Is it the dogs or the people that have changed?

I recently wrote a piece about the suitability of several of our terrier breeds for the smallholder. I particularly wanted to focus on their ability to control rats and mice – the bane of any livestock keeper.

I am keen that, to significantly raise their numbers (and interest in them) more of our rare/vulnerable native breeds need to get back to work.

A ghostly ferreting expedition

I kept a number of ferrets in my youth; they are absolutely fascinating animals and make wonderful pets. My brother worked them, something I wasn’t too keen on – memories of Watership Down seriously affected my view of rabbiting. Instead of hunting, I far preferred the day-to-day care and breeding of my mustelid pets.

Recently, I wrote a piece on keeping ferrets and ferreting for Country Smallholding Magazine, and it reawakened memories of one particularly spooky ferreting expedition many years ago.

Fantastic Mr Ferret

The March 2021 issue of Country Smallholding included two of my features, including this one on ferrets and pest control.

Terrific terriers

In the March 2021 issue of Country Smallholding I raised the profile of three rare terrier breeds – the Bedlington, Manchester and Sealyham – and demonstrated their potential to fill the role of a pest controller.