A note about the rabbits, and Ellie's hunting instincts....

Ellie, in our forest

Being a Border, Ellie's instincts are to go off and hunt. I am more tolerant of this than my wife is, although I accept the concerns are valid. We've heard the anecdotal evidence about Borders - intelligent animals, very affectionate & friendly to all - who've been lost and never found again. The red mist descends, off they go hunting, and that's it - never to be seen again!

Quite apart from that is the concern around what could happen to any "prey" that Ellie might capture. This is the point of this blog entry - to reassure any readers who might share this concern.

I'm pleased to report that, after extensive Terrier Trials, we have scientifically and conclusively proved that Ellie isn't fast enough to catch anything! All she is capable of is running around for a while, getting herself hot, bothered and generally in a right old mess, before coming back to her human companion. At which point she usually flops down exhausted, stretched out at our feet, or in the mud to cool herself down.

It is quite tricky to maintain this state of fitness in her - enough to be healthy, but too slow and lacking in stamina to be a danger to rabbits or squirrels.......but we manage it somehow!