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Vinnie Left for Dead.

Vinnie, a male lurcher not even 2 years old, was found in a semi collapsed state on the Priddy to Cheddar Road by a member of the public on the 17 March. His leg was swollen and painted bright purple with antiseptic spray in an attempt by his owner to fix his deep wounds. But how unrealistic was this? It would be like offering a child an ice lolly for a broken leg!

He had several other historic and recent deep wounds. The worst on his leg was so extensive and deep that his tendons to his leg were visible. Grateful for help after being left to die, he was helped into the finder’s car and taken to Orchard Vets where they kindly hospitalized him overnight and he received emergency care.

[His main leg injury is too graphic & distressing to share here.]

Vinnie hasn’t been claimed after 52 days. Following laser treatment and surgery, he is almost ready to go to a foster home to continue his rehabilitation.

So what was he doing on the road to Priddy with such horrendous wounds? He was probably “being worked” on nearby land. The land he was working on was private land, but his owner got in there illegally by damaging gates and fencing. In the process they potentially put other livestock at risk.

Here is a recent report by the National Farmers Union:

NFU members in Hampshire have met police officers to discuss a big increase in hare coursing and poaching.

Hampshire farmer Clive Hancock has reported 13 cases to the police since 1st November, after vandals broke into his estate in the middle of the night. Five of those incidents occurred in the fortnight before Christmas Day.

Mr Hancock, who manages Moundsmere Estate near Basingstoke, said: “This criminal activity is really, really horrible. Once the crops have cleared, these people are out on our fields, and the cumulative damage from all these incidents is enormous. This is by far the worst intensity of criminal activity we have seen, and another farm manager near here says it has not been this bad in his 40 years in the area. It’s not just our estate that is affected by them, all of the surrounding farms have experienced them as well, we just happen to be at the centre of it.”

On the same subject an Avon and Somerset Police report on Rural Poaching - Updated on 18 April 2024:

“It is apparent that surrounding areas are being subjected to incidents of poaching on farmland. This causes distress to the quarry being attacked (mainly hares) & criminal damage is known to be caused to fencing/gates & ground due to vehicles being driven off road to access land. Any information or suspicious activity please report on our 101 system”.



Hare Coursing

Hare coursing was banned in 2004, but the underground scene is thriving. Not only does hare coursing involve cruelty to wild animals, but it is also linked to other criminality such as theft, criminal damage, violence, and intimidation. It can also cause significant disturbance in the countryside and is a constant cause for concern among landowners, farmers, and rural communities.

Vinnie’s very powerful physique indicated he would have been a top dog financially for his owner, which is why they pathetically attempted to fix his leg. He could have been involved in hare coursing and earning a lot of money. Organised events are life streamed with bets being placed in counties as far away as China.

Dogs like Vinnie are used also for “lamping” where their owners enter private land illegally at night with their dogs and/or guns and use high powered lamps to seek out and dazzle prey like pheasants and deer before killing them.

But Vinnie isn’t alone. Just take a quick look at the dog lost site:

https://www.doglost.co.uk/dog-search.php?status=Found

It is a national site for the reunification of stray dogs. It shows the numbers of working dogs (many who are injured) that are abandoned every month. Could you help Vinnie and offer him a foster home to continue his recovery? If so, contact his current carers through this website.

(Editor)