Faun's World - catch the bunny

Catch the Bunny ~ Fauni and Lure Coursing

I LOVE TO RUN!!! There is nothing like running wild on an icy sea or in a mysterious forest. Sometimes I see a bunny or a squirrel and rush after it. Perhaps the bunny or the squirrel would like to play with me? I'll go and ask! Mum is boring, she is too slow to follow me. So she stays and waits for me. Mum shouts my name so that I know where she is. I'm a good boy since I always return to Mum - sooner or later...

Running is even more fun when you have your friends with you. Mum often takes me to a big fenced park for dogs. There we meet Veera, my best saluki friend in the whole wide world! (I actually fancy her a bit and get jealous if other boys want to join our play...) Veera and I have known each other since we were puppies. The speed we keep up is so high that sometimes our Mums just close their eyes and hope that we won't hurt ourselves. Veera lives with Mocca, who is already an elder Saluki Lady, and Trulli the Afghan, they both are nice girls, too.

Racing with Aziz Qaside (photo Hundefoto) Since I am already a big boy, I go to work. Running is not only the best thing in life, but also my job, sort of. Summer 1999 I participated in lure coursing races for the first time. Lure coursing is fun because there are so many bunnies to catch ! Whenever Mum says: 'Fauni, let's go catch the bunny !', I'm ready before she ends the sentence. Mum tells me that I've won enough CCs to become a Lure Coursing Champion, and even three C.A.C.I.L.s. I don't understand too much about those, the best prize for me is to catch the bunny first - even knowing it is a fake one.

What is my secret in, then? It's simple: run whenever you can! I trot with bike or kick sled to keep in good shape. I enjoy long walks with Mum and Veeti, gives some basic condition. But most of all I love those moments of freedom when I can use all the power I have in my legs. Besides the sea and forest, swamps and sand-pits are great places to run. So is the track nearby - whenever I notice that's where we are heading, I make sure Mum doesn't get lost on the way there by focing her to take all the right turns on the way. Well, I just refuse to believe there's any other route to the track than the one we usually use. Sometimes Mum tries to trick me by suggesting another route, but then it's safe to stand firmly on the crossroads and agree to walk only to the right direction. I recommend it to everybody, whose people get as easily lost as mine does.

Winning in Boden (photo Susanne Leifors) Last, but not least, is mental preparation. I have learned that a certain food in the morning means Lure Coursing! This can be checked by watching Mum packing the bag: if she packs also my muzzle and running coat, there's no doubt! Here are my hints for mental preparing: follow your people everywhere, even to shower, to make sure they won't go without you. Don't sleep in the car and study the map thoroughly, so you won't get lost on the way. And when you get to the right place, agree to walk only within a short distance from the start, so you won't miss your turn. Refuse any kind of stretching, it might also cost you your turn. Remember, that the day includes two starts, so if your people for some weird reason packs you into the car after only one start, remember to sulk the whole evening and if you have flatmates, have a final round with them. You can always blame the judges for this sad event, they simply didn't understanf that you are The Greatest! (Mum tells me that we don't say anything bad about the judges, but I don't always believe her...)

If you have followed my advice well, you can be almost sure that you will get a nice ribbon back home with you ;)

Photos on this page: Jari Nevalainen, Hundefoto, Susanne Leifors and Pasi Soininen.

Fauni in action in the lure coursing field (photos Pasi Soininen)


	Catch the Bunny ~ Fauni and Lure Coursing I LOVE TO RUN!!! There is nothing like running wild on an icy sea or in a mysterious forest. Sometimes I see a bunny or a squirrel and rush after it. Perhaps the bunny or the squirrel would like to play with me? I'll go and ask! Mum is boring, she is too slow to follow me. So she stays and waits for me. Mum shouts my name so that I know where she is. I'm a good boy since I always return to Mum - sooner or later... Running is even more fun when you have your friends with you. Mum often takes me to a big fenced park for dogs. There we meet Veera, my best saluki friend in the whole wide world! (I actually fancy her a bit and get jealous if other boys want to join our play...) Veera and I have known each other since we were puppies. The speed we keep up is so high that sometimes our Mums just close their eyes and hope that we won't hurt ourselves. Veera lives with Mocca, who is already an elder Saluki Lady, and Trulli the Afghan, they both are nice girls, too. Since I am already a big boy, I go to work. Running is not only the best thing in life, but also my job, sort of. Summer 1999 I participated in lure coursing races for the first time. Lure coursing is fun because there are so many bunnies to catch ! Whenever Mum says: 'Fauni, let's go catch the bunny !', I'm ready before she ends the sentence. Mum tells me that I've won enough CCs to become a Lure Coursing Champion, and even three C.A.C.I.L.s. I don't understand too much about those, the best prize for me is to catch the bunny first - even knowing it is a fake one. What is my secret in, then? It's simple: run whenever you can! I trot with bike or kick sled to keep in good shape. I enjoy long walks with Mum and Veeti, gives some basic condition. But most of all I love those moments of freedom when I can use all the power I have in my legs. Besides the sea and forest, swamps and sand-pits are great places to run. So is the track nearby - whenever I notice that's where we are heading, I make sure Mum doesn't get lost on the way there by focing her to take all the right turns on the way. Well, I just refuse to believe there's any other route to the track than the one we usually use. Sometimes Mum tries to trick me by suggesting another route, but then it's safe to stand firmly on the crossroads and agree to walk only to the right direction. I recommend it to everybody, whose people get as easily lost as mine does. Last, but not least, is mental preparation. I have learned that a certain food in the morning means Lure Coursing! This can be checked by watching Mum packing the bag: if she packs also my muzzle and running coat, there's no doubt! Here are my hints for mental preparing: follow your people everywhere, even to shower, to make sure they won't go without you. Don't sleep in the car and study the map thoroughly, so you won't get lost on the way. And when you get to the right place, agree to walk only within a short distance from the start, so you won't miss your turn. Refuse any kind of stretching, it might also cost you your turn. Remember, that the day includes two starts, so if your people for some weird reason packs you into the car after only one start, remember to sulk the whole evening and if you have flatmates, have a final round with them. You can always blame the judges for this sad event, they simply didn't understanf that you are The Greatest! (Mum tells me that we don't say anything bad about the judges, but I don't always believe her...) If you have followed my advice well, you can be almost sure that you will get a nice ribbon back home with you ;) Photos on this page: Jari Nevalainen, Hundefoto, Susanne Leifors and Pasi Soininen. Read Fauni's Guestbook ~ Sign Fauni's Guestbook
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