A hunt club needs help with the aging dogs in its kennel. The Iroquois Hunt Club, which organizes coyote and fox hunts, supports a hound welfare fund. Without outside assistance, Organizer Glenye Oakford says the central Kentucky club cannot easily afford the care and feeding of dogs that can no longer hunt. “Whether it’s through age or injury, we take care of those hounds because they are no longer covered by the Iroquois Hunt budget, if they are not active hunting hounds. So, they get to stay in the kennel. They get to be with all their friends. They’re sort of a retirement pack, if you will that lives alongside the active pack,” said Oakford.The club conducts an annual fundraiser that pays for feed, veterinary care and medicines. Currently, the club is home some 60 active and 25 retired hounds.
“They all have individual personalities and we get to know these hounds and we love them. We just feel that we really owe it to them. You know, we get so much benefit and so much joy out of what they give us. And they’re so focused on the people around them. And we just feel that we owe it to them,” added Oakford.
The club hosts a dinner and auction this June that benefits the hound welfare program.
