Blood Sports

... even in the absence of a ban on fox hunting "serious consideration could be given as to whether this practice [terrier work] should be allowed to continue."
— The Burns Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs

At the time of writing we've just had the usual media coverage of the Boxing Day fox hunts with children pictured playing with the hounds.

Absent from every single report is any mention of the hunt terriermen. Men such as Alistair Robinson, of the Ullswater Foxhounds, who was captured on video on 26 October 2009 digging a fox out from underground before beating it to death. He then hid the carcass in a dry stone.

Terrierwork is all too often a euphemism for fox baiting and in the past was for badger baiting. Terriers are put into situations where they encounter and then fight foxes below ground. The terrierwork literature is full of references to the prowess of their dogs in finding and locking onto animals below ground. Terriers are often severely injured in the fights below ground.

An investigation by BBC Panorama in 2007 revealed that many dog-fighting groups congregate under the disguise of terrier and lurcher shows held throughout the UK and Ireland.