A life beyond the hunt: Exposing the lie of the "can't be rehomed" foxhoundHow one abandoned foxhound exposes the myth that these dogs cannot live safely and happily beyond the hunting industry
The hunting industry repeatedly insists that foxhounds cannot be rehomed and that once they are no longer useful, their lives are effectively over. We wanted to challenge that narrative. So we went looking for the truth. We found it in one dog, his name is Alfred. It is believed Alfred was picked up by a member of the public after being left behind by a hunt in Lincolnshire. He was not microchipped. No one came forward to claim him. Another hound written off. Another life treated as disposable. Alfred entered the rescue system carrying no paperwork, no history, and no explanation only the quiet weight of whatever he had already endured. But Alfred’s story didn’t end there. Thankfully, he wasn’t in rescue for long. He landed on all four paws and was given what every dog deserves safety, care, and a loving home.
His caregiver remembers Alfred’s first night vividly. “He found a safe corner of my bedroom the furthest corner of the house from the front door. He was quiet. He didn’t howl or even bark.” This was not a dog grieving the loss of the hunt. This was a dog seeking refuge. “He very rarely makes any noise at all,” his caregiver explains. “Only sometimes in the garden at night, if he can hear other dogs or wildlife in the neighbourhood.” For the first week, Alfred wouldn’t go outside. “He didn’t want to venture into the garden at all. He was completely on his guard leaving his spot in my room as though he was afraid of going outside.” Fear, not ferocity. Caution, not conditioning.
Alfred has never “gone into cry” the behaviour hunts so often claim defines these dogs. Instead, he has discovered something else… “He gets excited and really enjoys going on hikes through the countryside and into the mountains.” Out on walks, Alfred moves with his nose to the ground, constantly reading the land: “He walks with his nose down all the time, following scents. Only when he meets other dogs, humans, or even the occasional fox does he lift his head.” What Alfred loves is not the chase, but the world itself. “He loves his walks because the trees, the birds, the scent of the wildlife that’s his enjoyment.” There is no aggression. No fixation. No desire to harm. “Not an ounce of discontent. He’s just a normal dog.” And perhaps most telling of all, “He lives for the scent of life as opposed to destroying it.”
Alfred is not an anomaly. He is proof. Proof that foxhounds are not broken. Proof that they are not incapable of family life. Proof that what the hunting industry calls “instinct” is in fact something shaped, narrowed, and trained into a single purpose. Chasing. Cornering. Killing. Alfred shows us the truth beneath that training. He lives for scent, but not for the chase. He reads the land, not to pursue a target, but to experience the world around him. The trees, the birds, the trails left behind by wildlife. His joy is in discovery, not destruction. And Alfred is also proof of something else: foxhounds do not need the hunt to survive. They need safety. Once Alfred was given that, he did exactly what foxhounds have always been capable of doing. He lived. He loved. He settled into a home that does not force him to become a hunting machine, but allows him to exist as he always should have been allowed to. Like any other dog.
We know there are more foxhounds like him, dogs who have been abandoned, rescued, rehomed, and allowed to live full lives beyond the hunt. Their stories deserve to be heard. If you or someone you know has rehomed a foxhound from a hunt and would like to help challenge the myth that these dogs are unrehomable, we want to hear from you. Please send your story to foxhounds@protectthewild.org.uk. Together, we can show that foxhounds are not disposable, and that life beyond the hunt is not only possible, but necessary. Support Protect the Wild with a small monthly donationWe only ask for a few pounds a month because our strength isn’t big donors or hidden backers. It’s thousands of ordinary people chipping in small amounts. Together, that becomes unstoppable. Your support powers everything we do to defend British wildlife: Our goal is 300 new monthly supporters.
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