by Kerry Webster » Mon 07 Apr 2003 1:55 pm
Hi Cat Squirrel,
MMmmmmmmmmmmm Vegemite........it is an acquired taste. You don't know what you are missing, though.
Re Gun licenses in Australia. Yes, to handle a gun in trials, a person must have a license, except for Western Australia, where the controlling Canine Body, the CAWA, now has a corporate Gun License. This means that any person who is a financial member of the CAWA, and is also a member of a Retrieving Club, can use a shotgun during the trials, without having to obtain a personal license.
This has been a huge benefit to many triallers who really do not need or wish to obtain a gun license, when the only time they actually handle a gun is during trials. I believe there are other Australian state bodies looking at this idea for their own members. There are of course still people with private gun licenses because they actually do own a gun.
Regarding training sites, I can't vouch for everyone, but I believe Sydney people have a great deal of difficulty locating sites, and for running trials they travel extensively.
In Western Australia, we can usually find a good training area within 1 hour of home. This would pretty much cover every trialler in the Metropolitan area and outer areas. Most of our trial sites are also within 1 to 2 hours of Perth. Farmers on the whole, are pretty obliging, and as long as we respect the property, we are welcome to return year after year.
Personally, I do use pigeons in training sessions, as well as bumpers. We even used to take a fake shotgun out, but, had a visit from police one day who had received a report of people seen shooting their dogs !!!!!!
I tell you, can you imagine spending 4 years training your dog, to then shoot it in the field !. A quick explanation to the Cops of what we were doing fixed up the situation, with their suggestion that we use an umbrella instead. Consequently, have not used the fake since.
Kerry