Puppies born to ‘Churchill’ And ‘Thea’ just in time for VE Day

Chewit, Charmer, Chatter and Chisel are among the nine adorable new foxhound puppies delighting staff and riders at the Hunt, which is a trail hunting pack.

Laura Bow, of the Bicester Hunt with Whaddon Chase, commented: “We are so pleased to see the puppies growing in confidence each day and exploring their surroundings. Thea is a very good mum and playful with her puppies. The fact that the sire is called Churchill is so appropriate for this 80th anniversary of VE day.”

The puppies are now staying on the Huntsman’s farm, with three specially made whelping lodges and three grass paddocks for the puppies to explore safely, once they are old enough and depending on the weather. The tradition of ‘puppy walking’ involves letting the puppies interact with a variety of different situations, people and farm animals to help them get used to the sights and sounds of the countryside.

After about six or eight months the puppies will return to the Hunt and will be gradually integrated into the pack, before beginning trail hunting at about eighteen months old. There are 58 couple of hounds in the kennels.

Laura Bow continued: “I started puppy walking 17 years ago and it’s always the highlight of my year. My son Harry is having a wonderful time playing with the puppies and he is also a great help as it’s hard to keep an eye on all of them at once! There are some really special hounds this year and they have been blessed with great weather too, for exploring further afield.”

The Bicester Hunt with Whaddon Chase is an accredited member of the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) and practices trail hunting.

Trail hunting does not involve pursuit of any animal. Instead, the hounds are trained to follow a pre-laid scent trail, preserving the traditions, skills and employment associated with hunting, while remaining in full compliance with the Hunting Act 2004.

BHSA members sign up to a code of conduct and uphold the highest standards of welfare for the horses and hounds involved in the sport.

Every year the trail hunting community raises tens of thousands of pounds for charitable causes. In a recent six-month period 92 different charities benefited to the tune of £460,000 raised by members of BHSA-registered hunts.