The Chase Magazine
January 1956
Page Six
Facts and Fancies
By T. C. Wells
I have threatened for some time to break into print and air my opinion relative to the age old
controversial subject of bench show hounds, field trial hounds and combination hounds.
However, when I consider my position on the subject, I am reminded of the well-known World War I song
“They Are All out of Step but Jim” because it appears to me, I more or less stand alone in my convictions.
I have noticed a trend through the years toward two classes of hounds; show hounds and running
hounds, with many good hound men contending the running hound just can’t compete as he is not in
condition to show. I feel this barrier is man made as the hound in running condition should be given the
preference. I would say judges are inclined to give the nod to the pretty, soggy hound in spite of the
rules. The National Rule reads on page 46 as follows, “Hounds in hard running condition should be
given the preference over those that are soft or show too much flesh” and yet, too often a soft hound
with excess flesh, rather than substance is your winner.
The National President, Tom McClamroch, visited me last summer and while here expressed the opinion
that the bench show standard should be read by the judge prior to every bench show, the point being
the judge himself would have to familiarize himself with the rules and that a passing knowledge of the
rules on the part of the audience would make them more tolerant of the judge’s opinion. I have read the
rules before a new assignment several times and I like the response. It takes less than five minutes.
While no one admires a pretty hound more than I, he is no use tome unless he is a top foxhound, and
regardless of his beauty or value, I am inclined to run them, which sometimes leads to an untimely end as
was the case with Howard Pickett, or the loss of a leg off his illustrious son, The Real McCoy.
While the theory is, that a hound with superior conformation is better able to run a fox, and really he
should be, I find too often in actual practice, it’s a lot of “eye wash.” A recent example of what I mean is
my friend, Mose Hill’s 1955 Futurity Winner. She definitely is not 21 inches as called for by the standard.
I find an intelligent, alert, experienced hound with determination, can overcome almost any handicap.
I would like to make my position clear by saying I would be proud to own a combination winner. I would
rather own a field champion than a bench champion. However, I am convinced too much emphasis is
placed on Trailing. Of course someone is going to advance the old saw “that you have to trail a fox
before you run him,” but to me the better axiom is “a trailing hound seldom smells a hot fox.”
One incident illustrating this point stands out vividly in my mind. Years ago, sold out and were moving to
town. They wanted to dispose of their foxhounds. They came here with eight hounds for me to hear run.
We cast at about 8:00 p.m., they immediately began trailing, and at about 10:30 they were still trailing. I
had not taken my hounds since I wanted to hear theirs, but Judge Palmer, a local hunter, was in the
crowd and suggested we go back to town and get Big Jester which we did. He pulled to the hounds
immediately, hollered just five times, cast ahead about a quarter of a mile, hollered three times and when
we next heard him, he was about another quarter of a mile ahead of the pack, setting up on the fox.
From then on until after daylight, it was a hard fought fox race.
Incidentally, we selected a young hound that night that was later a source of both pleasure and pride to
us.
Now---altogther…Ready, aim,fire!