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-- Rule clarification: Switching rabbits (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=928451984)

Rule clarification: Switching rabbits

This is written to clarify existing rules. This is not a complaint! The Hunting Beagle program is healthy and the sportsmanship and fellowship has been awesome.

This time of year we have many small rabbits. Rabbit size should not be a determining factor in scoring the scenarios that follow:

1) Dogs jump a half grown small rabbit and it runs across the lane. The dogs circle the rabbit and as they are on their way back a big rabbit comes back across the lane in plane sight of cast members. It is visually evident that this is not the same rabbit that they started. It is a full size grown rabbit. The correct way to score this scenario is to score the line according to the way the dogs trail through it. All strike positions remain the same. No minus points are given even though they are obviously running a much bigger rabbit than the one they started the track on

2) Dogs are running a big rabbit that has circled completely and has run into a large brier bush. Two rabbits come out of the bush. One is small and one is big like the one the pack started on, Two dogs trail out on the big rabbit and two trail out on the little rabbit. All 4 dogs score their lines. No dogs are minused.

3)Two dogs are running a big rabbit and two dogs are running a little rabbit. The two tracks run together in close proximity or into the same brier bush. All 4 dogs come out on the same rabbit. No dogs are minused. All dogs keep their strike positions.

This rule clarification pertains to rule 4b
When it is visually evident by the majority of the
cast or a non-hunting judge that dog(s) quits a
track that is being worked, he will be minused. Or,
if none of the declared struck dogs open for a
period of three minutes, the track will be considered
lost and minused. However, if dog(s)
goes back on the track, he will get the next
available position. Once a position has been
minused, it becomes available again. However,
a dog cannot be “struck in” over a dog’s position
that is being held. If all positions are taken,
dog will receive 25 points for going back, but
these points will be minused every time he
comes out. Dog is not to be tied or encouraged
to go back.

AND rule 6q: On second offense, when dog(s) quits a trail
that is being worked, provided remaining
dog(s) circles and scores its rabbit.

First it is important to explain the intent of the rules.
The rules were written back when the Hunting Beagle program started to penalize a dog that QUITS the track. An example of this is when a dog can not handle pack pressure and comes out of the pack and returns to handlers or goes off in search of his own rabbit. Another example of this is when a dog on a split track is in a check and then leaves the track it is working to go pack in on the split track. It is important to look for refuge for the dog that left to pack in on the split. If it ran the rabbit to refuge, then went to pack in on the split, it displayed no fault and should not receive minus.

The intent of the rule is important to the interpretation of the rule. Simply put, switching to a different size rabbit is not strong enough criteria to meet the visual evidence criteria for minusing dogs for quitting track or denying lines. Dan M

Well put Dan.

This was strongly enforced in the early 90's at the start. Not alot know this nowadays. Well pointed Dan...

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Good to know guys ! That is one of the many scenarios I have not yet seen. I would have thought some dog would get minus.
I have a question. In the scenario where all dogs run the big rabbit into a thicket and two rabbits come out of the thicket. Two dogs (A and B) are running the big rabbit and two dogs (C and D) are running the small rabbit. A line was called on both rabbits. They just started a split track. What will these dogs scores be ?

Both dogs that score a first line will get 100, Both that score a second line get 85. You will likely know they are split just before scoring the second line so catch the ones that score after you know it is split and turn them in on the split track. They need to be struck back in on or before third bark at next available position. Also remember the one minute clock on scoring the lines. Clock starts when first dog scores line. Separate clock for each line.

The strike points for turning in on the split track are not automatically plus points just because a line was scored on the track BEFORE the dogs were struck in on the split track. The line that will plus the second set of strike points must occur AFTER the dogs have run majority of circle and dog(s) score line in accordance with the rules. If the track blows up before the dogs meet the criteria to plus the strike points then all dogs struck in on track will minus 50 simultaneously. In that case a line is drawn through that second set of strike points for the dogs that were turned in on the split.