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When my wife asked me to write an article about the upcoming field trial to be held at our farm I wasn't quite sure what to write that someone not involved in the sport would understand. But it occurred to me that if you are a dog lover, and you get to see your dog doing something he or she is not only talented at but loves to do, you will understand what I am talking about.
To me lure coursing is about spending quality time with someone you love, your dog. It is about spending time with people who enjoy spending quality time with their dog, and it is about getting to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine just being happy.
The sport of lure coursing as we know it in this area, came about as a way to evaluate a dogs ability to pursue or capture game. Sight hound breeds have been finely tuned for century s to hunt game. Some were to bring the quarry to bay, others to actually run down and bring down the quarry. Whatever the end, coursing was developed as a way to judge individual dogs ability. While it is not quite as dramatic as chasing live game, it is way less walking, and a lot easier to compare course to course. Making it accessible to more people. Not to mention the lures (tall white kitchen trash bags), are much easier to find than say an elk or a lion, which is the original intended quarry of some of these breeds.
The dogs are run in either trios (preferable), braces, or singly, across a designated course plan. They chase plastic bags attached to a string, that is pulled along the ground at speeds up to 35 mph. They are judged by one or two judges, in their endurance, speed, follow, agility, and enthusiasm or overall ability. This particular weekend is somewhat unique, in that it will be sanctioned by two different governing bodies, the American Sight hound Field Association (ASFA), and the American Kennel Club(AKC). The judges will be licesend by one of these organizations.
All of this is unimportant to the dogs. Their interest is in “chasing the bunny”. They don't care if it is only a plastic bag, they just want you to make it go, and let them chase it. I am not quite sure how to describe the looks on a dogs face, but I am quite sure that they want to do this very bad. It makes them very happy dogs, and if your like me, I love it when someone or something I love is very, very, happy.
I suppose there is a lot more detail I could go into concerning the finer points of what a judge looks for, or course plans, but for the vast majority of people that would not be all that interesting. What is interesting is getting to see people and dogs, excelling in something that really makes them smile. So if you have some free time over the weekend, feel free to drop by the farm to check it out. It wont cost you anything to get in, and if you are a dog lover, you might just get a smile on your face for a little while too. The address is 205 Elbert Frankum Road. Directions from Columbia are KY-55 south to HWY-704 south. Follow HWY-704 about 2 ½ miles to North Johnson School Road. Turn right onto North Johnson School Road and go 9/10ths of a mile to Elbert Frankum Road. There will be signs posted directing you from HWY-704. |
