Isn’t it cruel to make terriers go underground, where they could become trapped or injured?
A. It is impossible to force a terrier to go to ground. It is something terriers do instinctively. The use of modern electronic locator collars reduces the likelihood of a terrier being lost underground. Q. I have heard that some digs take many hours with the terrier and fox fighting underground. A. Often when a fox goes to ground particularly in a large complicated, network of underground tunnels, it can take a very long time for the terrier to locate the fox. In addition to this it can take a long time for the fox to then settle in one position enabling the dig to commence. Terrier men do not want to dig a large hole only to find they have to move a few metres and dig another one. It is often necessary to wait for up to an hour or more to get an exact fix on the location of the terrier and fox. The fox faces the terrier underground and the terrier stands off at a safe distance and bays, which enables the terrier men to locate it by use of an electronic bleeper.
