Beagle Interest Group Events INTERNAL, EXTERNAL AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Internal Events Washday Grooming day BIG Adventure race
Washday On Washdays, we as students take time out of our busy schedules to give the beagles the much needed and well-deserved care and grooming. It also gives students the chance to socialize and enjoy each other s company while doing something we all love; caring for animals. Included in the day s activities: general health assessment, nail clipping, ear cleaning, grooming, bathing, and dipping. The Washdays take place on several relatively warm days throughout the year. Along with some music and socialising it is definitely a day filled with laughs and fun.
Grooming day Grooming Days substitute the Washdays during the colder times of the year, and therefore only consists of general health assessment, nail clipping, ear cleaning and grooming.
BIG Adventure race During the BIG Adventure Race, club members get the opportunity to participate in a fun obstacle course with their beagle. The course is laid out on campus, and is roughly 5km long with various stations set throughout, where both the students and their beagles must complete various activities. A donation is made to the South African Guide Dog Association (entry fees and other funds raised) on the day.
External Events External events was created to give the beagles the chance to get away from campus and experience new, exciting environments. These are the events that we hope to host this year: Run for Rhino s Dog walks at a local park and Hedianga Farm Dog shows Drag hunting field day *all external events are dependent on weather, availability of beagles and students, as well as behaviour of beagles during training and socialisation
Run For Rhino s The annual and popular Run4Rhinos fun run, an initiative of veterinary students of the University of Pretoria takes place at the LC de Villiers sports grounds. All funds that are raised through t- shirt sales, entry fees, and donations goes directly to anti poaching charities. The dog friendly event consists of a 5km fun run/walk, with multiple water points, manned by Onderstepoort marshals. There is also a 10km route for the more serious fitness fanatics.
Dog walks Hedianga Farm is located in the Faerie Glen area. It is 130 hectare in size and comprises the north facing slope of the Bronberge mountain range overlooking Shere and Silverlakes. There are approximately 12 km of old roads on the farm most of which are primarily perfect for leisurely walks and trail running.
Drag hunting field day The importance of drag hunting field day: The aim of the drag hunting field day is to provide a controlled environment whereby we can let our hounds socialise and use their natural ability to trail a scent laid by the hunt master. Beagles are after all a pack animal, and the need to form a group with a defined hierarchy is very strong. How does it work? A lure made of old material soaked with either aniseed oil or some other strong-smelling substance, like pilchards, used in Gauteng, is dragged along a line. The line should mimic the movements of a hare so should have turns and changes in direction and not be a straight line. There is a defined start line and finish line. The drag line is usually about 1km long and there can be a number on one day. The dogs are then lined up at the start line and released when the hunt master gives the cue. The pack will then follow the scent to the finish line.
Community Outreach The B.I.G. works closely together with Wollies Animal Shelter to assist them in any manner possible with food, blankets, medication etc. Twice a year we take a group of about 40-50 students to visit the shelter and assist in deworming their +/- 500 dogs and also take some of the dogs for a short walk to give them some love and attention. There are also several events that Wollies are hosting that we want to take part in this year, not just to support Wollies but also to raise awareness of the shelter and all the animals that need their forever homes. At the end of 2017 Wollies started a paper drive for recycling, we would like to expand that paper drive and get Onderstepoort into recycling by donating any scrap paper to Wollies on a regular basis. For more information on this shelter visit their website at https://wollies.org/