excitement of the sport. We were SO lucky to have that gift!